Communication Strategies of Advertising Students in Overcoming English Speaking Anxiety

Abstract

This study aims to analyze communication strategies used by Advertising students to overcome English speaking anxiety in an academic context. The issue is important because vocational students in Advertising are expected to present creative ideas, explain campaign concepts, and use English technical terms in academic and professional communication. This research employed a descriptive qualitative approach within an interpretive paradigm. Five students from the Advertising Study Program at Politeknik Negeri Media Kreatif PSDKU Makassar were selected purposively. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and documentation of academic speaking tasks. The data were analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldana's model, consisting of data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings indicate that students experienced anxiety in spontaneous speaking, pronunciation, grammar accuracy, direct correction, and peer evaluation. The anxiety was shaped by linguistic, psychological, and social factors. Students managed the anxiety through material preparation, independent practice, code-switching, positive self-talk, peer support, and communication style adjustment. The study contributes to understanding English speaking anxiety as an academic communication phenomenon, not merely a language learning problem.

Keyword: Communication anxiety; English speaking; communication strategies; code-switching; vocational students