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Hey guys, welcome back to Podcast and Chill. I'm Gwen.

And I'm Gwen's favorite host, Leo.

Hi. You wish.

So, Gwen, do you ever listen to English, but still feel like you don't really understand it?

Sometimes. I think it's because I tend to space out midcon conversation. Why do you ask?

You remember Thomas?

Your friend from France who's been learning English? Yeah. What about him?

So, he told me something interesting the other day.

Oh, what did he say?

He said he completely freezes up whenever he meets English speakers. Even though he's been binge watching Netflix shows in English for months now.

Oh man, that's so relatable.

Really?

I think most language learners go through exactly this. They think hearing more English means they'll understand it better.

Wait, doesn't it though?

Not really. However, the good news is I know exactly how to help him break free from this trap with only 10 minutes a day.

Hold up. Just 10 minutes? That sounds way too good to be true.

I'm serious. Science shows that just 10 minutes of active listening daily can train your ears, your brain, and your confidence in English.

Thomas definitely needs to hear this.

And honestly, probably everyone listening right now could benefit from it, too,

for sure. And hey, if you guys run into any new words today, don't stress about it.

We'll break everything down for you later.

All right, everyone, buckle up. Let the party begin.

So, speaking of Thomas, let me tell you what really gets to him.

What gets to him?

He can hear every single word clearly, but when they're all together in a sentence, it's like his brain just shuts down.

Oh, that's actually super common. It's like his brain just can't connect the dots.

Connect the dots.

Yep. Think about it. He knows each word, but they don't make sense together in his head. So, he doesn't really get anything.

Oh, I see what you mean. And because he can't connect those dots, he gets discouraged and just gives up halfway through.

Poor thing.

Like yesterday, he was watching this YouTube video about cooking and after 5 minutes he was like, "Forget it. I'll just order pizza."

I get it. When you lose focus or feel overwhelmed, it's easier to quit than push through.

Plus, he keeps choosing the wrong stuff to listen to.

What do you mean?

Last week, he tried listening to a finance podcast about cryptoc. What's the word?

You mean cryptocurrency? The digital money?

Yeah, that one. The guy barely understands regular money, let alone digital money.

I get it. That's like trying to learn to swim by jumping into the deep end of the ocean,

right? And when I asked him why he picked that, he said, "I thought it would make me sound smart."

A classic mistake.

What's the classic mistake?

Choosing content that's way above your level or picking boring stuff that doesn't match your interests.

So, what's the solution? Because Thomas is starting to think he's not only bad at finance, but also at languages. Well, here's the thing. It's not about being good or bad at languages.

Then what is it?

It's because he and lots of other learners often listen passively.

Listen passively like when we hear a sound.

Yes. Think of it like this. Passive listening is like having the TV on in the background while you're scrolling your phone. You just hear the sound.

Got it. So, what should we do to stop listening passively?

Very simple. We should listen actively.

Uh, break that down for me, please. What does active listening even mean?

Active listening is when you really pay attention to what you hear. You think about it and try to understand it. Like when you focus on the news, the weather report, or anything else on TV.

I see. To get better at listening, it's not just about how much time you spend, but how you use that time.

Yep. Quality over quantity always.

All right. So, you mentioned this 10-minute thing earlier. How can just 10 minutes make a difference?

Great question. Let me ask you this. Would you rather eat a really good meal for 10 minutes or junk food for an hour?

Uh, the good meal obviously. That's how listening works, too. 10 focused minutes beat one unfocused hour every time.

But doesn't more time mean more learning?

No, not always. Imagine Thomas watching Netflix for 2 hours. His brain was probably not really paying attention much of the time.

True. He was probably thinking about work or what to have for dinner,

right? If he just focused for 10 minutes, his brain would really understand and remember what he heard.

So, it's like going to the gym.

How so?

Well, you could spend 2 hours at the gym taking selfies and chatting or 30 minutes actually working out and get better results.

Perfect analogy. Your brain is like a muscle. Like I said, quality training beats quantity every time. Okay, I'm sold on the 10-minute thing, but how do you actually do it? Like, what's the process?

There's a simple three-step process that works really well.

Only three steps? That sounds manageable.

Step one is listening to the whole thing to get the main idea. This takes about 3 minutes.

What do you mean by whole thing?

Could be anything as long as it's 3 minutes. a short conversation, a news segment, or part of a podcast. The key is focusing on the big picture.

So, I'm not trying to catch every word.

Yes, you must ask yourself, what's the main topic? Who's talking?

But why does it help?

It helps because your brain needs to get used to how English sounds and moves first. Listen for the main idea is the way to do it.

Oh, makes sense. And that actually sounds less stressful than trying to understand everything right away.

That's the point.

Okay. What's step two?