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Don't be stumped in your next job interview. These tips can help.

Credit... Jinhwa Jang

In its simplest form, a job interview is an attempt to impress someone at the other end of the table. Your résumé and qualifications got your foot in the door, but the in-person interview is where potential hires most often succeed or flounder.

"The interview is a better measure of emotional intelligence indicators, preparedness, punctuality, work ethic and all the other little things that might make a good interpersonal fit," said Kristin Sailing, a data scientist on the Talent Management task force of the U.S. Army.

Though clearly important, these job interviews are also an exercise in managing anxiety. For 15 to 30 excruciating minutes, you might as well be mounted under a glass microscope slide. You feel vulnerable, exposed. And then the questions start, slowly at first but crescendoing with each new answer. Your brain struggles to find responses that don't ring hollow or come across as a cliché.

We spoke to several hiring professionals, asking each to identify the interview questions that commonly trip up prospective employees. More than that, we sought to find ways to navigate the questions that seem impossible to answer in an attempt to find ways to better prepare for them in the future.

We can't quell the anxiety entirely, but a little preparation, you'll find, can go a long way.

It may seem simple, but our experts tell us that many people have a great deal of anxiety about this question. While most interviewers use it as an attempt to break the ice, interviewees often have the opposite reaction. After all, you're sitting with a stranger who just asked you to open up. Should you use this time to tell her about your husband, or your two dogs? Or is she asking you to tell her about where you've worked, your skills and qualifications?

The truth is, it varies. Most interviewers don't think much about this question, using it solely as a tool to get you talking. And while some may be trying to gain information, it's not really about what you say, it's how you say it. They might be looking at your communication skills, for example. This is a golden opportunity to see if you ramble, or jump back and forth between stories. Or maybe the interviewer is gauging your ability to frame key details of a story that's understandable for those who don't know you.

But, chances are, it's just an icebreaker. Don't sweat it.

If you find that it's a question you need to prepare for, try to focus mainly on career-oriented answers: your past experiences, your qualifications and your ability to solve big problems. For example, maybe you instituted a weekly work-at-home day in your department, a move that didn't significantly raise costs while drastically lowering employee turnover. This is a win that's worth mentioning in this situation.

Ms. Sailing believes this is another question that should be retired. The average person now transitions between jobs every four years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And while it's an antiquated notion, employers still tend to respond negatively to "the idea that an employee wants to spend two to three years on a project and then move on to something new," she said.

"Who can really tell what the world will look like in five years," said Chuck Edward, head of Global Talent Acquisition for Microsoft. "I would be looking for a candidate to demonstrate how they are lifelong learners who embrace the future, whether that be for the specific role they are applying to or for future opportunities." He said that Microsoft was always looking for "curiosity and a willingness" to learn, but also valued "resiliency and ambiguity."

In a practical sense, you should focus less on where you'll be physically or practically in five years, and more on what you plan to learn between now and then, and how it might add to your set of skills.

Of bad interview questions, this is the gold standard. Most of the hiring professionals we spoke with said that this was a question they would never ask these days. Though it doesn't mean other employers won't, as you've probably already seen. That's not to say it won't appear in other forms. Questions like "Tell me about a time you failed and what you learned from it," for example, offer an alternative to get the same information.

If you run into this question, your first reaction might be to answer the question by pointing out a weakness that's actually a strength - "I work too hard" or "I'm a perfectionist." Don't do it. "Both of these come across as insincere," Ms. Sailing said.

Instead, look for ways to pick an actual weakness, albeit a small one, and focus on the ways you're trying to correct it. This isn't an opportunity to point out that you're chronically late or often absent. Instead, focus on smaller, more manageable weaknesses and what you're doing to address them. "If you have to answer this question, you want to answer it in the framework of pursuing self-improvement and growth opportunities," Ms. Sailing said. If I had to answer this question, I'd note that I am awful at estimating how long a project will take me to complete, and that leads me to take on more work than I can handle. To remedy the problem, I'm currently taking a class on Udemy, an online education platform, to learn ways to better manage my time and my work flow.

Mr. Edward agrees. He told us that he would be "looking for a candidate to show me how they might have leaned into their weaknesses and created solutions to find success in a previous role." Microsoft calls this "learning agility," and Mr. Edward said it's an appealing trait for anyone he's interviewing.

Alternatively, you could always point out flaws that aren't related to the job. If you're applying for a job as a software developer, for example, you could mention that you aren't particularly good at, or fond of, public speaking. This wouldn't often be a deal breaker, as public speaking skills aren't commonly associated with software development.

Both Ms. Sailing and Mr. Edward stressed the importance of turning an interview into a dialogue. It shouldn't feel like an interrogation, but a conversation. Look for ways to reciprocate interest, even asking your interviewer questions to learn more about the company or the role.

"I enjoy when candidates ask thoughtful questions that push me to think deeper; that lets me know that this candidate will make our organization and our teams smarter and more innovative," Mr. Edward said.

Ask questions about the team itself: Who leads it; what does an average day look like; why did the person in the position you're applying for leave? In fact, asking for a tour of the work space, particularly the area where you're stationed - as well as an introduction to some of your future colleagues - certainly wouldn't hurt.

Ms. Sailing and Mr. Edward agree that preparation is another key element they seek. "My bare minimum prep for talking to vendors we might be working with to potential hires is taking a look at their LinkedIn profile and seeing if we have any mutual connections," Ms. Sailing said. Show an interest in the company by knowing its key players, mission statement and some of its history. You should have a solid understanding of what the company does and how the team you wish to work for aids in this mission.

