1. 沟通communication

Hey everybody
Welcome to this A2 English listening practice video. You can use this video to practice your listening and comprehension as I speak.

Before we start, remember to download the Listening Time podcast and become a member at Patreon.com/Listeningtime so you can receive my listening practice seminars, soundtraining videos and bonus podcast episodes.

Okay, today we're going to talk about communication. This is an extremely important topic because all of us need to communicate in our daily lives.

First of all, let's talk about some of the different ways that people communicate. In the past, communication was pretty simple. You could talk to people in person, you could call people on the phone, or you could write people a letter. But nowadays, there are lots of other ways for people to communicate with each other. The internet has given us many more methods of communication. Nowadays, for most young people, sending messages is more common than actually talking to people. They use messaging apps, social media apps and normal text messaging. We also have video call platforms like Skype and zoom. This technology has completely changed the way that we communicate.

However, there are some things related to communication that will always be the same. Good communication always requires effort. You need to make an effort to call someone, send them a message or knock on their door. Communicating with others takes effort, energy and time.

Another thing that's necessary for good communication is good listening skills. Do you know someone that isn't a good listener? This person probably isn't a fun person to talk to. When someone only talks about themselves and they don't ask you questions, this can be annoying or boring. When you talk to someone who really listens to you, it's much more satisfying. So this is something that we can all practice: being better listeners.

Another important part of communication is having empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and feel what other people are feeling. When you talk to someone who's empathetic, it feels like they understand you and they care about you. But when you talk to someone who's not empathetic, you probably don't feel this way.

One other skill that can help your communication is humor. This refers to being funny. When people have a good sense of humor, it's really fun to talk to them because you can laugh together. Humor makes communication more interesting in general.

Okay, now let's talk about some of the difficulties with communication. One of the hardest situations is when you are talking to someone who speaks a different language. I'm sure many of you have had the opportunity to speak English to someone who doesn't speak your language. This is both exciting and hard. It's exciting because you get to practice your English in a real situation. But it's hard because English isn't your native language. You can't express yourself as well as you can in your own language. Of course, this is why you're learning English so that you can speak to people from other countries more effectively.

Another thing that can be difficult is if you're a shy person. People who are shy usually don't feel comfortable meeting new people and talking to many people. I used to be shy when I was a kid, but I think people can become less shy if they practice. If you force yourself to speak to people often, it'll start to become more normal for you. You'll feel a little less uncomfortable after a while.

One last difficulty that people have is public speaking. Most people don't like speaking in front of a large audience. It doesn't feel good when everyone is watching you. If you have to give a presentation to an audience, the best thing you can do is really prepare and memorize your presentation beforehand. If you do this, you'll be able to say what you need to say even if you're nervous.

Okay, that's all for today. Remember to download the Listening Time podcast and become a member at patreon.com/listeningtime to receive my Listening Practice seminars, my soundtraining videos and extra podcast episodes. Also subscribe to the channel, click on the bell and follow us on Instagram. I'll see you next time.