1. Use transcripts.  If the audio you’re listening to has transcripts, read it while listening.   Doing so will help you make better sense of what’s being said, especially if you’re still not comfortable figuring out the native accent.
2. Slow it down.  If the speaking style is a little too fast for you, slow it down.   Start it with 3/4 normal speed and slow down further if you still struggle.  The words should make better sense when you can listen to them enunciated more deliberately.
3. Chop it into bite-sized chunks.  Instead of listening to a 10-minute speech, how about cutting the audio up (there are free software that can do this) into 30-second chunks.  At the least, the shorter audio should be faster to listen to, allowing you to repeat it multiple times.
4. Parrot.  Try speaking (or singing, if it’s a song) along.  That could you improve not just your listening skills, but proper pronunciation and pacing, too.

The idea behind the technique, called Shadow Reading, is that you can use those reading skills to fill in the gaps in your listening ability by engaging in both activities at the same time.  Doing so will help build the connections in your brain between the written elements of a language and their spoken counterparts.

How do you do this?  You need two thing: a spoken recording  in the target language and its accompanying transcript.   There are CD sets and online downloads available that offer this type of combination (audio monologue and a transcript) as a learning tool for, as far as I’ve seen, the more popular languages out there.

If you can’t find material like this available for what you’re studying, you can go to YouTube to find a video in your target language, record the audio (there are plenty of software for that) and transcribe the audio (again, there are plenty of speech-to-text software for that, although you might need to do some searching to chance upon one that supports your target language).

Once you have the materials, you can then set aside practice time to do them.   Just remember to focus your attention on the audio, all while using the transcripts as a reference tool for when you can’t figure out what the recording is saying.

Most language learners are too careful when they’re trying to understand what native speakers are saying.  As a result, they not only try to figure out every word out of the person’s mouth, they try to break down the grammar and, eventually, end up obsessing about what they mean.  While this could be fine while you’re in a room working with a recording from your language training software, it’s a terrible way to approach listening when you’re in an actual interaction.

If you’re in the beginning or intermediate stages of learning, you’re never going to have the comprehension level of a native speaker.   Best warm up to the fact and do the best with what you’ve got.

Instead of obsessing over every bit of the language that is spoken, try listening for the gist of what someone is saying during a conversation.  Pick up on their baseline meaning and follow it intuitively.

Being able to induce and intuit meaning is a frequently-overlooked skill in language learning.  In truth, it’s one of the single most important abilities.  Just as you don’t have to understand everything the news anchor is saying on TV to pick up the gist of news stories, you don’t have to be able to decode every word out of someone speaking a foreign language either.

The next time you converse with someone in their tongue, don’t fret over the details.  Instead, look for the core meaning they’re trying to communicate and wing it from there.  Trust your intuition and you’ll be impressed with the results.

1. Your vocabulary’s just too weak.  It’s possible that you just don’t have enough stock of a language to be able to comprehend what people are saying.  The solution is straightforward: beef up your vocabulary.
2. They speak in an accent different than your own.  Even if you can identify words and phrases, accent can complicate the language heavily.    This is why we recommend teaching be done using the target language’s accent – doing so helps familiarize you with their speaking patterns, so you can easily recognize them in real-world situations.
3. They bring their own cultural biases into the language.  The way native speakers use the language often bring idioms and cultural elements into play that sound perfectly natural in their local environment.   Learning more about the local culture should help you on this end.
4. They use slang that isn’t taught in formal classes.  Slang, especially plays on words, are near impossible for non-natives to make out.   Unless you befriend locals and spend time  in their company, chances are, they’ll remain a mysterious parlance.
5. They talk too fast.  Since they’re perfectly familiar with the language, most native speakers will plow through their speech and pronunciations patterns quickly.  Your limited time with the vernacular isn’t likely to help you much with regards to keeping up.  The solution?  Spend more time listening to native speakers, either through actual conversation, watching movies or listening to speeches.

