Abstract

This study aims at investigating the factors in(uencing English-majored students’ anxiety when giving presentations in a theoretical linguistics course, together with the methods they use to overcome this anxiety. The study adopts a mixed-method approach, employing survey questionnaire and observation as the main data collecting tools. Findings show that the most prominent factor in(uencing students' psychology is "Fear of negative evaluation". Furthermore, the surveyed students also shared various methods they used to increase their con'dence when presenting a theoretical topic in English, with the most common method being thorough preparation before the presentation day. Several other interesting strategies, not previously mentioned in any research, were also cited, such as getting enough sleep or staring intently at the audience to boost self-con'dence by creating a sense of dominance.

Keywords: Oral communication skills, presentation anxiety, presentation skills, speaking anxiety.