Learn English with TED Talks - Effective Strategies for Language Proficiency

Within the IELTS exam preparation community, utilizing TED Talks as a tool for learning English is a common practice. However, not all individuals are acquainted with the most effective and accurate methods to do so. Hence, it is advisable to consult the following article by PREP to optimize this invaluable free resource to Learn English with TED Talks.

I. What are TED Talks?

In simple terms, TED Talks are inspirational speeches and presentations recorded at TED events. A typical TED Talks video is around 18 minutes long. The content of the talks delivers significant and concise information to the listeners. If you want to find videos to learn English with TED Talks, you can access the website ted.com or search on YouTube to effectively prepare for your exams. You can refer to:

II. Why should you learn English with TED Talks?

1. Gain valuable knowledge

If you are preparing for the IELTS Online and regularly listen to TED Talks, you probably know that the topics of most speakers revolve around various aspects of life. We can highlight some prominent topics such as science, technology, society, and exploring the inner world of human beings. Some popular videos include:

Climate change (Averting the climate crisis – AI Gore):

Teach every child about food – Jamie Oliver:

Therefore, when listening to TED Talks, you will gain a deeper understanding of many aspects of life. This valuable knowledge helps you generate interesting ideas and develop strong arguments to achieve high scores in the IELTS Speaking and Writing tests.

2. Improve public speaking skills

The guests of TED Talks are renowned speakers from all around the world. They are experts in public speaking and presenting. Therefore, by learning English through TED Talks, you will absorb their interpretations, and problem-solving techniques, and make the audience feel that the issue is handled smoothly.

In addition to understanding and analyzing the meaning of TED Talks, you can also observe how these experts deliver the presentation. How do they pause during their speeches? What is their body language like? How does their eye contact differ from yours? Do the TED Talkers focus intensely on their slides while presenting?

By watching and studying more, you will gain a deeper understanding and apply it more accurately in practice. If you regularly watch TED Talks, you will be able to deliver group exercises, speak in front of an audience, or present to executives more effectively.

3. Expand vocabulary, grammar structures, and pronunciation in English

A significant advantage of learning English through TED Talks is that you will enhance your vocabulary and gain a better understanding of commonly used grammar structures and proper pronunciation like native speakers.

• Vocabulary: TED Talks offer a diverse array of topics relevant to various aspects of life. Engaging with English through TED Talks allows for a broadening of vocabulary across different domains, which proves beneficial for excelling in English assessments, particularly the IELTS exam. It's advisable to maintain a vocabulary notebook to jot down unfamiliar words for regular review and comprehension.
• Grammar: Enhancing comprehension of English grammar structures while utilizing TED Talks can be facilitated by activating English subtitles. This practice enables a deeper understanding of commonly employed grammar patterns in speeches and presentations. Such engagement fosters proficiency, ultimately leading to favorable outcomes in the IELTS Speaking assessment.
• Pronunciation: Immersing oneself in TED Talks for English language learning greatly enhances pronunciation skills. Selecting speakers who embody the desired British or American accent aids in grasping intonation, stress patterns, and pauses essential for effective English communication. This deliberate practice contributes significantly to achieving desired pronunciation proficiency.

4. Enhance listening and speaking skills in English

• Listening skills: In English exams, listening skills are crucial for many test takers. So, how can you practice and improve your listening skills? The answer lies in listening to a variety of content, and continuously and accurately understanding the meaning of the speech. Therefore, learning English through TED Talks will help you improve your listening skills quickly.
• Speaking skills: Another benefit of learning English through TED Talks is the enhancement of speaking skills in exams like IELTS and TOEIC. These videos will teach you how to interpret and present ideas in a native speaker's speech.

Indeed, learning English through TED Talks has numerous benefits, but not everyone can easily achieve these benefits. To excel, you need to practice a lot, understand what you listen to, and learn extensively, right? So, let's discover some effective ways to learn English with TED Talks with PREP

III. Effective methods to learn English with TED Talks

1. How to learn English vocabulary through TED Talks?

• Step 1: Read the talk's transcript: You can easily find the transcript of TED Talks on the ted.com website. After obtaining the transcript, skim through it to understand the main ideas of the talk. This is extremely helpful for your IELTS Reading test, as it helps you identify the main ideas of the reading passage or paragraph effortlessly.
• Step 2: Take note of new words in your vocabulary notebook: After reading the transcript of the TED Talk when learning English through TED Talks, carefully review it and underline new words that appear in the transcript. Proceed to jot down these vocabulary words in your vocabulary notebook, or you can use online apps like Quizlet.
• Step 3: Look up meanings, usage, and pronunciation: Certainly, an English vocabulary word can have various meanings depending on the context in which it is used. So, look up vocabulary words through reputable dictionaries like Oxford Dictionary or Cambridge Dictionary. Furthermore, you must learn the correct pronunciation of those vocabulary words, listen to how the speaker in the TED Talks pronounces those words to apply them to the Listening and Speaking test.

