Listening is one of the toughest skills to master in any language. With so many different dialects, accents, and colloquial phrasings, it’s no wonder that people sometimes struggle to understand what they hear on the street, on TV or even in the classroom. Thankfully there are thousands of great authentic listening resources that can help you master listening skills. We’re talking about podcasts🎙️- online radio shows with hundreds of millions of listeners combined. They can be funny or serious, and cover as many topics as you can possibly imagine. 

Steps to follow before you begin listening👇🏾

Step 1: Read the short summary of the podcast. Predict three things you think the presenters will talk about. Check and verify whether your assumption turns out to be true or not.

Step 2: Play two minutes of the podcast. Stop and predict what you will hear next. Continue listening. Were you correct? Repeat this at a few different points in the podcast. This step might sound absurd, but it helps you to focus on the subject being discussed in the podcast.

Step 3: Listen to the whole podcast without a break. Write or record a short summary of what you heard. Listen again and see if you can add any extra information. The more you practice listening and speaking, the clearer your thought process will be.

We have compiled an informative and entertaining list of English podcasts for you. Dive right in!👇🏾

1. Overheard at National Geographic
2. Stuff You Should Know
3. A Way with Words
4. Storycorps
5. Invisibilia
6. Hidden Brain
7. Super Soul

Quick thought: Don’t be depressed if you find a podcast difficult to understand at first. Some presenters speak very quickly, and there may be concepts you have not heard before. You have two choices:

Keep listening and be patient
– it may take time, but you will start to understand more;
OR
Choose a different podcast
– there are plenty out there!

Happy Listening! 🎧

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