Without giving you all my trade secrets, I am going to share with you some principles that every great listening activity should meet.
Now, when it comes to listening activities, there are a few key elements that we really need to focus on. First of all, pronunciation, intonation, and accent should sound as natural and standard as possible—unless, of course, we're deliberately introducing a specific variation. It’s crucial that our students hear the language the way it’s actually spoken. One effective approach is to make sure key words or ideas are repeated. This repetition really helps students absorb and internalize the language, making it more familiar to them.
In real life, speech isn't always smooth; it's full of pauses, fillers, and even false starts. That’s why our listening exercises should also include these features—because this is what real conversations sound like. We want our students to be ready for all the unpredictability that comes with listening in the real world. Now, while authentic materials are great, the listening activity doesn't always have to be completely authentic. Sometimes, it’s actually better to design something that serves a specific learning purpose. And remember, you can use either audio or video—whichever format works best for your lesson and your students.
Another important thing to consider is the context and the purpose of the communication. It’s crucial that we clearly establish this upfront so our students know why they're listening and what they should be aiming to understand or learn. On top of that, it’s helpful if we, as instructors, try to anticipate the hurdles that our students might face during the activity. This allows us to provide the right kind of support when it's needed, helping them overcome those challenges more easily.
Now, let’s talk about what we should avoid in listening exercises. One of the big pitfalls is relying on AI-generated scripts without thorough editing. These can lead to awkward phrasing or dialogue that just doesn’t feel authentic, and that’s not ideal for learning. Another thing to avoid is simply translating a conversation from another language without making significant modifications. Often, these translations end up sounding unnatural because they lack the cultural context of the language we're teaching.
Also, try not to use readings that have no natural pauses or hesitation—unless that’s the specific goal. And we really need to avoid using a voice that sounds flat, robotic, and without emotion. It’s important that what students hear reflects real communication—intonation, emotion, and all. Overly formal language is another trap to avoid, because that’s just not how most people speak in day-to-day conversations. And finally, super slow recordings, where most students understand almost everything already, aren’t helpful either. These tend to lack the challenge and natural rhythm of authentic speech, and they don’t push students to grow.
Here are lists of DOs /OUI and DON’Ts/ NON:
It should be grounded in the culture of the language you are teaching (such as speakers names, place, date/occasion, greetings, etc all being culturally appropriate)
The context and purpose for communication/interaction should be clear
It should be of a suitable length for the students’ ability
The speed of delivery needs to be natural but not too fast
It should be on a topic students are familiar with or that you are targeting in class
The pronunciation, intonation and accent should be standard and natural unless you are teaching something specific
Key words or ideas should be repeated to enhance understanding
Fillers, hesitation, false starts, repetition are important to mirror real speech
It could be authentic but it does not have to be
It could be an audio and/or a video recording
You should identify the hurdles your students will encounter prior to the exercise
An AI generated script that you have not heavily edited
A translation of a conversation written in another language and simply put into the L2
A reading of a passage without natural pauses or hesitation, unless it’s the format you are teaching
A voice without intonation, emotion or natural pauses (ie a robot’s voice!)
A very formal level of language as it is rarely used in spoken language
A super slow recording in which (most) students know 90% of the words
With decades of experience creating aural activities, we feel that AI is a useful tool but it can only produce about 20% of the work. The effort required for a good listening exercise cannot be reproduced by current AI. We urge teachers to use it very little as it will remove the beauty of learning a language: learning the culture and customs of the people who speak this language. We also encourage you to listen to our recordings which have been used by thousands of students to prepare them for their final high school examination.
