Overcoming Foreign Language Anxiety to Enhance Public Speaking Confidence: Evidence from Indonesian University Administrative Staff

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-563-8_21How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Foreign Language Anxiety; English Training; Public Speaking; Higher Education

Abstract

Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) is a persistent challenge for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, particularly in professional contexts. In Indonesian universities, administrative staff must increasingly communicate with international students and faculty, yet many lack the confidence to perform in public speaking situations. This study investigates how targeted English training can reduce FLA and enhance self-confidence among university staff. A mixed-methods design was applied to 34 administrative staff at a major Indonesian university who participated in a structured English training program conducted over approximately 16 weeks (around 70 contact hours). The training focused on integrated listening and speaking skills aimed at reducing Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) and enhancing public speaking confidence. Data collection included questionnaires, video-recorded oral presentations, and semi-structured interviews. The survey employed a five-point Likert scale to measure confidence and anxiety levels, while oral tasks and interviews provided additional evidence of communication challenges and coping strategies. The findings reveal that participation in English listening and speaking activities significantly increased participants’ confidence. Staff reported greater readiness to serve as moderators, masters of ceremonies, and event hosts. Recurring obstacles included fear of mistakes, limited vocabulary, and nervousness in spontaneous speaking. However, continuous practice and institutional support helped reduce FLA and strengthen public speaking skills. The study demonstrates that structured language training can effectively improve communication competence, reduce anxiety, and promote professional development in international higher education contexts.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Supriyono Supriyono
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/04/28
TI  - Overcoming Foreign Language Anxiety to Enhance Public Speaking Confidence: Evidence from Indonesian University Administrative Staff
BT  - Proceedings of the 4th International Conference of Research on Language 2025 (IROLE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 277
EP  - 286
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-563-8_21
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-563-8_21
ID  - Supriyono2026
ER  -