As you all know, I spend a lot of time hunting for good resources for Academic English students on the internet (yes, I need to get out more, but the weather has been awful!) and I’ve been taking another look at the material offered by Warwick University in the UK. I don’t know much about Warwick, but I do know that they produce excellent English for Academic Purposes material and put a lot of it online (yes, for free!).
The English for Conferences material that you can access at Warwick University’s website is excellent. It will be useful for you if you are an international student, undergraduate or postgraduate, or an international member of staff. Although the material is aimed at academics going to conferences it will be relevant for students or staff preparing for any sort of academic presentation. There is plenty of advice on such issues as dealing with nerves and preparing to talk in public. The content is presented through talking heads which means there is a lot of listening practice included in the material. A wide variety of language functions are introduced with a lot of genuine examples of conference talks and presentations. There is also the facility for you to record your voice and compare your speech with a model. If you work through the material you will improve your Academic English language skills and your understanding of academia in general. Improve all your academic skills with these resources here.