Academic English Speaking: How to Participate in Seminars and Group Discussions
You understand the lecture material. You've done the reading. You have thoughts and opinions on the topic. But when the seminar tutor opens the floor for discussion, you go quiet — not because you have nothing to say, but because academic English speaking feels like a different language from everyday English. The vocabulary is formal, the expectations are different, and speaking in front of professors and native-speaking classmates feels high-stakes in a way that a coffee shop conversation doesn't.
This guide is for international students navigating academic speaking in English — seminars, tutorials, group discussions, and oral presentations. You'll leave with the exact phrases you need to participate confidently, disagree respectfully, and contribute ideas that get taken seriously.
Why Academic English Speaking Is Its Own Skill
Academic discourse in English has specific conventions:
- Hedging: Academic culture values epistemic caution. Instead of "X is true," you say "X seems to suggest" or "it could be argued that X."
- Politeness under disagreement: Disagreeing with a professor or classmate requires specific softening language, even when your point is direct.
- Structured argument: In academic settings, you're expected to state a position, support it with reasoning or evidence, and acknowledge alternative views.
- Citation culture: Linking your point to a reading or author ("According to Smith, 2019...") gives your contribution academic weight.
None of this is intuitive if you're coming from a different educational culture. Many international students find their home university cultures reward confident assertion rather than hedged, evidenced argument.
Getting Your Contributions Heard
One of the biggest challenges in seminars is simply getting the floor — getting a chance to speak before someone else does.
Phrases for entering the discussion:
| Situation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Entering when discussion is flowing | "If I could just add something…" / "Can I pick up on that point?" |
| Directly responding to a peer | "Building on what [Name] said…" / "That's interesting — I'd add that…" |
| Starting a new point | "I wanted to raise something slightly different…" |
| Responding to the tutor's question | "I think the key issue here is…" / "From what I read, it seems that…" |
| When you're nervous | "I'm not sure this is right, but…" — Note: use this sparingly; too much hedging weakens your contribution |
Tip: You don't need to wait for perfect silence. In active seminars, you can signal you want to speak by leaning forward, making eye contact with the speaker, and saying "Right, and —" to smoothly enter the conversation.
How to Structure a Verbal Academic Contribution
A strong seminar contribution has three parts:
- Position: State your main point clearly in one sentence
- Support: Give a reason, example, or reference
- Open: Invite dialogue or acknowledge limitation
Example:
"I think the reading's argument underestimates the role of institutional context. Bourdieu's concept of field suggests that the same individual behaviour can have very different meanings depending on the social space it occurs in. But I'm curious whether others read that differently in the case study section."
That's about 30 seconds — confident, evidenced, and opens the floor back.
Essential Vocabulary for Academic Discussions
Giving Your Opinion
| Formal | Less formal (seminars) |
|---|---|
| "It could be argued that…" | "I think the point here is…" |
| "The evidence suggests…" | "From what I read, it seems like…" |
| "One might contend that…" | "You could make the case that…" |
| "It is worth noting that…" | "What's interesting is…" |
Disagreeing Respectfully
Academic disagreement is about ideas, not people. Frame your challenge around the argument, not the person.
❌ "That's wrong." ✅ "I see your point, but I'm not sure the evidence fully supports that."
❌ "No, I think the opposite." ✅ "I'd push back slightly on that — here's why…"
| Strength of disagreement | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Mild | "I'm not entirely convinced, because…" |
| Moderate | "I'd want to complicate that slightly…" / "I see it differently." |
| Strong | "I think there's a problem with that argument, specifically…" |
Agreeing and Extending
Don't just say "yes." Extend the point to show engagement:
- "Exactly — and what that suggests is…"
- "Right, and you could take that further by arguing…"
- "That connects to something in the reading about…"
Asking for Clarification
- "Could you say more about what you mean by…?"
- "I'm not sure I followed — are you saying that…?"
- "Can you clarify the distinction between X and Y?"
A Real Seminar Discussion Example
Tutor: "So given what we've read about migration theory, do you think push or pull factors are more determinative?"
Student A: "I'd say pull factors, mostly. The literature seems to point to economic opportunity as the primary driver."
Student B: "I see that, but I'd push back a bit. The Lee model treats push and pull as symmetrical, but in the case studies we looked at, conflict — a push factor — was clearly overriding any pull considerations. People weren't moving toward opportunity; they were moving away from danger."
You: "Building on that — I think the push/pull binary might be the issue. Massey's network theory complicates it by showing that migration decisions are heavily shaped by social networks that cross-cut both. So it's not really either/or. Does that change how we're framing the question?"
Notice: you entered by building on someone else's point, referenced specific academic content, challenged the framing rather than just taking a side, and ended by reopening the question.
Talking About Readings and Sources
Referencing the seminar reading in your contribution immediately elevates your contribution in academic settings:
| How to reference | Example |
|---|---|
| Author + finding | "According to Harvey, this reflects a broader logic of capital accumulation." |
| Specific point | "In chapter three, the author distinguishes between X and Y." |
| Engaging critically | "I found Smith's argument convincing up to a point, but the empirical evidence from the case study seems to contradict it." |
| Acknowledging limits | "The reading doesn't really address this, but it seems relevant…" |
Common Mistakes International Students Make
Being too quiet and then too long. Staying silent for 40 minutes and then giving a five-minute speech disrupts the flow. Shorter, more frequent contributions work better in seminars.
Translating from your first language's academic register. Some academic traditions are highly formal, rhetorical, or deferential to authority. English academic seminars tend to be more dialogic and challenging — the expectation is that you engage critically with ideas, including the professor's.
Apologising before contributing. "I'm sorry, my English isn't very good, but…" Draw attention to your ideas, not your language. Your contribution will be judged on its intellectual content.
Using "I agree" as a full contribution. In seminars, "I agree" without extension reads as passive. Add why you agree and what it suggests.
Building Confidence Before the Seminar
The most important preparation for academic speaking is speaking before you get there.
- Read the material with a pen — mark points you agree with, disagree with, or find surprising. These become your talking points.
- Prepare two or three statements you could make, and write them down. You don't need to use them verbatim, but having them ready removes the blank-mind panic.
- Practice saying your ideas out loud. Not in your head — out loud. This is the step most students skip, and it's the most important one.
Talk to Gemma offers academic discussion scenarios where you can practice articulating complex ideas in English — the kind of analytical, evidenced speaking that seminars demand. Run through your reading-based arguments before the session and arrive with your language already warmed up.
Quick Reference: Academic Seminar Survival Phrases
| Moment | What to say |
|---|---|
| Entering the discussion | "Can I pick up on that point?" |
| Giving an opinion | "From what I read, it seems that…" |
| Referencing a source | "According to [Author]…" |
| Disagreeing | "I'd push back slightly on that…" |
| Agreeing and extending | "Exactly — and you could add that…" |
| Asking for clarification | "Could you say more about what you mean by…?" |
| Buying thinking time | "That's a good question — I'd say…" |
Academic seminars are one of the most intellectually rich English speaking environments you'll encounter. They're also deeply learnable — the patterns, vocabulary, and moves are finite and repeatable.
If you're preparing for university study in an English-speaking country, or already there and wanting to contribute more, start a free session on Talk to Gemma. Practice the kind of reasoned, evidenced discussion that seminars reward — and arrive to your next tutorial ready to speak up.