"It might sound corny, but show you care," Ms. Sailing added.

Interviews, as the saying goes, are where opportunity meets preparation. Preparation, in this case, is self-serving. Keeping the interviewer engaged allows them more opportunities to offer information about the job you want. And when that happens, you may just find them behaving as if you already have it.

Bryan Clark is a journalist from San Diego who lives at the intersection between technology and culture. You can follow him on Twitter @bryanclark.

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How to Answer Common Difficult Interview Questions

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Don't be stumped in your next job interview. These tips can help. In its simplest form, a job interview is an attempt to impress someone at the other end of the table. Your résumé and qualifications got your foot in the door, but the in-person interview is where potential hires most often succeed or flounder.

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Interview:  what can be, and cannot be asked

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Interview:  what can be, and cannot be asked

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What can, and cannot be asked in an interview

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What can, and cannot be asked in an interview

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List of 13 illegal interview questions. Employers should avoid asking these prohibited questions in a job interview.

Candidates who pick up on illegal questions should know how to deal with them in a professional manner during the job interview.

It is important to be aware that interview questions should be directly related to the job opportunity and not used to find out personal information.

Find out the best way to handle inappropriate interview questions.

What job interview questions are illegal?

Certain laws regulate the questions an interviewer can ask the job candidate. In line with discrimination law, interview questions must be related to the position and should be designed to answer the question,

"Does this person have the necessary qualifications, skills and abilities to perform this job?"

13 illegal interview questions an employer cannot ask job candidates

1. Are you a US Citizen?

2. Where were you born?

3. What is your home language?

4. How many children do you have?

5. Are you married?

6. What religion do you practice?

7. What age are you?

8. Do you plan to start a family soon?

9. Have you had any recent illnesses?

10. When did you last have a physical examination?

11. Do you drink socially?

12. What outstanding debts do you have?

13. Do you own your house?

How do you answer illegal interview questions?

Candidates have three basic options when faced with an illegal question:

Go ahead and answer the question directly. If you are comfortable with providing the answer, just respond and move on to the next question. Remember though that you are giving information that is not related to the job and may be giving details that impact negatively on you.

Refuse to answer the question. This is potentially a confrontational response and should be saved for questions that are truly offensive and invasive. If the question makes you very uncomfortable you could respond with: "That is a strange question, I haven't been asked that before in an interview. Why have you asked me that?"
However if you are asked a number of inappropriate questions you may need to consider the suitability of the job and company.

The most effective response is to not answer the inappropriate question directly but to determine the reason or intent behind the question. Try to find out what the interviewer is really asking by rephrasing, clarifying or questioning.

Is it legal to ask age in an interview?

Age-based interview questions are illegal. With a few exceptions, the only legal age-related question is,"Are you over the age of 18?"

Do not answer your age directly but deal diplomatically with this by asking the interviewer:

"Are you referring to the number of years experience I have in this field?"

Can an interviewer ask your religion?

Illegal questions about religion may be asked to see if your religious beliefs and practices may interfere with your work schedule.

An appropriate response is "My religious practices do not impact on my work"

Employers are allowed to ask if you are available to work on Sundays.

Can you be asked if you are married in an interview?

Questions about your marital status are illegal. You also cannot be asked any questions about your spouse in an interview.

If you are asked about your marital status it is important to figure out the intent behind the question before you respond. If you think it is merely a friendly, get-to-know you type question there is no harm in responding honestly and politely.

If you think the motive is more complicated you can respond along the lines of:

"I make sure to keep my personal life separate from my work so this has no impact on my ability to do the job."

Is it illegal to ask about family in an interview?

Any questions about existing or future children are considered illegal. Here are some good ways to handle these inappropriate interview questions.

the intent behind interview questions about your family-status is often to determine your reliability. Avoid any specific details, rather answer with a broad statement along the lines, "I have made the necessary arrangements to ensure that I am able to meet all the job requirements."

reassure the interviewer further and refer to your record of reliability in previous positions

questions about starting a family is designed to explore your long-term commitment to the job. You can respond by emphasizing your commitment without actually answering the question directly. For example: "I am really focused on my career and you can be sure of my commitment to this job."

How to handle gender-based illegal interview questions

Be aware of discriminatory gender-based interview questions. Often these questions seem innocent but are actually a subtle way of exploring how a candidate's gender may impact on job performance.

A good example of this type of question is:

"How do you feel about managing a team of men?", or "How do you feel about reporting to a female supervisor? "

Unless the job requirements demand a specific gender the employer may not directly ask about how your gender could affect performance. Respond with a generic answer that does not mention gender. For example:

"My management experience includes successfully leading a diverse team."

What about health-based illegal job interview questions?

Questions about health and medical status are usually illegal interview questions.

Consider why you are being asked this question. The question's intent is probably to explore your ability to perform job-related functions.

Responding with the general statement, "I am fully able to perform the essential job functions as you have described them" is both professional and reassuring.

What other types of questions are illegal to ask during an interview?

Questions about your birthplace and citizenship are illegal. You can rephrase the question to check exactly what the interviewer is asking.

"Do you want to know if I am authorized to legally work here?"

Questions about your home language . These type of inappropriate questions can be answered in the following positive manner "I can fluently speak, read and write both English and Spanish" This skill may enhance your suitability, so point it out while not directly answering the illegal question.

