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English Leap Podcast: Ways To Improve English Listening Skills | English Listening Practice | Ep. 14 — Transcript

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0:00English leap podcast from speak English
0:03with
0:05class hello everyone welcome back to the
0:08English leap podcast I'm Jennifer and as
0:11always I've got my amazing co-host
0:13Daniel here with me hi Daniel hey
0:16Jennifer hello listeners it's great to
0:19have you all back we've got something
0:21really special lined up for today but
0:23before we jump in we just want to take a
0:25moment to appreciate all of you yes
0:29absolutely
0:30the support and love we've been getting
0:32from all over the world has been
0:34incredible we see your comments your
0:36stories and your words of encouragement
0:39and it really means the world to us mhm
0:43and seeing how much you're enjoying the
0:45podcast really pushes us to keep
0:47bringing you the best content and
0:49special shout out to those of you who've
0:51been sharing our episodes with your
0:53friends families and on social media
0:56you're helping others learn just by
0:59spreading the word
1:00and that's amazing thank you for being
1:03part of the English leap podcast family
1:06we couldn't do this without you all
1:08right let's keep the good energy going
1:11today we're talking about the importance
1:12of listening skills and how you can
1:15practice and improve you know listening
1:18is such an essential part of learning a
1:19new language exactly it's often the
1:22first skill we develop but sometimes we
1:25don't give it the attention it deserves
1:28so we'll dive into why it's so important
1:31and how you can take small steps to
1:33improve every day uhhuh Daniel let me
1:36ask you something when was the last time
1:38you listened to someone speaking English
1:40and didn't understand every word but you
1:43still got the main idea oh good question
1:47that actually happens more often than
1:49you'd think just the other day I was
1:51talking to a friend who speaks super
1:53fast and I definitely didn't catch every
1:56word but even though I missed some
1:58details I still the main point exactly
2:02and that's the beauty of listening it's
2:05not about catching every single word
2:07it's about getting the context and key
2:10ideas that's a real skill that develops
2:12over time totally I think a lot of our
2:15listeners can relate to that it's a
2:17great feeling when you realize you can
2:19follow a conversation even if you don't
2:22understand every little thing yes and
2:25today we're going to share how you can
2:27build on that skill and become even more
2:29confident with your listening especially
2:32when things get tricky oh before we go
2:35further don't forget there's a free pdf
2:38with all the key points from today's
2:40episode so make sure to check it out in
2:43the description below it's perfect if
2:45you want to follow along or review later
2:48all right let's start by talking about
2:50why listening skills are so important
2:53Daniel do you want to kick this off sure
2:56listening is the foundation of language
2:59learning
3:00when you were a baby the first thing you
3:02did was listen right you didn't start by
3:05speaking or writing you listen to the
3:07people around you and it's the same when
3:10learning English exactly listening helps
3:14us understand how words are pronounced
3:16how sentences are structured and it even
3:19helps us pick up the rhythm of the
3:20language and you know listening also
3:23helps with speaking reading and writing
3:27it's like the base of the pyramid
3:30totally and if you think about it
3:32listening is everywhere in real life
3:34you're always listening whether it's at
3:36work in social situations or even just
3:38watching TV or movies that's why
3:41improving listening skills is key yes
3:45and I think one of the big things
3:46Learners struggle with is understanding
3:48native speakers right native speakers
3:51talk fast they use slang idioms and
3:55sometimes it feels like a blur yeah I've
3:57been there but here's the thing the more
4:00you listen the easier it becomes you
4:02start to pick up on the flow of the
4:03language the accents and even the slang
4:06it's all about practice that's so true
4:10and that brings us to something really
4:12important the difference between hearing
4:14and
4:15listening yeah this is a big one we all
4:18hear things every day right but active
4:21listening is totally different when
4:23you're actively listening you're
4:24focusing your attention understanding
4:27the meaning and trying to remember what
4:29was said
4:30exactly it's about really being present
4:33in the
4:34conversation I know when I started
4:36learning Spanish I had to train myself
4:38to listen actively not just let the
4:40words wash over me yes it's so easy to
4:44just hear words and let them slip by
4:46especially when you're tired or
4:48distracted but if you really focus
4:50active listening can help you understand
4:52context and respond better in
4:55conversations and that's so important in
4:57real life when you listen well you can
5:00answer more accurately build better
5:02relationships and understand more
5:05whether it's at work or with friends
5:08being a good listener is always a win
5:11but you know Jennifer listening isn't
5:13always easy Learners face a lot of
5:16challenges what do you think is one of
5:18the hardest parts for English Learners
5:20oh definitely accent and speed native
5:23speakers often talk so fast that it's
5:25hard to keep up and the accent can be
5:28really different depending on where
5:29they're from right and let's not forget
5:32about slang and idioms native speakers
5:35love to throw in casual phrases that
5:37might not make any sense if you
5:39translate them
5:40directly yes like when someone says it's
5:43raining cats and dogs you can't take
5:45that literally exactly and then there's
5:48the challenge of background noise
