Defines personal axioms as deeply held beliefs of individuals about themselves and their world that determine their activities, interests, and performance. Discusses the role of the teacher with regard to cognitive restructuring techniques that may help students change negative personal axioms and free themselves to learn more efficiently. (JHZ)

Intended for use by speech and communication scholars, this paper uses the extensive body of research on communication apprehension as the basis for a discussion of three conventional approaches toward the treatment of excessive communication apprehension: systematic desensitization, social skills development, and cognitive modification/rational…