Questions about your financial situation including debt and property ownership are not allowed. Employers need your permission before asking about or investigating your credit history.

Questions about your social lifestyle including drinking can violate the American with Disabilities Act. You can respond with "I prefer to keep my social and work life separate."

Most interviewers do not deliberately ask illegal interview questions, it is often unintentional. It is up to the candidate to recognize an illegal interview question and respond in an appropriate and professional manner.

Interviewers should keep the interview focused on the requirements of the position and exploring the skills and competencies required to perform the job properly.

Common interview questions and answers

Dealing with tricky interview questions about gaps in employment, reasons for leaving and salary.

Candidate's should not ask an employer these questions...

These are the questions that candidates should not ask in their job interviews.

Good questions to ask in your job interview.

Job Interviews > Job Interview Questions > Illegal Interview Questions

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Illegal Interview Questions - what job candidates can't be asked

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List of 13 illegal interview questions. Employers should avoid asking these prohibited questions in a job interview. Candidates who pick up on illegal questions should know how to deal with them in a professional manner during the job interview.

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Have students work in teams to create a job listing. Each group should pitch their job opening. Have students take turns interviewing with different groups for heir jobs. Have groups "hire" one student for their job.

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Before class: ask each student to bring in a job listing relevant to them.

In class:

- go over cover letters
- write a practice cover letter as a class
- have students write a cover letter for the job listing they brought in
- have students work in groups to edit cover letters
- go over volunteers' letters as a class

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Present: Review summaries as a class. Look at existing summaries and go over key components.

Practice: Jumble the order of sentences for an existing summary. Have students put the sentences in order. Go over as a class.

Present: Have students write their own summaries. Go over in groups and then as a class.

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Speaker who want to show surprise, shock, disbelief, etc., can use a high-rising pitch on a wh- question.

Asking "What time's the meeting?" with a high-rising pitch is showing surprise. Perhaps the meeting is being held very early, or very late, or at a time that conflicts with another event. The listener will know, based on pitch, that the speaker is not purely asking to know when the meeting is scheduled, but is also adding clues about their own perspective of the subject.

Notice that the question word itself was stressed more in the questions that are showing surprise, shock, and disbelief.

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Wh- question intonation - Pronuncian: American English Pronunciation

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Speaker who want to show surprise, shock, disbelief, etc., can use a high-rising pitch on a wh- question. Asking "What time's the meeting?" with a high-rising pitch is showing surprise. Perhaps the meeting is being held very early, or very late, or at a time that conflicts with another event.

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Yes/no questions--those are the ones whose answers can be a "yes" or a "no"-- tend to end in a rising pitch pattern. This is opposite of the pattern for wh- questions, whose pitch boundaries normally fall.

The change in pitch usually begins on the pitch word of the question, then continues through the end of the sentence. (Pitch words are also often the final content word and the word of the sentence that receives the most emphasis.)

The following sentences are unmarked, meaning their intonation is being used in the most neutral manner. No additional nuance or emotion is added to the sentence.

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Yes/no question intonation - Pronuncian: American English Pronunciation

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Yes/no questions--those are the ones whose answers can be a "yes" or a "no"-- tend to end in a rising pitch pattern. This is opposite of the pattern for wh- questions, whose pitch boundaries normally fall. The change in pitch usually begins on the pitch word of the question, then continues through the end of the sentence.

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The intonation of statements goes down, and the intonations of some statements goes up. This difference in the direction of the pitch changes the meaning.
YouTube blocked? Video Text: Click here to see the video.
Did you go to the party? What did you bring to the party? Party - party. In this American English pronunciation video, we're going to look at which questions go up in pitch at the end, and which ones go down. The questions that go up in pitch at the end are yes/no questions. So, questions that start with words like did, does, is, and can.

Questions that go down in pitch at the end are all other questions. So let's look at some yes/no questions. Did you pick up the groceries? Groceries? Did you pick up the groceries? Going up in pitch at the end. Does the store open at one? One? One? Again, the pitch goes up at the end. Does the store open at one? Can you lend me a dollar? Dollar? Dollar? Can you lend me a dollar?

And now questions that can't be answered with a yes or no that go down in pitch at the end. How are you? How are you? Why did you leave? Leave? Leave? Why did you leave? Where're the keys? Keys? Keys? Where're the keys? Who are you calling? Calling? Calling? Who are you calling? Which one did you buy? Buy? Buy? Which one did you buy?

Let's look at pairs of questions. Can I borrow your book? Book? A yes/no question, going up. Where's your book? Book? Book? Not a yes/no question, going down in pitch. Book? Book? Can I borrow your book? Where's your book?

Did you go to the show? Show - rising intonation for that yes/no question. How was the show? How was the show? Falling intonation on a question that does not have a yes or no answer. Did you go to the show? How was the show?

Did you see Amanda? Manda? Rising intonation. When did you see Amanda? Manda, manda - falling intonation. Did you see Amanda? When did you see Amanda?

Don't forget this simple rule. Yes/no question, intonation goes up. Any other question, intonation goes down.

That's it, and thanks so much for using Rachel's English.

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Questions and Intonation: Up or Down? - Rachel's English

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The intonation of statements goes down, and the intonations of some statements goes up. This difference in the direction of the pitch changes the meaning. YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video. Video Text: Did you go to the party? What did you bring to the party? Party - party.

