"Improving ESL Learners'
Listening Skills: At the
Workplace and Beyond"
Importance of Listening Factors Affecting Listening
Critical Skill: Listening is essential for effective 1. The Listener:
communication in various contexts (school, work, - Interest in the topic enhances comprehension.
community). - Active participation and background knowledge aid
understanding.
Usage Statistics: Listening is used nearly twice as - Negotiation skills (asking for clarification) are
much as speaking and four to five times more than beneficial.
reading and writing
2. The Speaker
Workplace Relevance: Listening is crucial for job - Use of colloquial language and reduced forms can
success and effective workplace relationships hinder comprehension.
- Speaker's delivery speed and clarity impact
understanding.
Listening process
Active Engagement: Listening is an active 3. Content:
process involving several steps: - Familiar content is easier to understand than
unfamiliar vocabulary.
4. Visual Support
- Visual aids (videos, diagrams) can enhance
comprehension if interpreted correctly.
1. Determine the purpose for listening.
Listening Lesson Structure
2. Store raw speech in short-term memory.
3. Organize information based on the type of speech
event.
1. Pre-Listening: Activate prior knowledge and set the
4. Predict expected information. purpose.
5. Recall background knowledge to interpret the 2. Listening Task: Engage with the material actively.
message.
3. Post-Listening: Evaluate comprehension and
6. Assign meaning to the message. integrate skills.
Types of Listening Activities Guidelines for Teaching Listening
1. Doing (physical response) Relevance: Align with learners' goals and interests.
2. Choosing (selecting from options)
Authenticity: Use real discourse and tasks.
3. Transferring (transforming information)
4. Answering (responding to questions)
Skills Development: Offer both top-down and
bottom-up processing activities
5. Condensing (note-taking)
6. Extending (continuing a story)
Strategy Development: Teach predicting, clarifying,
and using non-verbal cues.
7. Duplicating (repeating information)
8. Modeling (performing similar tasks)
Focus on Teaching: Activities should enhance
understanding, not just test memory.
9. Conversing (engaging in dialogue)
