Skip to Content

  • Home
  • Study
  • Student life
  • Research
  • About
  • Contact us
Go to the Massey University home page

Massey University

Library | Alumni Portal | Staffroom | MyMassey
Massey University > OWLL > ESOL study > ESOL listening and speaking > ESOL listening strategies

OWLL

  • About OWLL
    • FAQ
    • Search OWLL
    • Contact us
    • Handouts (Printable)
    • Pre-reading Service
    • Workshops
      • StudyUp
      • StudyUp Recordings
      • StudyUp Postgraduate
    • Videos
    • Site map
  • Academic writing
    • Intro to academic writing
      • What is academic writing?
      • Writing objectively
      • Writing concisely
      • 1st vs. 3rd person
      • Inclusive language
      • Te Reo Māori
    • Assignment planning
      • Assignment planning calculator
      • Interpreting the assignment question
      • Command words
      • Organising points
    • Researching
      • Identifying academic sources
      • Evaluating source quality
    • Editing & proofreading
      • Apostrophes
      • Commas
      • Other punctuation
      • Active voice
      • American vs. British spelling
      • Articles
      • Conditionals
      • Prepositions
      • Pronoun Reference
      • Sentence fragments
      • Sentence Structure
      • Subject-verb agreement
      • Verb tense
      • Formatting and layout
      • Word limits and assignment length
      • Commonly confused words
    • How assignments are marked
      • Marking guides
      • Getting an A
      • Levels of assessment
      • Using feedback
    • Professional emails
    • Forum posts
      • Forum netiquette guidelines
      • Sharing personal information
      • Writing about personal experiences
  • Assignment types
    • Essay
      • What is an essay?
      • Essay planning and structure
      • Introduction
      • Thesis statement
      • Body paragraphs
      • Essay flow
      • Conclusion
      • Essay revision
      • Essay writing resources
    • Report
      • What is a report?
      • Report structure
      • Analysing issues for a report
    • Business report
      • What is a business report?
      • Business report structure
      • Inductive vs. deductive reports
      • Other kinds of business communication
      • Business report writing resources
      • Business report format and layout
    • Lab report
      • What is a lab report?
      • Lab report structure
      • Science lab report writing resources
      • Psychology lab report writing resources
      • Lab report body paragraphs
    • Literature review
      • What is a literature review?
      • Writing a literature review
      • Literature review structure
      • Literature review writing resources
    • Research proposal
      • Writing a research proposal
      • Research proposal structure
    • Other types
      • Article critique
      • Book review
      • Annotated bibliography
      • Reflective writing
      • Oral presentation
      • Abstract
      • Thesis / dissertation
      • Article / conference paper
      • Shorter responses
      • Group work
  • Computer skills
    • Microsoft Word
      • Basic formatting
      • Images, tables, & figures
      • Long documents
    • Microsoft Excel
      • Basic spreadsheets
      • Navigating & printing spreadsheets
      • Charts / graphs & formulas
    • Microsoft PowerPoint
      • Basic skills
      • Advanced skills
    • Stream
  • Distance study
    • Getting started
    • How to study
    • Online study techniques
    • Distance support
  • ESOL study
    • Reading & writing
      • Reading strategies
      • Writing strategies
      • Grammar resources
    • Listening & speaking
      • Listening strategies
      • Speaking strategies
  • Maths & statistics
    • Arithmetic
    • Algebra
    • Calculus
    • Trigonometry
    • Statistics
    • Finance formulas
  • Postgraduate study
    • Intro to postgrad study
      • Planning postgrad study
      • Postgrad resources
    • Postgrad assignment types
  • Referencing
    • Intro to referencing
      • What is referencing?
      • Why reference?
      • Plagiarism
      • Turnitin
      • Common knowledge
      • Referencing styles
      • What type of source is this?
      • Reference list vs. bibliography
      • Referencing software
    • Quoting & paraphrasing
      • Quoting
      • Paraphrasing & summarising
      • Paraphrasing techniques
    • APA style
      • APA Interactive
      • In-text citation
      • Reference list
      • Books
      • Journals
      • Online material
      • Other material
      • Headings in APA
      • Tables and Figures
      • Referencing elements
      • 5th vs. 6th edition
      • 6th vs. 7th edition
    • Chicago style
      • Chicago Interactive
      • About notes system
      • Books
      • Journals
      • Online material
      • Other material
      • Notes referencing elements
      • Quoting and paraphrasing
      • Author-date system
    • MLA style
      • MLA Interactive
      • Abbreviations
      • In-text citation
      • List of works cited
      • Books
      • Journals
      • Online material
      • Other material
      • Referencing elements
      • Captions for images
      • 8th vs 9th edition
    • Footnotes
      • Oxford style
      • Chicago style
    • Other styles
      • Harvard style
      • Vancouver style
      • Legal citations
      • Visual material
      • NZVJ style
  • Sample assignments
    • Sample essay 1
    • Sample essay 2
    • Sample annotated bibliography
    • Sample book review
  • Study skills
    • Time management
      • Intro to time management
      • Procrastination & perfectionism
      • Goals & motivation
      • Time management for internal students
      • Time management for distance students
    • Memory skills
      • Principles of good memory
      • Memory strategies
    • Note-taking
      • Note-taking methods
      • Mind maps
      • Note-taking in lectures
      • Note-taking while reading
      • Digital note-taking
    • Reading
      • Reading styles
      • Skimming
      • Scanning
      • In-depth reading
      • Reading comprehension
      • Reading academic material
      • Reading a journal article
      • Reading an academic book
    • Critical thinking
      • What is critical thinking?
      • Constructing an argument
      • Critical reading
      • Logical fallacies
  • Tests & exams
    • Exam & test study
      • Planning exam study
      • Gathering & sorting information
      • Reviewing past exams
      • Phases of revision
      • Last-minute study strategies
    • Question types
      • Essay
      • Short answer
      • Multi-choice
      • Problem / computational
      • Case-study / scenario
      • Oral
      • Open book exam
      • Open web exam or test
      • Take home test
    • In the exam
      • Online exam
      • Physical exam

ESOL listening strategies

When you first hear the speed and level of vocabulary of the academic English spoken at Massey, the first thing to remember is not to panic! Panic = less understanding.