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Questions and Intonation:  Up or Down? -- American English Pronunciation

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Introduction

The present perfect simple and the present perfect progressive are both present tenses. Both can express an action that started in the past and is either ongoing or just completed. However, the two tenses have a slightly different focus: the present perfect simple refers to a recently completed action while the present perfect progressive is used to talk about ongoing actions and to emphasise their duration.

Learn the difference between the present perfect simple and the present perfect progressive in English grammar with Lingolia's tense comparison charts. Then test yourself in the exercises.

Example

What's the difference between present perfect simple and present perfect progressive?

The key aspect of the present perfect simple and the present perfect progressive is that they talk about actions that started in the past and are still ongoing in the present. This means that both tenses can be used to answer the question "how long?" in relation to ongoing actions. However their focus is slightly different:

The present perfect simple:

is used with stative verbs as well as action verbs

focuses on the result of the action

talks about recently completed actions or experiences that have a connection to the present

The present perfect progressive:

is only used with action verbs

emphasises the duration of the action

talks about temporary ongoing actions or new habits

The table below provides an overview of the differences between the English present perfect simple and present perfect progressive tenses.

Signal Words for Present Perfect vs. Present Perfect Progressive

Signal words can help us to recognise which tense to use in a sentence. Below is a list of signal words for the present perfect simple and present perfect progressive tenses and example sentences. Some signal words are used with both tenses.

Info

We can usually use either Present Perfect Progressive or Present Perfect Simple with the verbs live and work without changing the meaning.

Example:

I have been working/living here since 2010.

I have worked/lived here since 2010.

Verbs that are not used in the progressive form

The following verbs are not generally used in a progressive form.

*change of meaning

Some stative verbs also have a progressive form, but the meaning of the progressive form is sightly different.

Exercises

Present Perfect Simple/Progressive - Exercises

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Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Progressive

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The present perfect simple is used with action verbs to express a recently completed action. The present perfect progressive is used to talk about ongoing actions that started in the past and are not yet completed. Learn the difference between theses English tenses with Lingolia's online tense comparison charts.

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The present perfect tense is used to talk about things where there is a connection between the past and the present, while the present perfect progressive began in the past, is unfinished, and continues into the future.

The present perfect simple (I've written) gives the idea of possible completion while the present perfect continuous (I've been writing) suggests that something is unfinished. The present perfect progressive has a more limited use than present progressive, because it is used to emphasize when an action is incomplete at the present time. In addition, the present perfect progressive tense, like all progressive tenses, can only be used with action verbs. The present perfect, like all perfect (non-progressive) tenses, can be used with either action or state verbs.

We can use the present perfect simple to talk about duration when we view something as permanent, but the present perfect continuous is used more often to show that something is temporary. Be aware that the present perfect progressive has a similar structure to the present perfect tense in passive voice. Voice and tense are different, and any of the 12 tenses in English can be put into either active or passive voice.

Present perfect: subject + has/have + past participle

Present perfect progressive: subject + has/have + been + action verb+ing

I have been worked for six hours, but I'm still not finished. (passive voice confusion)

I have been working for six hours, but I'm still not finished.

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Verb Usage: Present perfect progressive vs. present progressive - 11trees Guide

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The present perfect tense is used to talk about things where there is a connection between the past and the present, while the present perfect progressive began in the past, is unfinished, and continues into the future. The present perfect simple (I've written) gives the idea of possible completion while the present perfect continuous (I've been writing) suggests that something is unfinished.

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How can learners improve their listening comprehension? Teacher Raphael Ahmed shares some useful strategies in one of our top five articles of all time, illustrated by artist Jamie Johnson. Why listening is important
It should not be difficult to realise the importance of listening when we consider that it occupies about 45 per cent of the time adults spend in communication. This is significantly more than speaking, which accounts for 30 per cent, and reading and writing, which make up 16 per cent and nine per cent respectively.

Yet, for all its importance, students (and even teachers) often fail to give listening the attention it needs. This is all the more remarkable as learners often say that listening is the most challenging of all the skills in English.
Listening challenges for English language learners
There are many difficulties an individual may face in understanding a talk, lecture or conversation in a second language (and sometimes even in their first language). The speaker, the situation and the listener can all be the cause of these difficulties.

Contributing factors include the speaker talking quickly, background noise, a lack of visual clues (such as on the telephone), the listener's limited vocabulary, a lack of knowledge of the topic, and an inability to distinguish individual sounds.

While the challenges posed by the speaker or the situation may be out of the listener's hands, there are a few skills or 'strategies' that English learners can use to help them along.
1. Predicting content
Imagine you've just turned on your TV. You see a man in a suit standing in front of a large map with the symbols of a sun, clouds and thunder. What do you imagine he is about to tell you? Most likely, this is going to be a weather forecast. You can expect to hear words like 'sunny', 'windy' and 'overcast'. You'll probably hear the use of the future tense: 'It'll be a cold start to the day'; 'there'll be showers in the afternoon', etc.

Depending on the context - a news report, a university lecture, an exchange in a supermarket - you can often predict the kind of words and style of language the speaker will use. Our knowledge of the world helps us anticipate the kind of information we are likely to hear. Moreover, when we predict the topic of a talk or a conversation, all the related vocabulary stored in our brains is 'activated' to help us better understand what we're listening to.
Practise predicting content:
Watch or listen to a recorded TV programme or clip from YouTube. Pause after every few sentences. Try to predict what is going to happen or what the speaker might say next.

