The "speech anxiety peak experience" is the time during the speech event when the most anxiety is felt. A study tested the hypothesis that speakers would report higher communication anxiety levels at the beginning of the speech event rather than at the middle or end of the presentation. A Communication Apprehension Graph (CAG) was developed to record speaker anxiety levels over time for one speaking occasion. The subjects, 103 students enrolled in a basic course in public speaking, were asked to complete the CAG immediately after their third assigned speech in the course. An analysis procedure was used to provide a visual comparison of speaker apprehension levels during different points in the speech occasion. Results showed that communication apprehension ratings were at their highest immediately before and during the first two minutes of the speech itself. Also, females reported significantly higher apprehension levels than males, although both groups had similar apprehension patterns over time. (HOD)