The in-between moments of our lives offer great opportunities for learning. Podcasts provide a convenient and efficient way to use those moments to learn a language, catch up on current affairs, better understand a culture and much more. Easily downloadable on your phone, there’s a podcast for everyone to listen to anytime, anywhere.
Listening to podcasts on any topic is an opportunity to improve your listening skills, expand your vocabulary and hear an accurate example of pronunciation. They also offer an opportunity to practice some words out loud.
Here are four interesting and informative podcasts that not only entertain and educate, but will also help improve your communication in the workplace.
1. British Council: Relationship-Building
The British Council has been developing resources for ESL teachers and students all over the world for many years. Their website features a series of podcasts covering a large number of business and work themes.
The podcast on developing relationship-building skills offers tips and practical ideas on how to build relationships both inside and outside of work, in informal and formal contexts. It is preceded and followed by language activities that can be completed on paper or online. A transcript is also available to help with understanding and to offer additional practice. And, an online instructor is available to answer comments or questions.
2. Q: The Podcast
If you have recently moved to Canada (or are in the planning stages), it’s important to learn about Canadian culture, news, and current events. CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) is a great place to start to find local news and cross-Canada updates.
Q is a daily arts and culture radio show that is also available as a podcast. It showcases both international and Canadian talent in music, television, movies, and stage and offers a great opportunity to learn about Canadian culture and listen to the Canadian accent.
Learning about the Canadian arts and culture scene is important for both networking and at work. Canadians enjoy ‘small talk’ and this podcast offers ideas on what to talk about with your new connections and co-workers.
3. Business-Focused Podcasts
There are a number of business-focused podcasts related to your field of expertise, if you know where to look. In your favourite podcast app, search by Categories and then Business to discover a podcast relevant to your sector and interests. These podcasts offer a great way to help you stay in the know about the latest trends in your sector and also gives you conversation pieces to discuss when connecting with colleagues.
4. Podcast Playlist
CBC hosts a weekly podcast featuring some of the best podcasts available. This show is a great place to start if you don’t know what you will like as well as a great way to discover new podcasts. Each week, this podcast focuses on a particular theme (for example, etiquette, travel or crime stories) and provides sample podcasts to check out.
Practice is the best way to improve your language skills. Podcasts offer a time-efficient way to help you do so by expanding your vocabulary and improving your listening skills. As a newcomer, they also help you learn about Canadian culture, phrases and slang and give you plenty of topics for future conversations.