If you are taking a listening test, skim through the questions first and try to predict what kind of information you need to listen out for. A question beginning 'How many..?', for example, will probably require you to listen for a specific number or quantity of something.
2. Listening for gist
Imagine you are a superhero flying in the sky. From that height, it is possible to see what the entire area is like, how densely populated it is, the kind of houses in each area.

When listening, it is also possible to get the 'whole picture' but with one crucial difference: information comes in a sequence. And in that sequence of information, there are content words (the nouns, adjectives and verbs) that can help you form that picture. We often call this listening for gist.

For example, the words 'food', 'friends', 'fun', 'park' and 'sunny day' have their own meanings, but when you hear the words in sequence, they help form the context of a picnic.
Practise listening for gist:
Find a short video with subtitles on a topic that interests you. Use the title to help you predict the content and then listen out for the content words. Go back, and listen again with the subtitles. How much did you understand the first time? Return to the video a week later and try again.

When you learn new words, try to group them with other words used in a similar context. Mind maps are good for this.
3. Detecting signposts
Just like the traffic lights on roads, there are signposts in language that help us follow what we're listening to. These words, which link ideas, help us to understand what the speaker is talking about and where they are taking us. They're particularly important in presentations and lectures.

For example, if a university lecturer says: 'I am going to talk about three factors affecting global warming...' then later on you might hear the phrases 'first of all', 'moving on to' and 'in summary' to indicate the next part of the talk. Other words and phrases can function in a similar way. For instance, to clarify ('in other words', 'to put it another way'); to give examples ('to illustrate this', 'for example'), and so on. Take a look at this list of phrases for more examples.
Practise detecting signpost language:
Most course books for learners of English come with a CD and audio script. Find an example of a business presentation or lecture and see how many signpost phrases you can identify (listen more than once, if necessary). Then check your notes with the audio script.

In your notebook, group signpost phrases according to their functions, and continue to add new expressions as you come across them.
4. Listening for details
Imagine you are a detective taking a closer look at those buildings you saw earlier on as a superhero. This time, rather than taking in the big picture, you're looking for something specific and rejecting anything that does not match what's on your list.

Similarly, when listening for details, you are interested in a specific kind of information - perhaps a number, name or object. You can ignore anything that does not sound relevant. In this way, you are able to narrow down your search and get the detail you need.

In a listening test, if you are asked to write down the age of a person, listen for the words related to age ('old', 'young', 'years', 'date of birth', etc.) or a number that could represent that person's age. If it is a conversation, you might wait to hear someone beginning a question with 'How old...?'
Practise listening for details:
Decide on a type of detailed information you want to practise listening for and watch programmes where you would expect to get that information. For example, you could listen to a weather report to get details about the weather, or you could follow the sports news to find out the latest results.

If you are taking a test, as soon as you get the question paper, skim through the questions, underline the important words and decide what kind of detail you need to identify in the listening text.
5. Inferring meaning
Imagine you are a tourist in a country whose language you do not speak. In a restaurant, you hand over a credit card to pay for the bill, but the server seems to say something apologetic in response. Even though you don't understand his words, you can probably conclude that the restaurant doesn't take credit cards, and you need to pay with cash instead.

This is the technique of inferring meaning: using clues and prior knowledge about a situation to work out the meaning of what we hear.

Similarly, we can infer the relationship between people from the words they use, without having to find out directly. Take the following conversation:
A: Tom, did you do your homework?
Practise inferring meaning: B: I did, sir, but the dog ate it.
Summing up A: That's a terrible excuse. You'll never pass your exams if you don't work harder. Teachers, visit our TeachingEnglish website for more lesson plans and activities, and find out how you can become a TeachingEnglish blogger. This article is one of our top five most-read of all time.
We can infer from the use of the words 'homework' and 'exams' that this is a conversation between a student and his teacher. By using contextual clues and our knowledge of the world, we can work out what's being said, who is speaking and what's taking place.

Find a YouTube clip from a popular television show, for example Friends. Now, rather than watch it, just listen to the dialogue. How much can you infer about what is taking place, who is talking and what their relationship is? Now listen to the clip a second time but watch it too. Were your conclusions correct?

The next time you hear a word you don't understand, try to guess its meaning using the context or situation to help you. But don't worry if you don't get it the first time. As with everything in life, the more you practise, the better you will get.

These strategies are not stand-alone. While prediction is mostly a pre-listening skill, others need to be used simultaneously to get the best result when listening.

Raphael Ahmed is still a teacher of English, and currently interested in AI and its implications on assessment. He got into teaching English in 2011, to make himself more internationally mobile; he heard that he could 'go places' if he did the Cambridge CELTA. Apart from learning, teaching and travelling, he's interested in woodworking, painting, cooking, writing and coding.

Jamie Johnson is an artist and illustrator based in Glasgow, Scotland. He works in painting, collage, drawing and various digital media techniques. Jamie has exhibited his work in galleries around the UK, Europe and North America, most recently as a solo show at Chopping Block Gallery in London. He continues to work with a wide variety of clients as an illustrator and designer, alongside a personal interest in community-based projects.

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Five essential listening skills for English learners

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How can learners improve their listening comprehension? Teacher Raphael Ahmed shares some useful strategies in one of our top five articles of all time, illustrated by artist Jamie Johnson.