2. How to learn pronunciation through TED Talks?

One effective method to improve pronunciation through TED Talks is to practice Shadowing following the speaker's speech. So how should we Shadow to speak English fluently like a native speaker? Here are some ways to help you improve pronunciation when learning English through TED Talks using the Shadowing method:

• Step 1: Familiarize yourself with the transcript: When reading the Transcript, identify all the vocabulary words you don't know how to pronounce. Then look up each word in the dictionary to learn how to pronounce each word (recommend using Oxford Dictionary/ Cambridge Dictionary). One thing to remember in this step is that you must grasp the pronunciation of each word 100%.
• Step 2: Familiarize yourself with the speaker's voice in the TED Talks video: In step 2, open the TED Talks video and listen to the speech from the beginning. Listen actively to the TED Talks speech and try to familiarize yourself with how the speaker pronounces each word, or phrase.
• Step 3: Listen to TED Talks + Read along with available transcript (practice at slow speed): After step 2, replay the video from the beginning, set the playback speed to about 0.75 only. When listening at this speed, you will find the voice still very easy to listen to. Next, listen while reading along with the available transcript (this is the most basic Shadowing technique). Three things to note when performing the Shadowing technique in learning English through TED Talks:
  • Where the audio goes, you speak along
  • Pronounce each vocabulary word accurately as you hear it
  • Imitate the intonation, stress points of the speaker when learning English through TED Talks
• Step 4: Listen to TED Talks + Read along with available transcript (practice at standard speed): After completing step 3, repeat it exactly but adjust the playback speed to 1.0. In this step, listen while speaking along with the transcript at normal speed.
• Step 5: No Transcript: Listen + Speak exactly like in the Video – Slow speed: You can practice steps 3 and 4 many times until you feel "familiar with the speech". Then, discard the transcript, turn off the subtitles on the TED Talks video, set the video speed to 0.75, and speak exactly like the speaker again.
• Step 6: No Transcript: Listen + Speak exactly like in the Audio – Standard speed: After step 5, if you are ready to speak faster without subtitles, adjust the video speed back to 1.0 and start Shadowing immediately!

3. How to learn listening in English through TED Talks?

3 steps to help you improve Listening skills when learning English through TED Talks:

• Step 1 - Listen 1st time: The goal of this step is to help you determine how much of the content in the speech you understand. So, listen to the video without turning on the subtitles. Take notes of the parts you cannot hear as well as take notes of the meaning of the speech.
• Step 2 - Listen 2nd time: Under each TED Talks video, there will be an Interactive transcript section, so follow this section to understand the content of the speech. Then, replay the video, listen to the speaker's words again, and follow along with the transcript to check whether your understanding in the first listen was correct or not. PREP advises that, in this 2nd listening, you should focus more on pronunciation and tone of the speech!
• Step 3 - Listen 3rd time: Compare the differences between your 1st and 2nd listening to check whether your listening skills in learning English through TED Talks have improved or not!

In addition, to help students practice Listening effectively, PREP has prepared a set of materials for Listening practice with classic speeches at Ted.com. This material includes 20 extremely classic speeches, known to everyone. Through this listening practice material, Preppies will receive the following benefits:

• Enhance listening, speaking, vocabulary, and pronunciation simultaneously through one lesson.
• Be supplemented with perfect vocabulary for IELTS, National High School Graduation Exam.
• Practice listening and filling in vocabulary with difficulty levels from B1-C1.
• Understand diverse academic and social topics.
• Have additional essential learning resources for Shadowing practice.

IV. Conclusion

So, what are you waiting for? Own the materials to learn English with TED Talks most effectively! Above is the most effective way to learn English with TED Talks. PREP wishes you effective study and success in achieving your target scores in upcoming English exams!