Does listening to podcasts make you more articulate?

Can Listening Really Improve English Speaking Skills?

We’re nothing if not curious, so we wanted to see what the research says about whether listening to podcasts helps improve speaking skills. We found several studies that suggest podcasts not only have a favourable effect on listening skills but also on speaking skills.

One study of students learning Chinese looked at how podcasts improved speaking test scores. It found that students who listened to a podcast improved their score on a speaking test more than those that didn’t. They also had more confidence in their Chinese ability. Similar results were found in several studies of Indonesian students who were learning English.

As researchers Hayo Reinders and Min Young Cho have said, 'Extensive listening has … considerable benefits for vocabulary development, accent recognition, and also students’ ... pronunciation and speaking.'

So research suggests that listening to podcasts can improve speaking skills.

How?

By improving several components of speaking skills. There are five aspects to speaking English: vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency, and accuracy. Listening to native English speakers improves these aspects of speaking in ways that you may not have thought about.

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Becoming more articulate

Because um.. you know, it helps?

Imagine this.

You’ve been invited to talk about your most passionate topic of choice in front of thousands (and millions more on YouTube) at a TED Talk conference. Are you excited or afraid? For me, I think speaking at a TED Talk will simultaneously be the most exhilarating and also the scariest thing to do.

You and I are definitely not alone in the fear of public speaking. Let’s take a look at a few statistics. If you were to google “public speaking fear”, you’ll get about 390,000,000 results. “How to be more articulate” gets you about 65,500,000 results, and finally (just for the sake of comparison), “Will bitcoin make me rich” gives us 9,200,000 results.

As for the age old myth that we fear public speaking more than death. Let’s clear that one up once and for all, shall we?

I’m glad common sense prevailed in this case, and outside of one time in September 2013 where public speaking fears overtook the fear of death, the chart looks normal.

Two Types of Speaking in Podcasts

Did you ever notice that you speak differently in certain situations? Sometimes you need to talk about something for a long time, like when you’re telling a story of something funny that happened to you.

But other times, you might be talking back and forth with a friend, taking turns saying shorter phrases and asking each other questions.

We have fancy words to describe each of these situations: monologue and dialogue.

Monologue vs. Dialogue

The first situation, retelling a long story, is amonologue. That’s when you spend most of the time talking. You could be sharing what you did over theweekend, how you spent your summer vacation, what books you enjoy reading, etc.

The second example—the conversation with your friend—is a dialogue. This happens when we’re not just talking about ourselves. Rather, we ask our friends questions and get answers.In a dialogue you don’t speak for a long time, because someone else talks too, and you use more slang and conversational phrases.

(A quick tip to remember the difference: In many English words, “mono-” means “one,” and “di-” means “two.”)

So why am I bringing up these two big words? Because it’s important to knowhow we speak, since it’s not the same in every situation, and you’ll hear both in podcasts.

Monologues and Dialogues in Podcasts

In amonologue (by yourself,oneperson speaking)you use correct grammar, longer sentences, fewer slang words andyou speak for a longer amount of time.

Adialogueis sometimes easier because you use shorter sentences and answers, you might make grammatical mistakes and you use easier words in general.

So the podcasts you listen to can be either one person talking about something(a monologue) or two or more people talking together (a dialogue).Each of these two types of podcasts will have different types of words, phrases and expressionsthat you can practicefor different situations.

Let’s look at a small example to show why the difference is important.

A Real-life Example of Types of Speech

I asked one of my students to talk about learning English. I expected a monologue(a small speech maybe).But here is his answer:

I like learning English because it’s cool. Don’t know why some people don’t dig it. But I have my own method of learning, and I’m fed up with teachers that tell me they can teach me something, but then they fail.

What’s wrong with this monologue?Well, nothing really, exceptthe words in bold (like this)are often used ina dialogue.It sounds like this student is talking to a friend, since he uses shorter sentences and lots of slang.

Is it wrong to use slang in a monologue?Well, it sounds a bit strange.

Think about your native language. Do you speak differently when you’re in front of a class or with co-workers than when you’re talking to your friend on the phone?

Know these differences before you use podcasts to improve your speaking.Try to think about which words can be used in certain situations, and your speaking skills will be excellent!

In order to make this task easier, you can start by using FluentU.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

Try FluentU for FREE!

Since you’ll be listening to native English speakers talk, you’ll know when to use each word, which will make your English speaking skills skyrocket.

Give FluentU a free try and see for yourself!

In the meantime, here you have three interesting ways to improve your speaking with podcasts.

