Improve English Listening with Unscripted Speech

Let's figure out why. I gave you four examples there.

Two of them were quite easy to understand, and two of them were more of a challenge. Okay, so the two examples that were easier to understand, they were talking in a public setting, they had something that was prepared, they had a script or a speech written, and they were presenting to a large group of people.

The other two examples featured much younger speakers using a dialect that maybe you are not familiar with.

They were speaking in a setting where nothing was planned, nothing was prepared, and they were just talking to one, maybe two people in quite an intimate setting. So my first tip is diversify your listening practice. Stop watching TED Talks.

Stop watching members of the royal family. TED Talks are great.

I love TED Talks. But they are presenting.

They, they have written a script. They have planned and practiced what they are going to say, and they want a large group of people to be able to understand them. So of course you'll be able to understand them.

That's their main goal. So when you are doing English listening practice, make it your mission to find things that are unscripted: reality shows, podcasts, chat shows.

Diversify the listening practice because then your ear is like a muscle. Your ear will become so flexible, so adaptable.

Your ear will be ready to listen to any voice, any dialect. So when you talk to someone, it's like you've done the hard work. You've done the practice. This conversation is easy.

I can understand you. Moving on to my next tip.

Keep watching for an in-depth analysis of the sounds that make English speakers so hard to understand. My next tip involves a strategy that humans have been using since the