The article gives a complex research of the main approaches to solving the problem of applying digital technologies to teaching oral referencing in a non-linguistics university. Special attention is given to a close analysis of Russian and foreign methodological literature and the experience of teaching oral professionally oriented referencing both in Russia and abroad. On the basis of the work done the authors describe the results of their own attempts to implement methodology introduced in the Moscow technical University of communications and informatics. During five years of using practical methods of teaching professionally oriented oral referencing skills at foreign language classes with full-time, correspondence and distance students of a non-linguistics university the authors found out typical difficulties the students faced while preparing their tasks (both in class and at home): data compression implementation, attention switching from listening to recording, lexical, grammatical and phonetic obstacles etc. Psycho- and physiological characteristics of students and the equipment they used were also taken into consideration. The results achieved led to compiling a video course 'Teaching foreign language oral referencing' (the author: T. V. Kozhevnikova) where the system of various relevant exercises of different types was provided. The video course containing specially chosen professionally targeted video spots that portrayed communication technology achievements was successfully used on line during the COVID-19 isolation period. That gave the authors even more grounds for the recommendations concerning the most effective features of digital devices, combination of different approaches and digital techniques application to achieve verified practical tasks.