Are You Really a Good Listener: Listening Challenges for English Learners
Typical listening challenges for English learners. Categorised into three areas: the listener, the situation, and the speaker.
Do you think you’re a good listener (in English or your first language)?
According to Psychology Today, 96% of people believe they are, but research shows we remember only about half of what we hear! As a language learner, you know how much harder it can be in a foreign language. Maybe you sometimes feel lost in a conversation, struggle with a fast speaker, or misunderstand a word. Don’t worry, you’re not alone! The good news? By knowing about the challenges and practising the right techniques, you can improve.
Let’s explore three key perspectives: the listener, the situation, and the speaker.
“(Listening) occupies about 45% of the time adults spend in conversation. This is significantly more than speaking (30%), reading (16%), or writing (9%). ”
Challenges That Come from You, the Listener
Sometimes, the biggest listening challenges come from within. Here’s what might be holding you back:
Unfamiliar Vocabulary: When you don’t know a word, you focus on figuring it out and then miss the next part of the conversation.
Lack of Concentration: If your mind wanders, you lose track of the conversation.
Listening Habits: According to listening expert Oscar Trimboli, common bad habits include:
Dramatic Listener: You relate everything back to your own experiences.
Interrupting Listener: You jump in before the speaker finishes.
Lost Listener: You get distracted easily.
Shrewd Listener: You listen just to respond, not to understand.
Recognising these habits is the first step to improving. Try staying fully present and focusing on the speaker, not just thinking about what you’ll say next.
Losing track of the conversation while thinking about missing words.
Challenges That Come from the Situation
Sometimes, external factors make listening difficult, even if your English is strong:
Background Noise: Loud and noisy places make it hard to pick out key sounds.
Unfamiliar Context: If you don’t know the topic, it’s harder to follow.
Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Processing: As Jo Gakonga explains, we use two ways to process spoken language:
Top-down processing – Using context and background knowledge to predict meaning.
Bottom-up processing – Focusing on individual sounds and grammar to understand.
Great listeners use both approaches. For example, if you’re watching a cooking show, you can predict that words like "ingredients" and "recipe" or processes like “preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius” will be used (top-down). At the same time, you pay close attention to the sounds, words and sentence structures you hear (bottom-up processing).
A good way to practise bottom-up processing is to listen to short videos and count the words in a sentence before checking your answers by reading the subtitles. This helps you focus on individual sounds and identify connected speech. For a challenge, try writing down Adele’s (the singer) answers in 73 Questions with Adele!
If you are in an unfamiliar context, it can be difficult to understand the speaker.
Challenges That Come from the Speaker
The way someone speaks can make listening easier, or harder:
Different Accents: English sounds different depending on the country, city, or even individual. I love the rich diversity of different voices from all over the world, but sometimes it’s hard to get used to listening to a new person.
Speed of Speech – Some speakers talk very fast, making it tricky to get every word.
Connected Speech – Words blend together (“gonna” = going to, “dunno” = don’t know).
Lack of Clarity – Some people mumble or use informal expressions.
When struggling, try saying: “Sorry, can you say that again?” or “Could you speak a little more slowly?” Most speakers are happy to adjust!
It took me a while to get used to the local Geordie accent and dialect when I moved to Newcastle for university. (Translation: Hello, how are you? I’m just going into town for a beer, do you want to come too?)
Practical Tips to Improve Your Listening
Now that you know the challenges, here are some ways to improve:
Expand Your Vocabulary: Learn new words so you recognise them in conversation. (I know this is easier said than done, watch out for some tips in next week’s blog post on learning vocabulary effectively)
Find Focus: Try mindfulness exercises or take a moment to reset before listening.
Predict Before You Listen: Think about key vocabulary that might come up. For example, take a look at the presentation slides, what do you think the presenter will talk about? Which words and phrases might they say?
Practise Active Listening: Summarise what the speaker said using phrases like “So, what you’re saying is…”, “If I understood correctly, you’re suggesting that…"
Ask Thoughtful Questions: Engage with the speaker by asking things like “What do you think about…?” or “How did that make you feel?” It will help you to clarify your understanding and remember information.
Final Thoughts
Becoming a good listener in English takes time and practice, but it’s possible! Start small, pick one or two techniques and try them today. The more you listen and actively train the skill, the more confident you’ll become.
Would you like to improve your English listening skills further? Contact me to learn more about personalised English training and coaching!
⬇️Book a free discovery call, and let’s work together to take your English to the next level.
Sources:
We’re Worse at Listening Than We Realise, Clay Drinko, Psychology Today
The Four Villains of Listening, Oscar Trimboli, LinkedIn
Teaching Listening, Jo Gakonga, ELT-Training.com
Five Essential Listening Skills for English Learners, Raphael Ahmed, British Council
Better Listening Outcomes: Insights and Teaching Tips for the English Language Classroom, Hugh Dellar, Connections (ELTABB Journal)
Hello,
I’m Jane Carvell, a business English trainer, language coach and visual thinking enthusiast. I help German-speaking professionals improve their English communication skills, so that they can build better connections to grow in an international working world.
