This paper is based on research carried out to explore whether preparation for giving a Pecha Kucha presentation would lower English language students’ foreign language classroom anxiety. A small sample of 41 English language students from the University of Trieste completed a 32-item foreign language anxiety (FLA) self-evaluation questionnaire at the start of their language course and 27 completed the questionnaire again prior to being assessed on the basis of a Pecha Kucha presentation. Students answered the questions using a 5-point Likert scale. The results of the two questionnaires and observation of the presentations indicate that 67% of students reported an increase in levels of FLA prior to assessment. No correlation was observed between selfreported FLA levels and the test scores which assessed language retrieval and fluency skills. Reports of lower levels of FLA observed as students delivered their presentations indicated that students’ self-perceived FLA levels did not necessarily tally with those observed by assessors.