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The main aim for a gist task is to develop the students' abilities to either skim for the main idea (of a reading text) or to listen for the main idea (of an audio/video clip). So, you want to make sure the activity matches its aims i.e. you want to give them an activity that focuses on the main idea as opposed to more specific information or details.

Having the students focus on the main idea first gives them important context that they can then use to understand the text in more depth i.e. further detail, vocabulary words, or a grammar point. Here are some common type of gist activities you can use to design your lessons.

Common types of gist activities:

Summarize: Students summarize the text with a restricted word count i.e. in one sentence or three words.

Choose Main Idea: Give them a few options of a main idea summary (ideally a short sentence), and they choose which one best summarizes the listening/reading text.

Design title and/or sub-title: Leave the title section or part of it blank or unknown and students have to come up with their own title/sub-title. During whole class feedback discuss the different titles and perhaps give them the real title to see how close they were. This is more suited towards an upper level class and relatively uncomplicated titles.

Several Main Ideas: You can break any listening and/or reading text into several main idea concepts. Especially important for longer texts. Can have them arrange order of several main idea concepts, too.

Check-list: Have them check main ideas or topics that are related to the reading or listening text.

Choose a Title: Give them a few different title options to choose from. You want to design the titles in such a way that there is one that clearly correlates with the main idea of the article over the others yet the others are not so different resulting in too obvious of an answer where there is no need to skim the article to find out the main idea.

Image Association: Students associate the article with the correct image that is related to the main idea from a few different options. Important to make them different but not so different that the answer will be obvious without skimming through the article for the main idea.

Match Question with Answer: For an interview type of text, they can match which question goes with which answer.

General Idea Questions: Have 1-3 (but, typically, no more than 3) short-answer questions regarding the main idea of the text.

Headings: Leave sub-headings of each paragraph blank and have students match the heading to the corresponding paragraph.

Paragraph Summary: Summarize paragraphs with one word (or perhaps within a few words.

Ordering Chronologically: Students order events in correct chronological order as they appear in the listening or reading text.

Story Board: Give students a few random either/or prompts and have them read which one has to do with the story. For example: let's say there is a short article about a firefighter who goes into a house and saves a cat. The either/or main idea prompts could be like this: Police Man/Firefighter - Fire/Flood - Cat/Dog. Then the students read and choose which one relates to the story.

Guess Who: For a biography type of reading or listening, could put images of different people on the whiteboard and have students guess who the biography is about.

Prediction: Where the students make a prediction about the main idea before they read it. You can use this type of activity in conjunction with most of the already mentioned gist task types. The students make a prediction based on some kind of clue i.e. a group of words, picture(s), the context discussed in the lead-in, a number of different titles etc. For example, you can have a lead-in discussing the topic of how caffeine affects the brain. Then you'd ask them "So, what do you think? What do you think the author's opinion will be regarding caffeine and its effects of on the brain?" Then they read to check their prediction to see if it was correct or not. Or, for another example, you could show a picture of a cup of coffee, a brain, and someone studying; and ask: "What do you think the article's main idea is going to be about based on the pictures?" After discussion they read to check their prediction (if it was accurate or not).

Always have a clear question/activity for the students to do before you have them read.

After they read individually, you want them to do a pair-check (where they discuss their answers in pairs for a moment before going to whole class feedback).

Typically, you want to give them a relatively short time-limit for a gist reading activity to ensure that they skim for the main idea as opposed to getting stuck on trying to understand one or two specific parts of the article or particular words etc.

You have the option to have them read only part of the reading text for the main idea of a reading gist task or listen to only a part of an audio clip for a listening gist activity.

ICQs (Instruction Check Questions):

It's good to give ICQs to ensure that stage aims are met. Some examples of ICQs for a gist task:

Do I want you to read quickly or slowly for this activity? A: Quickly

You only have ___ minutes to read the text (i.e. typically, 1 to 3 minutes depending on text size and student level), is that a lot of time? A: No.

Do you have to understand every word to get the main idea? A: No

Are you going to use your dictionaries to look up words? A: No.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What's the main aim of a gist activity?

2. Should the gist question/activity come before or after you have them read?

3. What kind of questions should you ask after giving instructions?

Reflection:

Can you think of anymore good gist activities? How about ICQs? Do you think this blog is missing any important details?

Please leave your comments below. Thanks!

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A gist task is focused on listening for main idea (listening activity) or skimming for the main idea (reading activity) and is essential to do whenever you introduce a text inside of the classroom. Here you'll get all the info you'll need to properly carry one out!

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Recordings that you use in class use can be "authentic" ones originally made for native speakers (e.g. radio programmes and other podcasts) or "graded" ones designed for EFL learners (e.g. from textbooks , EFL exams, skills books, self-study books, or radio programmes and other podcasts specifically for English language learners). Whichever ones you use, there seems to be a widely accepted "standard" way of using these recordings, as seen in many textbooks and their accompanying teacher's guides. The same method is also often taught as a part of teacher training such as four-week TEFL courses. This article will explain that method and then examine small and large changes you can make to it.

