How do you find compelling content? One way is to learn about
something you love, in English. For example, if you love romance novels in
your own language, get them in English! Find easy romance audiobooks
and listen to them every day. Find the text versions of the books, too, and
read while you listen. If you love business, then learn about business in
English. Use English as a means of learning other knowledge and other
skills. The more you focus on this compelling content, the easier it will be
to repeat it often. You’ll enjoy hearing it again and again.
Deep Learning Practice
Exercise 1: Pick an audio that’s ten minutes long. This is going to be your
main audio for the week. Listen to it a few times. Repeat this process every
day for the next week. Really commit yourself to mastering it. The idea is
you’re not trying to memorize it, but rather to thoroughly know it. Imagine
that each time you listen to and understand the audio, it is going deeper into
your brain. It’s like a seed you are planting in your mind. Plant it deep and
water it with many repeated listenings.
After you have mastered the first audio, pick two additional audios. They
should each be 5-20 minutes long. Listen to these in the same way as you
did the first.
You will notice yourself going through different learning stages as you do
this. Try to be conscious of these stages. The first will be, “Oh no, I don’t
understand.” You may need to use a text for total understanding. You’ll
know you’ve hit the second stage when you can listen to the words and
phrases without reviewing any of them. The third stage will be when you’re
hearing and easily understanding without the text. How long does it take
you to get to the third stage? How does listening to longer audios affect
your understanding?
How quickly will you progress and how many repetitions are required?
Much of this will depend on your state of mind during repetition. Are you
relaxed? Energized? When I teach action vocabulary in seminars, students