Your Brain Loves Podcasts

Listen your way to enlightenment

Already given up on your New Year’s resolutions? Hi, please join my club. But it’s never too late to make new ones, especially, if you’re like me, when they don’t involve running. Might I suggest a very simple one: listen to more podcasts. Why, you ask? Yes, there is a podcast/lid for every person/pot, and yes, 2017 was in many ways The Year of the Podcast, and don’t you want to be part of the zeitgeist? But also, in service of self-improvement resolutions: because listening to podcasts makes you smarter.

Some genres are more obvious than others for expanding your gray matter, like history, science, and business/entrepreneurship. If you’re curious about some enlightening recommendations, check out this list from The Independent UK, this deep dive into history from The Bello Collective, this one from Popular Science, or this oddly specific “9 Podcasts That Will Make You 10% Smarter” from Forbes. Here you’ll find some classic choices like NPR’s Fresh Air and Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History, as well as some deeper cuts you may not have heard of. So fire up the ol’ podcatcher, sit back, and get ready for these shows to drop some knowledge.

Prefer something a little lighter? A bit easier on the ears? Fear not. Listening to podcasts *period*, in fact, makes you smarter in the exact same way that reading does. Canonical American writer William Faulkner once said,

“Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it.”

As it turns out, the same could be said about listening to podcasts. In fact, all the way back in 1977, The Journal of Educational Psychology published a study that found students who read a short story versus listened to it showed nearly identical comprehension of the story. And for some, the roughly 30% of the population who are primarily auditory learners, audio does even better. (Figure out if you’re one of them here.)

The human voice also has a more natural ability to communicate with intention than the written word. This is in large part thanks to prosody (the study of the musicality of spoken word and how it contributes to meaning.) We experience this on a daily basis — how many times has your text message sarcasm been misconstrued? The lack of prosody in text goes a long way in explaining why Twitter, Reddit, or the comments section of any website can sometimes be a divisive hellfire. Speech eases friction in meaning, so you can get straight to the education!

I might also argue that listening requires more sustained concentration than reading. When reading, you can go at your own speed, and easily take breaks without missing a word. With a podcast, to get the most out of it you have to pay attention or else you are liable to miss something, and quickly. Listening to a podcast is an exercise in intense focus.

When Dr. Seuss said, “the more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go,” podcasts hadn’t been invented yet. And while I would never suggest not reading at all, what I would offer is that listening to an engrossing podcast does great work for your mind too. So, um, I’m really not sure why you’re still reading this — you should be listening to a podcast. Your brain will thank you!

1. The Tim Ferriss Show

It’s hyped-upfor a reason. Tim, himself, is hyped up for a reason. Whether he’s talking about the art of deconstruction, featuring world-renowned guests, or revealing insights from the community he built, Ferriss is exceptional at making seemingly impossible goals seem possible.

For instance, on an episode with Caroline Paul, author of The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure , as well as former San Francisco fire fighter and global adventurer, he broaches the topics of cultivating bravery and pushing past fear. If you’re struggling to make a change in life or seeking a better way to problem-solve, this podcast can help you get there. It’s been a tremendous resource in helping me talk my friends and colleagues through difficult career choices.

2. Another Round

MC’ed by BuzzFeed’s Heben Nigatuand Tracy Clayton, this one never disappoints. The co-hosts’ humor usually has me laughing from minute one, but also thinking thoughtfully about the problematic social norms they openly address.

Their candid discussion on getting through each day’s news cycle in this trying time has enabled me to better emphasize with and talk about social issues I may be less familiar with. As such, I’ve found it’s helped me be more thoughtful and inclusive, especially when it comes to more sensitive issues.

How to Become More Articulate

There are several things that you can try out to become more articulate. You can go through a few of them in detail below.

Record Yourself

One of the best ways to learn how to become more articulate is by recording yourself. Whenever you have something to say, it can help to plan it out, prepare it in your head and speak it out loud.

You can then use the voice recording function on your phone to record your entire speech, whether personal or professional so that you can then listen back to it when you’re done.

This can help you understand how others will hear you while also being able to spot mistakes such as gaps, filler words, voice modulation and more. You can then improve on those aspects and record yourself again to note the difference.

Understand Speed Requirements

You should try to regulate the speed with which you communicate your thoughts, ideas and feelings. This can make your speech sound a lot more interesting and layered so that people will listen to you attentively.

It is important not to talk too fast as this could make it difficult for your listeners to understand what exactly you are trying to say. On the other hand, talking too slowly could easily make people lose interest or track of what you are saying.

