How To Use Listening Skills To Increase Your Comprehension

Someone asked me “what do you do to help you with listening?”

What came to my mind first was “The more the merrier” .

Yes, it seems obvious, but listening for listening’s sake is not efficient. If you’re not all ears, it’s harder to boost your listening skills.

So, today I’m going to share with you 5 tips to help yourself to have better English comprehension and take your English to the next level. Are you ready?

1. Shift the language (Immersion)

If you’re used to listening to the radio, podcasts or songs, watching videos, movies, and TV series in your native language, do so in English. Immersion is the key to success. The more you’re exposed to the language, the more likely you’ll be a better listener.

2. Focus

Just listening is not enough, you must understand what you’re listening to. So try as much as you can, be focused while you’re listening, and understand the message. If you come across a new word or expression try to figure out the meaning. If this word or expression repeats over and over again, it’s better you note it down and google it later on.

3.Create time

“I’m busy.” “My work consumes all my time.” “My kids don’t give me a break.” “The weather is bad.” Excuse, excuse, excuse. Stop cheating yourself with excuses. Try to think honestly about your routine, for sure you’ll create time to improve your listening skills. How about listening while commuting to work, waiting at the bus stop, preparing your meal, walking your dog, blow-drying your hair, doing your workouts, doing housework, washing your car. Read “How to find time to learn English”. 

4. Make it a habit

Do you have any activities that don’t require much of your attention? If that’s the case, listen to something in English in the background. Creating this habit will optimize your time. You’ll be able to kill two birds with one stone: do your activity and enhance your listening skills at the same time. 

5. Be active

This is the turning point for your improvement. You should take action when you don’t understand something, you should be curious and look up the meaning of unknown words, expressions, and phrasal verbs in the dictionary or on the internet.

How about you? Let me know what tips you liked most and if you have any of your own to add.