What has perhaps come to be considered the standard way of using listening texts consists of the following stages:

- Lead in

- Pre-teach

- Gist question(s)

- First listening

- Check answers to the gist question(s)

- Look at the detailed comprehension questions

- Listening for detailed comprehension

- Check answers to the detailed comprehension questions

- Language analysis and/ or discussion questions
Lead in
The teacher gets the students thinking and speaking about the topic of the listening, for example by discussing the accompanying photos, speaking about the same topic the people on the recording tackle, predicting something from some extracts, or roleplaying a situation they will later hear other people in. This stage is to get students' interest in the topic and to make the listening easier to understand by helping them think (consciously or unconsciously) about what they might hear.
Pre-teach
After being told the reason for doing so, the students are taught or tested on some vocabulary that is vital to know to be able to do the later comprehension tasks. Note that this it is not useful to think of this as vocabulary to understand the text, as that could theoretically be every word in it, but rather things needed to do the tasks. This is generally limited to around five to seven words or phrases, and if they need more new language to do the tasks it is probably the questions rather than pre-teach stage that the teacher should change. It is obviously important that they also recognise the words when they hear them, so some pronunciation work at this stage is common.
Gist question(s) and first listening
The students are then told what they should listen for the first time they hear the recording. Gist questions should not rely on detailed comprehension, as that is a different kind of understanding, but should be tasks that keep them listening for the whole text. It is therefore best if each question is answered in several parts of the text, e.g. "Is the man generally happy or unhappy with the hotel?" or "What is the woman's purpose?"

If there are several questions to listen for the first time it is played, it is often worth stopping the tape after the first one is answered to make sure everyone understands what they have to do and that they haven't missed the first answer.

If a substantial number of people can't answer the gist question(s) after the first listening, it was probably too difficult for them and you have little choice but to play it again just for this stage, leaving the detailed comprehension questions for the next time you play the recording. If some of them still haven't got it after the second listening for gist, you can either play important passages again to help them or ask them to continue listening for the answers to the gist questions during the detailed comprehension stage that follows. The latter approach usually works fine, as it will be their third listening and the wording in the comprehension questions can help understand what is being said. If you think they might still not even understand the answers at this stage and it is the difficulty of the text rather than the questions that is to blame, it is probably best to abandon the detailed comprehension stage and just do all you can to help them get the answers to the gist questions.
Detailed comprehension questions and further listenings
Common formats for detailed comprehension questions are:

- True/ False

- Gap filling, e.g. writing information in a form

- Sentence completion

- Correcting wrong information

- Putting events in order

- Matching tasks, e.g. drawing lines between the views expressed and the people who said those things

- Short answers to questions

- Note taking, e.g. making lists

- Labelling pictures or diagrams

Detailed comprehension questions can also be designed to lead naturally on to the discussion and/ or language analysis stages.

It is difficult to read and listen at the same time, so students should be given the chance to read through the questions and make sure they understand them after checking their gist question(s) answers and before the recording is played again. They will probably be able to answer some of the questions from what they understood during their initial gist listening. If anyone has answered all of the questions without listening again it was probably too easy (or those students are in the wrong class) but they will still usually be happy to listen again to check their answers. When they are ready and you play the recording again, you can stop the recording after the first question is answered to check everyone is keeping up, as suggested above.
Check answers
Some teachers like to get students comparing their answers before you do so as a class, but unless they have been making notes they often won't have any way of discussing their answers further when they disagree (unlike reading, where they can go back to the text together), so this is very much optional.

You will probably want to play the recording again in some way as you check the answers as a class. The possibilities are to only play the parts that people misunderstood, to play the whole thing again and pause after each question is answered before you ask for their answers, or to pause before each question is answered to ask for their answers then listen to that little bit to check.
Language analysis
Even if you can really show students that they have improved their listening skills, they are likely to want to learn some language from the activity too. In other classes, e.g. many lessons at the beginning of textbook chapters, the listening is set up specifically to introduce a particular language point.

Many textbooks have a language exercise that students do and then listen again to check, but if possible it is best if you can link naturally between this stage and the previous one. The most common way to do so is to include the target language in the detailed comprehension tasks, e.g. "Has he ever been to Tokyo?" if the point is Present Perfect or "He _______ go to the pub later on" if the point is modals of probability/ possibility. Another possibility is to elicit the language by asking for full sentence versions of the short answers they wrote down at the detailed comprehension stage.

Tasks for the language analysis stage include:

- Filling in grammar words or collocates and listening again to check, then discussing why these are the only or most likely words for each gap

- Choosing which of each pair of sentences is in the text, listening again to check. Students then discuss why each sentence is better, the only correct possibility or more likely in that conversation.

In some classes the rest of the lesson will then continue with practice of that language, meaning moving on from the listening and probably not mentioning it again. Otherwise, it is common to have a speaking task still related to the topic of the listening.
Speaking task
The aim of the speaking task could be to recycle the language in the stage above or just to practise a good range of skills during the lesson. Especially in the latter case, almost any speaking task is possible. Common ones include:

- Students giving their own points of view on the things mentioned in the listening

- Roleplaying the same or a similar situation as in the listening, perhaps personalising it or improving on it (e.g. making it more polite)

- Having a different conversation in the same roles as in the listening
Varying the way you do listenings
Ways of changing the "standard" way of doing listenings that is explained above include:

 Varying the sources

 Cutting out stages

 Combining stages

 Adding stages

 Mixing up stages

 Varying how you do the stages

 Using completely different lesson structures
Varying the sources
Other (perhaps more interesting) sources of listening include songs, videos, the teacher and the students themselves. With videos, you might want to have a stage where they listen without being able to see the images to make it more like textbook and exam listening, then let them watch to check their imaginations about what was going on. Songs are useable with the kind of "standard" lesson structure described above if you choose the song and comprehension questions etc carefully, but most students and teachers prefer to use the whole text of the lyrics at some stage. Common activities with the whole text of songs include gapfills, correcting things which aren't in the song, and reordering the text. With any of these, it is generally best if the students can predict most of the answers (e.g. trying to put in the missing words by using the rhyme scheme) before they listen to check.

