This study investigated methods of training second year students in the College of SocialrnSciences, Addis Ababa Uni versity, for academic oral work. The main objective of therninvestigation was how to help the students activate their already existing linguistic resources sornthat they could reduce their foreign language speech--related anxiety in order for them to buildrnthe contidence to improve the level of their oral performance in academic contexts.rnTeaching methods and techniques relevant to the development of oral competence werernextracted from the literature on current foreign/second teaching. These were used as the basisrnfor the design of new course materials for the study. The materials were taught to anrnexperimental group of students which was contrasted with a control group.rnThe effects of the new training on the students oral performance were examined through: (a)rnthe trainees' reactions to the training, (b) two simulated academic oral presentations byrnexperimental and control groups of students and (c) assessment of the confidencerndemonstrated by the two study groups at the end of the training.rnIt was found that the training was positively evaluated by the trainees. The result of OralrnPresentation I (pre-training) showed the two study groups were performing at the same levelrnof oral intelligibility , while the resu lt of Oral Presentation 2 (post-training) indicated thernexperimental group was, on the whole, better in its oral intelligibility than the control group.rnThe assessment of the confidence demonstrated by the study groups at the end of the trainingrnrevea led there were more confident students in the experimental group than in the controlrngroup.rnThus, it was concluded that the new training positively contributed to academically relevant,rnbetter oral performance by tbe trainees. This was not found to be true in the case of therncontrol group of students who were not exposed to the same training. Based on this conclusionrnand other findings of the research, recommendations were made.