1. How to Improve Listening Skills

2. "We were given two ears but only one mouth, because listening is twice as hard as talking."

3. Difficulties in listening • Listening is not focused at high schools • Lack of facilities and resources or utilize little of them: tapes, cassette players, computers, video clips, movies, internet, English speaking people, and clubs

4. Con’t • 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

5. 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

6. Con’t • Most beginners get difficulty due to the lack of vocabularies, pronunciation and grammar. - Select a book with the cassette suitable for your level. It helps practice the listening easily and you can anticipate the level of difficulty. - Listen to the cassette without reading the text/ dialogue once or twice. When you find difficulty in grasping the meaning, listen again while scrutinizing the text/ dialogue.- Pay attention carefully to the pronunciation and intonation. If you want to improve your pronunciation, listen and repeat the dialogue/ text by pausing each sentence.

7. Con’t • After listening to the text/ dialogue, do the exercise and check your answer with the answer-key or with your 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 you like singing, memorize the words and sing them.- Practice the above tips everyday although only half an hour. By practicing the listening exercises many times, your listening will improve faster.

8. Con’t • Mentally put yourself in other person’s shoes • Spend more time listening than talking • Listen unconsciously to radio, television, movie. • Ask questions • Don’t 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 and make things interesting • Take notes, analyze, paraphrase, summarize and ask for clarification

9. Con’t • 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

10. Con’t • Work at listening – be alert and alive • Keep emotions under control when listening • Open your mind – practice accepting new information • Breathe slowly and deeply • Relax physically, get comfortable

11. 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 to listen at home, on travel… • Set a goal when listening or talking • Remember “Failure is mother of success”. Allow ourselves to make mistakes. Don’t worry! The game is still long!

12. 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

13. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!