How To Use Podcasts to Improve Your Listening Skills
Why is listening so important in language learning?
Listening is about 50% of communication, so it should be no surprise that I suggest your listening practice should also make up 50% of your studies. Understanding the nuances of what is being said allows you to respond coherently and cohesively. Understanding is half the battle, but we must remember that it is the first half of the battle.
Last week we discussed the importance of listening and the difference between intensive and extensive listening. Let’s do a quick refresher.
What is Intensive Listening?
What is intensive listening and how does it differ from extensive listening?
Extensive listening is about passive exposure to a language. This method is focused on getting used to the sounds, flow, and rhythm of a language. I’ll dive more into my method for extensive listening in a later post.
Intensive listening is all about focus and mastery. The purpose is to take short pieces of content and listen to it repeatedly until you have 90-100% understanding.
Intensive listening requires attention to details such as:
vocabulary
pronunciation
tone
sentence structure
Yes, it sounds like a lot, but this is where listening repeatedly comes in handy. Before we dig into how to listen, let's go over how to find solid content.
How to Choose Content
Most of us are familiar with listening to our favorite songs over and over again. You like the sound, the rhythm, the way it makes you feel. Like your favorite song, you need to be a little obsessed with what you choose as your main source of listening practice.
Requirements to Consider:
Length - content should be less than 10 minutes
Audio - audio should be clear
Language Level - choosing too far below your language level and you won’t feel the need it listen closely, too far above and you’ll find yourself mentally drained without having retained anything
Variety - Having a variety of topics from the same source removes the guesswork of deciding what to listen to next
Interest - Without interest, you may find it hard to listen as much as necessary
Transcript - a transcript is not a requirement but it does help to easily point out new grammar or difficult words
You have full control over what content you choose to focus on. However, it may be best to shy away from dramas or variety shows due to the visuals giving away the plot. The point is to gather information just through listening. In this case, interview clips or short one-liners may prove to be more effective.
How to Listen Intensively
Now that you’ve chosen your content here is how I, personally, like to listen.
Listen once at normal speed (without a transcript)
The first time around you are just getting the overall gist. Answer these questions: What is the topic of the audio? What percentage do I think I understand? Was it going by too fast or too slow?
Answering these questions gives you an idea of how many times you will need to listen to the audio and puts you into an analyzation mode.
Slow down the audio
Take notice of any new vocabulary you may have missed and sentence structure
If you can, use context clues to understand the meaning, otherwise go ahead and look it up (remember the goal is to have a deep understanding of what is being said)
Listen again, (with the transcript if available) this time taking note of tone and pronunciation
Remember that it is ok to listen as many times as needed!
Listen and Shadow
What is shadowing in language learning?
Shadowing is repeating what you hear in real-time, without pausing, following the intonation and pronunciation of the speaker.
Once you have a full understanding of what is being said take it a step further and repeat every word. (This can be done with the audio slowed down or played at regular speed)
Get a feel of the pronunciation and sentence structure.
Bonus: Think about how you would say it. For example, if the topic is hobbies, can you replace the audio’s hobbies with yours?
Listen and Dictate
You must be thinking “I thought this was listening practice?” And it is. This is more of a test of how well you listened.
At this point you’ve listened several times, writing should be a piece of cake.
IF it is a piece of cake, next time try dictation out at number 2.
Combining listening with reading, shadowing, and dictation will accelerate your progress quickly.
Pro Tip: The best part about listening immersion is that it can be done anywhere. Take your studies outside or to the gym. All you need is a decent pair of headphones. You may shy away from shadowing in public, but a little mumbling never hurt anybody.
How can I improve my listening skills as a beginner language learner?
For a complete beginner, I do recommend steps 1-3. With a few caveats:
Always have a transcript
As a complete beginner, it is unlikely that you have a good hold of vocabulary. Having a transcript will aid you in making the connection between how words are written versus how they are pronounced.
Aim for shorter audio, about 5-minutes
Language learning is a marathon, not a sprint. Build up your capacity to listen with short clips. I promise you will be listening to longer audio in no time!
Shadow in sections
Pause the audio after each sentence and focus on repeating one sentence at a time, until you feel comfortable with the sounds and mouth movements
How often should I practice intensive listening to improve my language skills?
Great question! Since listening is such an essential part of language learning, and we’ve established that 50% of your language learning time should be dedicated to listening, let’s break that down into intensive and extensive listening—both of which play a unique role in your journey. The breakdown will vary based on whether you're a beginner or an intermediate learner.
