The speech introduces a colloquium on the teaching of listening comprehension to students of English for academic purposes (EAP). The colloquium's aim is to address ways that EAP instructors can improve students' lecture listening skills by discussing the types of background discourse knowledge and listening strategies that English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students need to effectively comprehend lectures. Ways that ESL instructors can equip students with these skills are discussed. Some current research on features and models of lecture discourse, particularly as they relate to the ESL context, is discussed. Areas for future research are discussed, and some ways in which the rhetoric of teleconference lecture techniques may differ from that of traditional lectures are identified. Contains 24 references. (MSE)