5:51sometimes when you're in a busy place
5:52it's even harder to focus on what people
5:55are saying but don't worry we've got
5:58some practical tips coming up to help
5:59help you improve your listening no
6:01matter what challenges you're
6:03facing all right so let's get into the
6:05good stuff how to improve your listening
6:07skills one great way to start is by
6:10listening to slower or clearer audio
6:12like podcasts or audiobooks designed for
6:15Learners yes you can find videos on
6:18YouTube or podcasts where the speakers
6:20talk slowly and clearly which helps you
6:22build
6:24confidence another tip is to use
6:26subtitles at first watch a movie or TV
6:29show with English subtitles then
6:31gradually remove them as you start
6:33understanding more oh I love that
6:35watching videos multiple times can also
6:37help you'll catch things the second or
6:40third time that you missed before and
6:42one of my favorite tips focus on key
6:45words even if you don't understand every
6:47single word look for the important words
6:50that give you the overall idea of what's
6:52being said okay now let's talk about
6:55some resources you can use to practice
6:57listening Daniel what's your go to
7:00recommendation oh I always suggest
7:03podcasts for Learners there are so many
7:05great ones out there where people speak
7:07slowly and clearly it's perfect for
7:09beginners and even intermediate Learners
7:13absolutely podcasts are a great way to
7:16immerse yourself in English and you can
7:18listen to them anywhere on your way to
7:20work while doing chores or even when
7:23you're
7:23relaxing exactly and another good option
7:26is audiobooks they're perfect because
7:29you can can follow along with the story
7:31and the narrators usually speak clearly
7:34you can start with beginner level books
7:36and slowly move up to more advanced ones
7:39that's a great suggestion and for those
7:41who love entertainment watching TV shows
7:44and movies in English is a fun way to
7:46improve your listening start with shows
7:49that have simple dialogue and as you get
7:51better challenge yourself with more
7:53complex ones and don't forget subtitles
7:57are your friend at the start but over
7:59time try to remove them so you can focus
8:02more on what you're
8:03hearing now let's get into some
8:05interactive exercises you can try one of
8:08the most effective is the shadowing
8:11technique have you heard of this
8:13Daniel oh yeah I've tried it myself it's
8:16when you listen to someone speaking and
8:18right after you try to repeat what they
8:20said it helps with pronunciation Rhythm
8:23and fluency
8:26exactly don't worry about being perfect
8:28at first it's more about training your
8:30ear and getting used to the flow of the
8:33language another great exercise is
8:35dictation you can listen to a short
8:37audio clip pause it and write down what
8:39you hear it's great for improving
8:42accuracy and listening to
8:44details and after you finish try
8:46summarizing what you hear after
8:49listening to a podcast or video see if
8:51you can explain the main idea in your
8:53own words it's a great way to check how
8:56much you've
8:57understood now let's talk about accents
9:00listening to different English accents
9:02can be challenging but it's important
9:04especially if you plan on traveling or
9:06working in an international environment
9:09definitely there are so many accents
9:12British American Australian and even
9:15Regional accents within those countries
9:17the key is to expose yourself to a
9:19variety of them exactly and don't feel
9:23frustrated if you don't understand
9:24everything right away each accent has
9:27its own unique style so the more you
9:29listen the more you'll get used to it a
9:32fun way to practice this is by watching
9:34videos or interviews with people from
9:36different parts of the world you can
9:39also listen to news channels from
9:40different countries to hear various
9:42Accents in
9:44context now here's something important
9:46to remember listening and speaking go
9:48hand inand the more you listen the
9:51better you'll
9:52speak exactly one way to improve both
9:55skills is through conversational
9:57practice find a language partner or
10:00tutor and try having conversations where
10:02you focus on both listening and
10:05speaking yes and even if you don't have
10:07a partner you can practice by mimicking
10:10native speakers listen to how they say
10:12phrases and repeat them yourself it
10:14helps with both pronunciation and
10:17fluency I love doing that with movies or
10:19TV shows just repeating after the
10:22characters it feels a bit silly
10:24sometimes but it really helps you sound
10:26more natural one thing we want to stress
10:29is patience and consistency improving
10:32your listening skills takes time and you
10:34won't see results
10:36overnight right it's easy to get
10:38frustrated if you don't understand
10:40everything right away but that's
10:42completely normal the more you practice
10:45the better you'll get yes and it's
10:48important to celebrate small wins maybe
10:51today you understood a new word or
10:53caught a phrase you didn't know before
10:55those little moments are progress
10:58exactly every bit of progress counts and
11:01if you stay consistent you'll see
11:03improvement over time and finally let's
11:06talk about real life listening
11:08situations these can be the most
11:10challenging but also the most
11:12rewarding yeah real life listening is
11:15where everything comes together you're
11:17in a conversation and you have to focus
11:19on understanding and responding quickly
11:22it can be a bit scary at first but the
11:25more you practice the easier it gets
11:28don't be afraid to ask for clarification
11:30if you don't understand something it's
11:32totally okay to say I'm sorry could you
11:35repeat that or what does that mean yes
11:39asking questions is a great way to learn
11:41and it shows the other person that
11:42you're really engaged in the