Do not worry too much if you feel you are missing a lot of information when you first attend lectures and tutorials. It will take time to get used to this new listening environment. At first, you may have to rely a little on your classmates' notes, recommended readings, study guides, and additional assistance and advice from lecturers and tutors.

Short-term strategies

You will develop good academic listening skills if you regularly put yourself into academic listening environments (lectures, tutorials, study groups). In other words, good academic listening skills come from a lot of practice.

However, in the meantime, here are some short-term strategies to help you.

  • Prepare. Ensure you are familiar with the material and the vocabulary before attending a lecture or a tutorial. Do this by actively reading and making notes.
  • Have a positive attitude when you enter the lecture room.
  • Pay attention. Do not get distracted.
  • Listen for the main points. Do not worry too much about detail.
  • Listen for signposts. For example, “The most important thing to remember is…”, “I cannot emphasise this enough…” “First of all,…” “And finally, …” “To sum up,…”.
  • Lip read. Make sure you can hear and see the speaker's mouth and facial expressions, as well as their body language.
  • Listen to the message, not the language. Listen for meaningful chunks of language - even if you do not understand or cannot hear the prepositions and articles (the smaller, less meaningful words) in between.
  • Pay particular attention to visual cues: The board, PowerPoint presentations, videos, and slides.
  • Ask for help from lecturers or tutors. If you have a lot of questions, it is better to do this after the lecture or arrange a suitable meeting time.
  • Question. Ask yourself questions about the topic as you listen.
  • Predict. Try to predict what the lecturer will say.
  • Make space in your notes to fill in later. For example, leave gaps for information you missed.
  • Form a study group. You can help each other to fill in the gaps in the notes you have missed from lectures.
  • Keep vocabulary lists. Write down vocabulary that you often hear in your lecturers and tutorials. Refer to a specialist dictionary for your field such as a dictionary of social policy, or a management dictionary.
  • Source language resources. Make good use of English language learning books and tapes that can help you to improve your listening comprehension (including pronunciation).
  • Practice listening to the TV, radio, cinema, and sound files on the internet.
  • Practice! Make an effort to talk to English speakers. Expose yourself to spoken academic English as much as you can.
  • Use pronunciation references. An English-English dictionary with a CD-ROM can help you become familiar with the sounds of new words.
  • Listen for content references. Pay particular attention to where you can find information about the theorists, concepts, and processes noted in lecturers. If you miss important information, you can read up on it later.

Long-term strategies

Longer term listening strategies involve long-term practice and exposure to spoken English. This includes developing the following:

  • Prior knowledge of the topic, of the listening situation (e.g. knowledge the speaker, their relationship and status), and of the English language will all help to improve your listening.
  • Vocabulary: General and specialised vocabulary (words specific to your subject); linking words (e.g. inevitably, occasionally, while, in addition); sense and meaning splits (i.e. different ways of using a word); synonyms (different word, similar meaning); and word style (e.g. formal or informal).
  • Pronunciation. If you cannot recognise a word when it is spoken in a lecture, understanding its meaning will not help you. For this reason, it is important to learn how New Zealand native speakers pronounce sounds (see ESOL speaking strategies).
  • Cultural knowledge. The longer you live in New Zealand and interact with New Zealanders, the more you will come to understand our humour and the way we communicate with one another. Important questions you may like to ask yourself might include:
    • What do New Zealanders think is funny?
    • What do New Zealanders find offensive?
    • What are acceptable conversation-starters and topics of conversation?
    • What is the most appropriate way to ask for or give advice?

References and further reading

Espeseth, M. (1999). Academic listening encounters: Human behaviour: Listening, note taking, discussion. Cambridge University Press. [Massey Library link]

Lebauer, R. S. (2000). Learn to listen, listen to learn: Academic listening and note-taking (2nd ed.). Longman. [Massey Library link]

Lowes, R., Peters, H., & Turner, M. (2004). The international student's guide: Studying English at university. Sage. [Massey Library link]

Lynch, T. (2004). Study listening: A course in listening to lectures and note taking (2nd ed.). The University Press. [Massey Library link]

Page authorised by Director - Centre for Learner Success
Last updated on 30 August, 2019

Academic Q+A

Have a study or assignment writing question? Ask an expert at Academic Q+A

Live online workshops

  • StudyUp (undergraduate)
  • StudyUp Postgraduate
  • Library

Campus workshops

  • Campus workshops
  • 0800 MASSEY | (+64 6 350 5701)
  • TXT 5222
  • contact@massey.ac.nz
  • Web chat
  • Online form
Massey University
Private Bag 11 222
Palmerston North
4442
New Zealand
Site map | A-Z index | Disclaimer | Privacy
Copyright © 1998 - 2010 Massey University. All rights reserved.