Use English Podcasts to Improve Your Listening


You know that podcasts are a great way to improve your listening, but do you know the best learning strategies?

Here are some suggestions.

Listen as white noise first

White noise is basically sound in the background that you can hear, but don't listen to, while you’re doing something else. For example, you listen to music while you clean the bathroom, that music is your white noise.

Listening to English podcasts as white noise while you do other tasks can help your brain to get used to the language.

Listen a second time, but now pay close attention

Now listen to the podcast a second (and even third) time and pay attention to all the words and expressions you recognize. If you feel the speaker is talking too fast, try reducing the speed of the audio to 75% (when available).

Read the transcript, if it’s available

Reading the transcript while you listen to a podcast is amazingly helpful because you’re getting the same information through two different channels (your eyes and your ears), which helps your brain to remember and comprehend more.

Repeat words and sentences out loud

Pause the podcast at any moment to return to words and expressions that are new to you or you think are difficult to pronounce. Repeat and repeat again until you get them just right.

Having good pronunciation as well as a large vocabulary is essential.

Pick up new vocabulary and grammar from the podcast

If you look up new words and learn and review grammar details you hear in each podcast, you’ll probably remember them a lot easier in the future. Plus, as you already know, learning new vocabulary and grammar is essential to growing as an English language learner.