There are a number of factors which can make spoken texts harder to listen to. Audio quality for example, or an unfamiliar accent. But one of the most predictive factors is whether the text was planned or spontaneous. When the speaker plans what they're going to say they may deploy a wider range of vocab, and utilise more unusual words with quite specific meanings, which can make the text more challenging. On the other hand, planned speeches are often much more structured and to some extent predictable. The speaker is more likely to stay on topic and will avoid sudden digressions. Spontaneous speech is often faster paced too, which can present difficulties for listeners.
The other factor which can impact difficulty is whether the text is one person talking at length (a monologue) or a conversation between two or more people (a dialogue). The latter again can be trickier as there is a constant switching between speech rhythms, cadences, accents and style. There may also be more interruptions, jokes, spontaneous cultural references and unfinished sentences.
The image on the right shows the structure of the text we're going to listen to today. The podcast host first introduces the topic, then introduces the guest and then begins the conversation, so it has three stages of difficulty. See if you notice whether the text becomes harder to process as it moves through the stages.
Listen once in open class. Make some basic notes if you wish, but on this first pass just pay attention to what's being said, and then compare what you've heard and your initial impressions with a partner:
Now listen again on your own with headphones. Take some time to listen at your own speed and review parts that you find challenging. Try to answer the following questions.
A well-known cause of misspent energy
4. Complete the missing words from the following excerpt
You’ve had a thousand 1____________ to tell the people closest to you that you love them, in a way that they feel it, and in a way that you feel it. And you’ve missed most of them, and you don’t know how many more you’re going to get. You’ve got this next 2___________ with another human being, to make the world a 3_____________ better place. You’ve got this one opportunity to fall in love with existence, so why not relax and enjoy your life? Really relax. Even in the midst of 4______________. Even while doing hard work. Even under uncertainty. You are in a game right now. And you can’t 5____________________, so you don’t know how much time you have left. And yet you’re 6________ to make the game as interesting as possible.
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5. When the speaker talks about building a rocket ship, what point is he making?
When you're ready, compare your answers with a partner. Use the transcript to check your answers together.
List four pieces of information that the speaker provides about the guest, Frank Ostaseski.
The term collocation refers to words which are usually in close proximity to each other. For example, the noun traffic collocates strongly with jam, and we put them together so often that they feel natural, and other less common combinations sound slightly strange. For example, we don’t often hear that there’s a traffic block on the motorway. Lexical bundles are similar to collocations, except that they're more grammatical. For example, in the event that and in terms of are fixed phrases that connect ideas together, so we just treat them as one item rather than three or four separate words. Think of lexical bundles like asparagus. You wouldn't just buy one asparagus would you?
Take a look at the following excerpts from the first part of the talk, where the speaker is introducing the topic of death. Look at the phrases in bold and discuss with a partner what they mean, and how they could be re-worded.