For Beginners:
As a beginner, you may be tempted to split your time in half, an easy solution. However, your listening needs to focus more on understanding the basics, getting familiar with the sounds of the language, and building a foundation for comprehension. Because you’re still in the phase of absorbing vocabulary and sentence structure, you’ll want to prioritize extensive listening—which is about getting passive exposure to the language.
Extensive Listening: 70% of your listening time should be spent on extensive listening. This means watching shows, listening to podcasts, or hearing simple conversations that allow you to gradually become familiar with the rhythm and flow of the language without the pressure of understanding everything. You’re aiming for exposure and overall comprehension.
Intensive Listening: The remaining 30% should be spent on intensive listening. At this stage, you’re still focusing on breaking down short pieces of content, such as listening to a sentence repeatedly to understand vocabulary and sentence structure. You’re working on building deeper comprehension and mastering specific skills like pronunciation, intonation, and grammar.
Example Breakdown for Beginners:
Total listening time: 1 hour
Extensive listening: 42 minutes (watching shows, listening to simple podcasts, etc.)
Intensive listening: 18 minutes (focused listening to short audio clips, transcribing, etc.)
For Intermediate Learners:
As you reach the intermediate level, you’re moving beyond the basics and can handle more complex listening tasks. You’ve already laid the groundwork, and now it’s time to refine your skills and work on improving fluency. Here’s how to divide your listening time:
Extensive Listening: 50% of your listening time should be spent on extensive listening. This continues to be a major component, but at an intermediate level, you can focus on more complex content like interviews, news reports, or TV shows with varied vocabulary and faster pace. The goal is to keep exposing yourself to language that pushes you slightly outside your comfort zone but still allows you to maintain understanding.
Intensive Listening: The remaining 50% should be spent on intensive listening. As an intermediate learner, you’re now diving deeper into specifics—analyzing sentence structures, working on pronunciation, and expanding vocabulary. At this stage, you should be listening to shorter segments of content multiple times, focusing on refining the details and mastering tricky concepts.
Example Breakdown for Intermediate Learners:
Total listening time: 1 hour
Extensive listening: 30 minutes (watching shows, listening to podcasts, etc.)
Intensive listening: 30 minutes (listening to specific audio clips, shadowing, etc.)
Summary:
For Beginners:
70% Extensive Listening
30% Intensive Listening
For Intermediate Learners:
50% Extensive Listening
50% Intensive Listening
By balancing both intensive and extensive listening, you’re ensuring that you’re not only getting the foundational exposure needed for fluency but also honing in on the specific skills that will allow you to master the language. Keep the balance, stay consistent, and watch your listening skills skyrocket!
What I Listen To: Shameless Plug for My Favorite Korean Podcaster
As an intermediate Korean learner, my main source of intensive listening is Choisusu’s Korean Podcast. This podcast is available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Not only are transcripts available for download, her YouTube channel breaks the podcast up nicely.
Why I Like It
Little to no visuals (on YouTube)
I find her voice even and soothing
She talks about a variety of topics at both the beginner and intermediate level
I find it very cool that Episode 1 beginner and Episode 1 intermediate have the same topic but different vocabulary and grammar. All the episodes correspond this way, taking a lot of guesswork out of listening to more advanced audio.
Transcripts with vocabulary and practice questions
How I Listen
I, mostly, follow the same steps as above. The major difference is I do not dictate every episode for time reasons.
I tend to listen, sans transcript, while on a treadmill
I only use the transcript when dictating to check spelling
I listen to the audio at a slowed speed at a minimum of three times.
I then listen 2-3 more times while shadowing.
Then will listen starting from normal speed and increasing gradually with each listen.
I do this because I am aware that she is talking slower for clarity and natives in Korea will speak at a much faster pace
So while I don’t dictate often (I’m hoping to find more time soon), I listen, listen, and listen some more.
Keep Listening, Keep Growing!
As you continue on your language learning journey, remember that listening is your secret weapon—it’s the bridge between understanding and speaking fluently. By incorporating intensive listening into your practice, you’ll see improvements in your comprehension, pronunciation, and overall confidence in no time. The beauty of language learning is that it’s a journey that’s all your own. Embrace it with enthusiasm and a sense of excitement! The more you listen, the more you’ll start to notice how everything clicks into place.
So, whether you're listening to your favorite podcast, watching your favorite YouTuber, or simply taking a moment to absorb the sounds of the language, keep going. Don’t be afraid to listen over and over again, and most importantly, have fun with it! Remember, every bit of effort you put in is getting you one step closer to fluency. Your listening skills are growing stronger, and with that, you’re becoming more connected to the language and culture you’re learning.
Stay curious, stay patient, and most importantly, stay excited—because your language journey is just getting started, and there's so much more to discover! Keep listening, keep practicing, and watch your language skills flourish. You've got this!