Most language training software on the market focus on speaking abilities. While it’s an undeniably important component for your success, it’s only one half of the equation. Failing to develop an improved ear for the language will cause just as much miscommunication as will a lack of polish in your speaking abilities.

How do you listen better? Here are a few ways:

1. Lots of practice. Aside from your regular in-lesson practice, it also helps to listen to as much of the language in action. Take advantage of resources, such as movies, music and podcasts, to improve your ability to comprehend spoken communication from native speakers.

2. Learn to suspend judgment. Listen to communication with an open mind, rather than constantly allowing your own bias and opinion to color what you’re hearing. This takes some amount of discipline and effort, as well as a conscious decision to really want to listen.

3. Practice shadowing. Shadowing is a listening technique that involves repeating what a speaker is saying verbatim, regardless of whether you understand the meaning or not. The idea is to hone yourself to listen intently, grasping every nuanced word and changes in tone.

Memorizing endless amounts of phrases?  Forget about it.  In comprehension-driven learning, you work on comprehending the message each phrase is trying to convey.  The idea is that if you can grasp what’s being said, the speaking will eventually emerge all on its own.

The most extreme example of this approach is full immersion.  Drop yourself in a foreign land where everyone speaks the language, except you.  Little by little, you’ll begin understanding their communication through observation.  Once you gain a good facility for figuring it out, you can’t help but be able to converse yourself as well.

In comprehension-driven language learning, acquisition is believed to be a developmental process.  First you must learn to receive input (lots and lots of it), then you can competently give your own. Your brain works to analyze language naturally, slowly giving you the facility to use what you’re absorbing from your environment.

What about memorized material?  Under this concept, it does nothing but give a false impression of proficiency.  If you work on comprehension first, your speaking becomes more ingrained, such that it will develop into a skill you can count on, rather than forget after a brief period of inactivity.

While this has long been prescribed by many language teachers, the study brings the activity to the forefront, arguing that it’s one of the most natural and indispensable strategies that you can employ in increasing your overall language facility.  In fact, the researchers go so far as to suggest that it is possible to acquire the language even without formal training using this method.

There is no doubt that listening can help you develop your communication skills. If you’d like to make speedy and long-lasting gains, however, we highly recommend employing formal lessons, like you can get from a language software or a complete course book.

According to the research, the brain automatically makes the necessary neural connections to make sense of unfamiliar sounds, eventually allowing you to gain some amount of comprehension for a language even if you do start out from a blank slate.  Coupled with the strategic training that language lessons can provide, it is highly likely that your overall improvement will be much more pronounced.

Compared to other areas of language learning, listening skills are complicated by the lack of a structured approach to integrating them into your skillset. Vocabulary, for instance, can be memorized using a variety of mediums, from flash cards to language software. Grammar, on the other hand, is defined by sets of rules that you can follow. For developing speaking and writing skills, there are tons of tried-and-tested exercises that can be employed.

When trying to improve your listening skills, the best thing you can do is to keep getting experience. Watch shows in the language you are studying and try to understand their context. Listen to songs and try to flesh out their meaning. Read articles in the vernacular and figure out what they’re trying to impart. As for guidelines, the best advice I’ve ever gotten is to get out of my own way.

A lot of the time, it’s our own mind that creates problems for our ability to progress in our comprehension abilities. Do you do any of these things that hinder the development of better listening skills?

1. Tuning out. When some students can’t understand what they’re listening to the first time, they just tend to tune out, their minds either flying out into some other place or their internal dialogues taking over. If you find this behavior becoming a habit, better work to eradicate it. It wastes a lot of your learning time.

2. Letting frustration get the better of you. Many students end up letting frustration at their lack of results get the better of them, often getting angry or just giving up. When you’re learning a language, it’s important to understand that not understanding everything is fine – you will, eventually.

3. Expecting too much. Just like any skill, the development of listening skills often occurs at a gradual pace. Don’t expect miracles. Instead, look towards small improvements that can add up over time.