A quiet, anxious class can be an uncomfortable learning experience for all concerned, yet it can be a situation language educators regularly face. This volume offers a range of activities which teachers can use with both classes and individual students to reduce their anxiety and increase their confidence for speaking. Drawn from a variety of theoretical backgrounds and educational contexts, the activities are presented in a clear and easy-to-follow format, allowing educators to choose according to the needs of their students and style of instruction. By describing the theories, reasons and events which gave rise to the development of the activities, readers will be able to recognise their own experiences and easily realise how they might put the activities into practice in their own situations. Theories and practices explored include: mindfulness, flow practices, self-esteem theory, Stoic philosophy, attribution retraining, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and positive evaluation.

List of Figures List of Tables List of Contributors Foreword Acknowledgements 1. Introduction, Kate Maher (Shoreham College, UK) and Neil Curry (Kanda University of International Studies, Japan)Part I: Assessing FLA: Identifying FLA and Causes in your Context2. How are you Coping? A Tool for Identifying Situations that Cause FLA, Neil Curry (Kanda University of International Studies, Japan) and Kate Maher (Shoreham College, UK) 3. You are not Alone: Shining Light on FLA Perspectives through Classroom Data Collection, Jonathan Shachter (Kyushu Sango University, Japan)Part II: The Classroom Environment: Creating a Positive Learning Space4. 'I am worthy and special; I am not afraid to speak.': Creating a Sense of Belonging to Increase Students' Self-Confidence, Shatha Talib Al-Ahmadi (University of Leicester, UK)5. Creating Enjoyable Learning Environments: Student-Centred Socially Motivating Classrooms, Wendy Davis6. Flowing Classrooms: Incorporating Principles of Flow in Classroom Activities to reduce FLA, Fernando D. Rubio-Alcalá (University of Huelva, Spain)7. Making Speaking Tasks Emotionally Engaging: Incorporating Flow Principles in Task Design, Haydab Almukhaild (King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia)Part III: Cognitive Techniques: Thinking through Anxiety8. Stoic Sayings for Alleviating Anxiety: Epictetus, Stoic Philosophy, and the Art of Cognitive Distancing, Ian Gibson (Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, Japan)9. Boosting your Students' Confidence in Second Language Learning: The Confidence Building Diary, Jo Mynard and Scott J. Shelton-Strong (Kanda University of International Studies, Japan)10. Facing Worries head on: Discussions for Raising Awareness and Tackling Communicative Anxiety, Amelia Yarwood (Kanda University of International Studies, Japan)11. Positive Attributions: Using Attributional Retraining Techniques to Reduce Students' Speaking Anxiety, David McLoughlin (Meiji University, Japan)12. Looking for Evidence: Using CBT-Based Activities for FLA, Neil Curry (Kanda University of International Studies, Japan)13. What Makes you Nervous? A Cognitive-Behavioural Theory-Based Approach to Identifying FLA Triggers, Kate Maher (Shoreham College, UK) Part IV: Visualisation Techniques: Imagining Confidence14. Imagine how I will Face up to Speaking Anxiety: An Imagery-Focused Mindfulness Approach to Preparing for Speaking Situations, Sarah Ng (University of Leicester, UK)15. Rewrite your Inner Script: Make Friends with Oral Presentation, Zsuzsa Tóth (Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Hungary)16. Focusing Attention Outwardly: A Coping Strategy for Tasks Based on Task Concentration Training, Jonathan Rickard (Lancaster University, UK)Part V: Well-Being Techniques: Creating Mindful Foreign Language Speakers17. 'I see you, I hear you, I cheer for you!': How to Overcome Speaking-Related Anxiety through Dialogue Skits with Positive Communication In Mind, Dorota Záborská (Osaka University, Japan) 18. Three Good Things about their English: A Positive Psychology-Inspired Evaluation, Building Confidence and Encouraging Learners to Speak, Katarzyna Budzin¿ska (Lodz University of Technology, Poland)19. Being Positive in the Present Moment: Mindfulness Meditation for Reducing Anxiety in Foreign Language Classes, Nihan Erdemir (Süleyman Demirel University, Turkey) and Sabahattin Yesilçinar (Mus Alparslan University, Turkey)Index