11:45conversation and don't shy away from
11:47Real World listening challenge yourself
11:50with podcasts radio or even casual
11:52conversations with friends it's all
11:54about stepping out of your comfort zone
11:57totally and that brings us to to the end
11:59of today's conversation we hope our
12:02discussion gave you some useful
12:04insights absolutely but before we finish
12:07let's hand things over to Charlotte for
12:09the vocabulary Spotlight she'll dive
12:11into some key words phrases and idioms
12:14from today's episode yep Charlotte's got
12:17you covered she'll break it down and
12:19make sure you leave with some new
12:20vocabulary to use confidently thanks
12:23Jennifer and Daniel hello everyone let's
12:26go through a few important words and
12:27phrases we mentioned today I'll explain
12:30their meanings and give you simple
12:31examples to help you understand how to
12:33use them in real
12:36conversations conversation meaning a
12:39spoken exchange between two or more
12:42people example we had a nice
12:44conversation about our weekend
12:47plans context meaning the situation or
12:51information that helps you understand
12:52something better example you can
12:56understand difficult words if you look
12:57at the context of the sentence
13:01confidence meaning the feeling of being
13:04sure about your abilities or
13:06decisions example she spoke with
13:09confidence during the meeting tricky
13:12meaning difficult to deal with or
13:15understand example the instructions were
13:18a bit tricky but I figured them out
13:21details meaning small pieces of
13:24information about
13:26something example I missed some details
13:29of the movie because I was
13:31distracted key points meaning the most
13:34important parts are
13:36ideas example I wrote down the key
13:39points of the
13:40presentation skill meaning the ability
13:44to do something well especially through
13:46practice example listening is a skill
13:50that improves with
13:51practice buildon meaning to develop or
13:55improve something by adding to it
13:58example you can build on your listening
14:00skills by practicing
14:01daily missed meaning failed to notice or
14:06understand
14:07something example I missed the beginning
14:10of the conversation because I wasn't
14:12paying
14:13attention super meaning very or
14:16extremely informal use example the
14:20lesson was super interesting
14:22today develop meaning to grow or improve
14:26over time example your listening skills
14:30will develop with more
14:32practice totally meaning completely or
14:36entirely example I totally agree with
14:39you on that point realize meaning to
14:43become aware of something or understand
14:45it
14:46clearly example I realized I had left my
14:49keys at home flow meaning the smooth and
14:54natural movement or progress of
14:56something example the flow of the the
14:59conversation was easy and
15:01natural get the gist meaning to
15:05understand the main point or Essence of
15:06something even if not all the details
15:08are clear example I didn't catch every
15:12word but I got the gist of what she was
15:14saying go over your head meaning
15:18something that is too difficult to
15:20understand example the technical terms
15:23went over my head but I understood the
15:24main
15:25idea kickoff meaning to start or begin
15:30something example let's kick off the
15:33meeting with some
15:35introductions beauty of something
15:37meaning the best or most beneficial part
15:40of
15:41something example the beauty of learning
15:44online is that you can study at your own
15:47pace feel like a big win meaning to feel
15:51like a great success or
15:53accomplishment example understanding the
15:55conversation felt like a big win after
15:57months of practice
16:00step out of your comfort zone meaning to
16:03try something new or difficult that is
16:05not familiar or easy example you need to
16:09step out of your comfort zone to improve
16:11your speaking
16:12skills hand in hand meaning closely
16:16connected or working together example
16:20listening and speaking go hand inand
16:22when learning a
16:23language celebrate small wins meaning to
16:27acknowledge and feel good about small
16:30successes example it's important to
16:33celebrate small wins as you improve your
16:35English pick up meaning to learn
16:39something by practice or
16:41experience example you can pick up new
16:44phrases just by watching TV shows in
16:47English feel frustrated meaning to feel
16:51upset or annoyed because something is
16:53difficult example I felt frustrated when
16:57I couldn't understand the speaker but I
16:59kept
17:00listening that wraps up today's
17:02vocabulary review I hope these new words
17:05and phrases were helpful and you're
17:07excited to start using them in your
17:09daily English
17:11conversations thank you Charlotte that
17:13was super helpful as always yes we
17:16appreciate it building your vocabulary
17:18step by step is a powerful way to boost
17:21your
17:22English wow we've covered a lot today
17:25from why listening is so important to
17:27practical exercises and tip tips you've
17:29got everything you need to improve your
17:31listening skills absolutely and don't
17:35forget we've got that free pdf with all
17:38the key points from today's episode you
17:40can find it in the description below yep
17:43it's a great way to review and make sure
17:45you're putting these tips into practice
17:47thank you so much for joining us today
17:49everyone we hope you found this episode
17:52helpful and we can't wait to hear about
17:54your progress with listening keep
17:56practicing stay patient and keep keep
17:59leaping towards your English goals until
18:01next time happy learning see you next
18:04time
18:07everyone your progress doesn't end here
18:10to continue advancing your English
18:12skills click on the next video or
18:14explore the additional videos we've
18:15thoughtfully selected for you

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