How to listen to Podcast to Master English Listening?

A very common problem is I can understand but I cannot speak. I also hear the opposite a lot: I can speak but I cannot understand.

I’m going to teach you the best way to improve your listening skill through English podcasts.

Listening is a very crucial skill, especially if you want to be able to communicate effectively. One of the best ways to improve your listening skill is by listening to English podcasts. But what podcasts, and how do you listen to them?

English podcasts are available for different levels and with different accents. Two questions you need to ask yourself:

• What is my level?
• What is my favorite accent? Do I want to learn the American accent or the British accent?

Based on your answers to these two questions, you can choose the right podcast.

Choose Podcasts by Level and Accent

If Your Level Is Below Intermediate

You should not worry about the accent. Forget about the accent. First, focus on improving your general understanding and listening skill.

I recommend this website: lessonaminute.com. On this website you can find one-minute English podcasts about almost any topic you think of, and the topics are categorized alphabetically.

For instance, go to one of the topics, Paper. There you can see the one-minute audio file and the written script. You can also download the audio file if you like, plus you can download the script in a PDF file format.

This website is amazing for those who are below the intermediate level, especially for beginners.

If Your Level Is Above Intermediate

For you, accent is actually important, because by listening to podcasts not only do you improve your listening skill and general understanding, but you can also improve your accent and pronunciation using the imitation technique or the speech shadowing technique.

British Accent: BBC 6 Minute English

I recommend BBC 6 Minute English podcasts. This is the official website where you can find the Six Minute English podcast of BBC. You can also see the level, Intermediate.

You have a wide choice of topics, so read the topics and see which one you like. Open the one you like and you can see the audio and the PDF files there.

You can play the podcast from inside the website or download the audio of the podcast together with the PDF file of the script.

American Accent: VOA Learning English

What about the American accent lovers like me? The best option for you is VOA. This is VOA Learning English, and VOA stands for Voice of America, and we are talking about the American accent.

On this website you can find podcasts for different levels: Beginning, Intermediate, or Advanced. For Intermediate, there are four options available:

• Health and Lifestyle
• Science and Technology
• Art and Culture
• As It Is

Click on your favorite area and then you can see a lot of podcasts available. You can also click on Load more. Open one and you have the audio file to play, the option to download the audio file, and the text of the audio right below it.

Quick Recap

• If you are below the intermediate level, go to lessonaminute.com. That’s where you should start.
• If you are above the intermediate level and you like the British accent, BBC’s Six Minute English is for you.
• If you are into the American accent, then VOA is the best option.

English Listening with Podcasts: How to Listen for Improvement

If you want to improve your listening through podcasts, follow these steps.

1) Step 1 – Listen

Don’t worry about anything. You don’t have to understand 100 percent of what they are saying. You don’t have to take notes. Just listen.

The important thing is that your ears are getting used to the sounds you’re hearing and that you can get the gist of the story: What is going on? Who are the main speakers? What is the topic of the podcast? That’s enough.

The good part about the first step is that you can do it anywhere. You can listen to podcasts while you are sitting down, doing the dishes, walking on the street, or waiting for the bus. Listen anywhere you want and as many times as you need.

2) Step 2 – Listen and write down

This step might take a lot of time, but trust me, there is no shortcut in learning. You need to spend time, so do it and don’t be lazy. Listen to the podcast, pause after each sentence, and write down what you heard. You’re going to write down the script of the podcast.

Sometimes you don’t understand what they are saying. Pause, go back, listen again. Again if you need. Do this as many times as you need in order to understand what the speaker is saying so that you can write it down.

What if you still don’t understand? If you couldn’t understand after a few times of playing and listening, leave it blank and continue with the rest of the podcast. By the end of this step, you will have written the script of the podcast.

3) Step 3 – Listen and follow the original script

For VOA or BBC podcasts, the script is available in a PDF file format. Download that file, play the podcast, and while you are listening, follow the script. This time you will understand what they are saying 100 percent.

4) Step 4 – Compare your script to the original

Compare your script to the original script to see which parts you made a mistake, which parts you couldn’t get, and which parts you left blank.

This exercise takes a lot of time, but trust me, you will see immediate results. Plus, not only does it improve your listening, you can also learn some new vocabulary. You’re killing two birds with one stone.

To kill two birds with one stone means to achieve two things by doing one thing.

Final Thoughts

Choose podcasts that match your level and preferred accent, then follow a simple plan: listen for gist, transcribe, check with the script, and compare. BBC 6 Minute English and VOA Learning English offer audio plus PDF scripts, and lessonaminute.com is perfect for short, focused practice at lower levels.

If you stay consistent with these steps, your understanding and pronunciation will both improve.