How can I stop losing focus when listening?
If you lose focus when listening, or you aren't able to pay attention to the important information when listening, it may be because:
1. You need to improve your vocabulary. If you don't know enough words, you will not be able to follow what the speaker is saying. In other words, you cannot focus on or pay attention to something that you don't understand.
The solution: Complete the Vocabulary course and pay special attention to the Vocabulary Improvement Plan lesson. Chris' way of studying vocabulary is probably very different from what you are used to.
2. You are not used to listening to English for a long period of time, and so your mind starts to wander.
The solution: You need to build your concentration muscles! Try listening to podcasts or audiobooks, and resist the urge to pause the audio and look at your phone or check your messages.
3. You have difficulty understanding connected speech. Words can sound very, very different when said alone and when said in a sentence.
The solution: Complete the Pronunciation course to learn all the rules of pronunciation. Understanding the rules of why sounds change, why we lose sounds, or why we insert sounds will help you understand native speakers.
*Please note, that if you don't have access to any of the resources above, please contact us to upgrade your course.
