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How to Improve Listening Skills

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"We were given two ears but only onemouth, because listening is twice as

hard as talking."

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Difficulties in listening

Listening is not focused at high schools

Lack of facilities and resources or utilize littleof them: tapes, cassette players, computers,

video clips, movies, internet, English

speaking people, and clubs

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Cont

Feel we are failing if we can't understand

every word - this can create worry and stress Can only understand if people speak slowly

and clearly

Find it hard to keep up with all of the

information coming their way

Get very tired during long listening

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So what to do?

Listen to something you enjoy

Listen for the main ideas

Listen for specific information Identify stresses and reductions

Get meaning from context

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Cont Most beginners get difficulty due to the lack of

vocabularies, pronunciation and grammar.

- Select a book with the cassette suitable for yourlevel. It helps practice the listening easily and youcan anticipate the level of difficulty.

- Listen to the cassette without reading the text/dialogue once or twice. When you find difficulty ingrasping the meaning, listen again while scrutinizingthe text/ dialogue.

- Pay attention carefully to the pronunciation andintonation. If you want to improve your

pronunciation, listen and repeat the dialogue/ text by

pausing each sentence.

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Cont After listening to the text/ dialogue, do the exercise

and check your answer with the answer-key or withyour teacher.

- If you watch TV, select the English program/ film.Listen to the dialogue carefully without reading the

translation (text).

- Listen to English songs and learn the words. If youlike singing, memorize the words and sing them.

- Practice the above tips everyday although only halfan hour. By practicing the listening exercises manytimes, your listening will improve faster.

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Cont

Mentally put yourself in other persons shoes

Spend more time listening than talking Listen unconsciously to radio, television, movie.

Ask questions

Dont translate create barrier between speaker and

listener Encourage the speaker, provide feedback and

paraphrase to show you are listening

Don't need to know a lot about a subject to have a

conversation but a desire to learn, understand andmake things interesting

Take notes, analyze, paraphrase, summarize andask for clarification

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Cont

Judge content, not delivery, i.e. what they

say, not how they say it

Listen optimistically don't lose interest

straight away

Do not jump to conclusions

Concentrate don't start dreaming and

keep eye contact

Do not think ahead of the speaker you

will lose track

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Cont

Work at listening

be alert and aliveKeep emotions under control when

listening

Open your mind practice accepting newinformation

Breathe slowly and deeply

Relax physically, get comfortable

http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/emotional_intelligence.html

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My experience Listen/sing English songs

Listen to radio, tapes, internet, movies, television. If fine,I listen attentively; if not, I will just listen relaxingly

Listen to different fields

Talk to foreigners, friends.

Go to ESC.

Use resources available: internet, tapes, CDs, movies,movie. Copy files to computers, ipods, mp3, mp4 tolisten at home, on travel

Set a goal when listening or talking Remember Failure is mother of success. Allow

ourselves to make mistakes. Dont worry! The game isstill long!

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Resources

Streamline, Headway, Interactions, Now Hear This,

Listening level A, B,C, Tactics for Listening, Toefl,Ielts.

Websites:

http://www.englishpod.com/

http://www.elllo.org

http://www.eslcafe.com

http://www.esl-lab.com

http://www.youtube.com

http://www.nytimes.com

http://www.voa.com

http://www.bbc.com

Use www.google.com to find more

http://www.englishpod.com/http://www.elllo.org/http://www.elllo.org/http://www.eslcafe.com/http://www.eslcafe.com/http://www.esl-lab.com/http://www.esl-lab.com/http://www.youtube.com/http://www.nytimes.com/http://www.voa.com/http://www.bbc.com/http://www.bbc.com/http://www.voa.com/http://www.nytimes.com/http://www.youtube.com/http://www.esl-lab.com/http://www.esl-lab.com/http://www.esl-lab.com/http://www.esl-lab.com/http://www.eslcafe.com/http://www.eslcafe.com/http://www.elllo.org/http://www.elllo.org/http://www.englishpod.com/

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THANK YOU FOR YOURATTENTION!