It is important to maintain a balance while also changing up your speed at different points of your speech or conversation so that you can draw attention to all the right parts.

On average, you should aim for around 140 words per minute when it comes to conversational speech.

Enunciate Each Word

Make sure you pronounce and enunciate each word accurately and clearly so that people can have an easier time following what you are saying without you needing to backtrack or repeat what you were saying.

In case there are certain words that you are unsure about, it can become too easy for you to skim over them to cover up your lack of confidence. This can make it confusing for the listeners and can also be off-putting in professional contexts.

If you can help it, then you can try to practice enunciating all the syllables of difficult words by looking up their pronunciation so that you are not caught off-guard later on. If you have to speak spontaneously, then don’t feel too embarrassed about mistakes as this can allow you to learn from them later!

Deal with Fillers

Filler words are usually words that you might subconsciously add to your speech so that they can provide you with a gap to collect your thoughts and move ahead with what you were trying to say.

Some common fillers that people tend to use include “like”, “so”, “um”, “okay”, “yeah” and many more. While they can help you take a breath or collect yourself, these filler words can easily end up diverting the attention of your listeners, making them lose track of important elements.

It is essential to reduce these fillers in your speech so that you can talk in a more flowing manner. It can be more effective to eliminate these fillers and leave a small gap instead.

Listen to Podcasts

Podcasts can be great ways for you to learn how to become more articulate. This is because podcasts include people talking at length about a certain topic or even having a conversation or discussion with other people about something relevant to them and their podcast.

By paying attention to their speech patterns in different contexts, you can make your own notes and try practicing those habits in your own speech.

This can also give you a listener’s or audience’s perspective so that you can figure out how to address that the next time you have something to say.

Speak Simply

While it can sound impressive when people use technical or professional jargon to convey information or even to lead discussions, this can usually be quite confusing to the listeners, especially if they are not well-versed in the topic.

In this sense, you should try your best to speak as simply as possible by breaking down all possible jargon and explaining it in simple words. Using fancy vocabulary just for the sake of it can also prove counterproductive at times if no one knows what you are trying to convey.

You should also consider who the audience or listener is here so that you can adjust your conversation or speech accordingly.

Pause

Do not be afraid to pause while talking as this can actually be an effective strategy when it comes to clearly conveying your thoughts and ideas to people.

If you are making a speech or a formal presentation, then taking deliberate pauses during certain parts of your speech can not only help you take a moment to breathe and move on but can also serve to tell your listeners that they are listening to an important piece of information.

Allow them to absorb the information and understand the weight of the matter.

When it comes to regular conversations, then a pause can also be effective in a similar way. It can also give you some space to gather and articulate your thoughts better.

Here, you can also rely on nonverbal cues to help you out.

Volume and Pitch

Volume and pitch are also important aspects of articulation and communication. These can add plenty of depth to what you are trying to say so that people can maintain their level of interest.

When it comes to volume, you should ensure that everyone can hear you clearly enough. Being too loud, however, can end up being too grating and distracting for your listeners, especially if you are talking into a mic.

You should change up your pitch at different points of your speech as well so that people can understand the essence and mood of what you are saying. While some elements might require a higher and passionate pitch, others might require a gentle and low pitch.

Develop Confidence

Developing your confidence level while speaking can make a huge difference when it comes to actually making your speech or initiating a conversation. Figure out some breathing techniques for managing your nerves or anxiety effectively before your turn to speak.

While it is completely normal to feel nervous while speaking up, it is essential for you to manage this by initiating a point or participating in public speaking more and more. This can allow you to get used to the idea better so that you are better equipped next time.

Even if you make mistakes, you can simply note them down and avoid them next time.

Practice

You should get as much practice as possible before articulating yourself. While this might not always be possible in casual and spontaneous situations, you should certainly try to make preparations beforehand if you have the option to do so.

Keep repeating your speech mentally as well as out loud. It can help to write things down to be able to recall them later.

You can also practice with some people that you are close to so that they can provide valuable feedback and help boost your confidence.

Visualize

An effective strategy for becoming more articulate is to visualize your listeners or audience to anticipate how they will look and react. This can help calm your nerves a bit before actually facing them.

You can further practice what you have to say by looking at yourself in the mirror so that you can learn how to interact with people in front of you while also preventing yourself from relying too much on your notes.

Related Articles:

• How These 5 Books Can Make You Articulate Better
• 3 Reasons you’re Wondering “Why Can’t I Articulate My Thoughts Clearly?”, and What to Do About It