HOW TO IMPROVE ENGLISH LISTENING SKILLS?
Given the abundance of available tools, you may wonder how to enhance your English listening abilities. The vast array of online courses, curricula, and methodologies public may rapidly become overwhelming!
The good news is that this article has several methods for improving your language listening skills. So, keep reading for a few stress-free tactics that will boost your English listening abilities.
Tips to Improve Your English Listening Skills
Make Proper Preparations
One of the keys to improving your English listening abilities, like with other obstacles in life, is preparation. Though it may appear difficult, you only need to follow three actions to ensure your learning success: set a goal, develop a strategy, and measure your progress.
- Set a goal (Goals are crucial because they help you split up the path into attainable tasks)
- Develop a strategy/plan (To achieve your goal, you must devise a strategy. A calendar and a daily or weekly checklist might assist you in concentrating on particular tasks toward your language learning objectives)
- Measure your progress(It is critical to ensure that your strategy for improving your English listening abilities is effective for you. Note how you practiced, how much you comprehended, and any new terms you learned after each learning session or lesson)
Concentrate on Active Listening, Passive Listening
Have you ever sat through a whole discussion only to discover you had no understanding of what was being said? That’s what occurs when we don’t engage in “active listening.” Active listening demands mental participation on the part of the listener, whereas passive listening is just hearing what is being said.
Though passive listening may be effective in some situations in your native language (for example, a buddy talking about a terrible day), it will not provide you with the tools to develop your English listening abilities.
Active listeners frequently offer questions at the moment when they are face-to-face with a speaker, or they write them down for subsequent follow-up. Take notes if you have trouble with active listening.
When taking notes, avoid writing down what is stated word for word. Instead, summarise the essential ideas of the speaker, using significant phrases or new terminology. You’re building your “listening muscles” and raising your chances of remembering those new words the next time you hear them by making your brain work extra hard!
Listen to Podcasts
Podcasts are the best approach to enhancing your listening abilities. Podcasts are an excellent method to develop your listening abilities (as well as other English skills).
This is the most effective and efficient approach we’ve discovered to using podcasts to learn English.
- Find a decent English podcast that is appropriate for your level. We recommend English Learning for Curious Minds, although there are hundreds to choose from. Check out the list of the finest English podcasts.
- Listen without a transcript or subtitles at first. You’ll get a feel of how much you comprehended without any assistance.
- Make use of crucial terminology as well as a transcript or subtitles. These tools will assist you in determining what you missed on the first listen as well as reinforcing new vocabulary or phrases.
- Make a summary. This is one technique to guarantee that you’re actively learning while also improving your writing abilities.
- Make your own list of vocabulary words. Whether on paper or in an app, keep track of the new vocabulary you’re learning.
- Record the podcast. As you listen, jot down the words you hear. This will put your understanding to the test while also improving your writing abilities.
- Shadow the podcast. Shadowing is a wonderful method to practice speaking with podcasts, but it also helps you improve your listening skills.
Audio Books
Here are some of our favorite sources to download free English audiobooks:
Audiobooks are a great way to engage with English culture at the same time as improving English listening skills.
Where can I find English audiobooks?
There are many more on Audible and other premium audiobook membership services. These are typically reasonably priced, and with a membership, you may listen as often as you like.
Have Conversations
Conversation is one of the finest strategies to enhance your English listening abilities. Though it might be scary, speaking with English speakers, ideally native or fluent ones, is essential for improving your English.
Fortunately, research suggests that continuous communication improves mood and reduces loneliness. This implies that even a quick conversation with a coworker, friend, or family member may generate favorable sentiments about language learning and increase your likelihood of continuing to practice.
Though it might be intimidating, the anxiety we receive when speaking to a highly proficient English speaker can occasionally motivate us to practice our best active listening.
This, in turn, enhances our capacity to retain the language, communicate clearly, and pick up on terms we might not have learned yet. Even if you have a limited vocabulary, working with a language partner or instructor will eventually make you feel more comfortable choosing new words to express yourself.
Study Vocabulary and Idioms
While some language learners like compiling extensive vocabulary lists, for many, this method is uninteresting or even unpleasant. The good news is that you can expand your English vocabulary in different ways. Using a strategy that works for you is the key to effectively learning new words and idioms.
Remember how we discussed learning types earlier? This is an excellent time to put some of your discoveries into action. Use photographs or graphics if you are a visual learner. Find a song you like, or maybe make one yourself if you study better with audio! Popular flashcard sites for more visual learners include Quizlet, GoConqr, and StudyBlue.
Practice the 5-step Technique
The 5-step strategy indicated below is extremely effective for learning and remembering new words in order to improve your English listening abilities. To utilize this approach, you must have access to a text as well as a recording of the text or computer software that can read the material aloud.
Step 1: Listen to the audio – no reading required!
First, choose a text. This might be anything from a news piece to a short tale to a children’s book! Choose anything that interests you at your language learning level. Then, listen to the text without glancing at the words.
Step 2: Do it again!
Take notes on the key points the presenters are making, any questions you have, and anything you don’t understand on the second listen.
Step 3: Start reading.
After you’ve listened to the material twice, reread it to see if you can answer any of the questions you posed in step 2. This is an excellent moment to reflect on any words or phrases that you did not hear or comprehend when just listening. Unknown vocabulary should be circled or highlighted.
Step 4: Listen while reading the text
While reading the text, listen to the recording. This is an excellent approach to link your listening and reading abilities, particularly if you are a visual learner. Continue to take notes on your comprehension as you did in the previous phases.
Step 5: Rehearse without the text.
Play the recording one more time without reading. Check to see if you have a better understanding this time, and make a note of any words or phrases you still don’t understand.
Finally, Follow this Advice and Begin Practicing
Improving your English listening abilities may appear to be a difficult endeavor, but it actually boils down to excellent practice. You can guarantee that you are receiving the greatest possible practice by preparing properly, having meaningful interactions, and using resources that work for you.
The most crucial component of increasing your English listening abilities is active interaction with another English speaker once you’ve recognized your personal language-learning requirements and formed a strategy to accomplish those goals.
Although an informal chat with a coworker or classmate might be beneficial, why not seek the advice of an expert? On Preply, hundreds of skilled English teachers provide 1-on-1 lessons for all your English listening requirements.
They can also suggest additional materials and provide comments on your English learning strategy. So, what are you holding out for? It’s time to start taking baby steps toward native-level English listening ability.
Catch you soon,
Would be happy to catch you in the comment section….
Janet