Listening to the teacher and each other can be done face to face or by recording it first, e.g. on a Dictaphone. The latter allows students to listen and then record their reaction, e.g. by pretending the Dictaphone is a telephone answer machine.
Cutting out stages
The most obvious stage to cut out is the Pre-teach stage, as the tasks can simply be changed to ones students can do with the language they already know - usually enough of a challenge as it is! The Pre-teach stage also often breaks up the rhythm of the lesson, sometimes making the students lose the interest you built up in the Lead-in stage - or even forget the topic. The language covered in the Pre-teach stage is also usually more important for the detailed comprehension questions than for the gist question(s), thereby giving them another opportunity to forget the language you teach them. If learning vocabulary is an aim, this can always be done at the language analysis stage rather than as part of a Pre-teach.

Especially if the listening is mainly to prompt conversation or to introduce a language point, it is also possible to skip the detailed comprehension stage.
Combining stages
It is possible to combine the lead-in and the pre-teach stage, e.g. by giving them words which are used in the text and asking them to predict something about what it said from those words, answering any vocabulary questions before or during that prediction task. The gist task is then to simply listen and check their predictions.

As mentioned above, it is also desirable to combine the detailed comprehension questions and the language analysis stage.
Adding stages
The most common thing to add to the "standard" way above is some more controlled practice before the speaking stage. One possibility is Shadow Reading, which is students trying to read the tapescript aloud with the same timing as the recording, which is being simultaneously played. A simpler activity at the same stage is for the students to read out the conversation in pairs or small groups before having the same conversation again with some details changed, e.g. using their own names and other personal information. They then hide part or all of the tapescript and try similar conversations with no help.
Mixing up stages
See below for a suggestion on how to rearrange the detailed comprehension and gist stages.
Varying how you do the stages Alternative first listening tasks
Although it is a realistic skill to practise, there is no reason why the first listening task should always be a gist question. For example, if we listen to a recorded train announcement we just want to pick out one piece of information and can happily ignore the rest. The first listening task should, though, always be easier than the later ones. Another first listening task that I have used which works well is to just count the number of something, e.g. angry words, speakers, times they disagree, or examples of a particular word.
Alternative Pre-teach stages
Although vocabulary is likely to be the thing that usually stops comprehension, you can also pre-teach grammatical forms, a particular pronunciation point (e.g. minimal pairs, an intonation pattern or the sentence stress difference in can/ can't sentences), or cultural information (e.g. that English apologies usually include excuses so they can expect to hear one).
Alternatives ways of checking their answers
The most obvious and common variation is letting them check their own answers, e.g. with the tapescript, rather than going through them as a class. This is particularly useful when you want to do the next stage with the tapescript anyway, e.g. when students will practise the dialogue in pairs or the language analysis will happen from the written evidence.
Production stage options
Students could produce other listening texts and/ or tasks for each other that are similar to those they have just been listening to. More details of this are given below.
Completely different lesson structures
One way of completely changing the focus of how you do a listening lesson is to make the meaning and content of the text a secondary point and to make the main focus talking about and developing listening skills. This means spending some time that might usually be used on discussing the topic to talk about improving their ability to listen instead, e.g. talking about how you can predict what will be in the text and then doing so, then discussing how successful it was after.

Another big change is to not play the recording all the way through without stopping, but rather to pause during it to discuss what they have heard so far and what might be coming next. This is much more like the listening that we do in everyday life, e.g. in conversations or when dealing with an interactive machine such as an automatic switchboard. Students could predict the next line of the dialogue or how the story continues. Most textbooks have at least one listening set up this way, and many more texts are easily adaptable to this approach.

Most textbooks also have a jigsaw listening task where sections of the class listen to different recordings and then bring the information together in some way, e.g. hear different job interviews and then work with people who heard the other ones to select the best of all the candidates.

Another nice variation is to give students control of the CD player or computer that is playing the recording so that they can listen however they want. This is particularly good if they can work in small groups in different rooms, e.g. when they write questions for each the other team to answer.

If students all have a copy of the CD, you can also give them control by doing the lead in during class and then setting the actual tasks for homework. This is a nice way of making sure they do actually open the CD case, and hopefully copy it onto their mp3 players for extra practice while they are doing so.

Copyright © 2012 Alex Case

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com

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Different ways of doing a listening - UsingEnglish.com

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Recordings that you use in class use can be "authentic" ones originally made for native speakers (e.g. radio programmes and other podcasts) or "graded" ones designed for EFL learners (e.g. from textbooks , EFL exams, skills books, self-study books, or radio programmes and other podcasts specifically for English language learners).

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ESL Listening Lessons of Natural Conversations - CEFR B1

Low Intermediate - Level 4 Listening

ESL students can learn English with lessons featuring audio or video, a script, interactive quiz and vocabulary activities.

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ESL Listening Lessons of Natural Conversations - CEFR B1 Low Intermediate - Level 4 Listening ESL students can learn English with lessons featuring audio or video, a script, interactive quiz and vocabulary activities.