For university students, developing listening and speaking skills is not only necessary for academic success but also for future careers and real-life communication. However, many students find listening and speaking difficult because they lack practice, confidence, and suitable learning strategies. Therefore, applying effective methods is crucial to improve these skills systematically and sustainably.

1. Improving Listening Skills through Active Listening

One of the most effective ways to improve listening skills is active listening. Instead of listening passively, students should listen with a clear purpose. Before listening, they can predict the topic based on the title, pictures, or key words. This helps activate background knowledge and makes comprehension easier. While listening, students should focus on the main ideas rather than trying to understand every single word. After listening, they can summarize the content or answer comprehension questions to check their understanding.

Students should regularly listen to podcasts, news reports, interviews, movies, or videos created by native speakers. These materials expose learners to natural pronunciation, intonation, and different accents. To make listening practice more effective, students can start with short and simple recordings, then gradually move to longer and more challenging ones. Listening repeatedly and using subtitles selectively can also help improve comprehension and vocabulary.

2. Developing Speaking Skills through Regular Practice

Speaking skills can only be improved through frequent and meaningful practice. One effective method is practicing speaking in pairs or small groups. Group discussions, role plays, and problem-solving tasks encourage students to express their ideas, negotiate meaning, and interact naturally. These activities also reduce anxiety because students feel less pressure than when speaking in front of the whole class.

Another useful technique is self-speaking practice. Students can practice speaking by talking to themselves, describing daily activities, summarizing what they have learned, or giving short presentations at home. Recording their own voice is especially helpful because it allows learners to listen again, identify pronunciation problems, and monitor their progress over time.

3. Integrating Listening and Speaking Skills

Listening and speaking should not be practiced separately. Instead, students should combine these skills in integrated activities. For example, after listening to a conversation or a short lecture, students can retell the content in their own words, express opinions, or discuss related questions. This method helps learners transfer input from listening into spoken output, which is essential for language development.

In addition, shadowing is a useful integrated method for developing both listening and speaking skills. Students listen to a short audio and repeat the words immediately, focusing on copying pronunciation, stress, and intonation. This practice improves listening comprehension and speaking fluency, especially for students who have trouble understanding fast, natural speech.

4. Building Confidence and Motivation

Confidence plays a key role in speaking performance. Students should not be afraid of making mistakes, as errors are a natural part of language learning. Setting realistic goals, such as speaking for one minute a day or learning a few new expressions each week, can help maintain motivation. Teachers and peers should provide constructive feedback and encouragement rather than focusing only on errors.

In summary, the development of listening and speaking skills depends on regular practice, appropriate learning strategies, and a positive mindset. Through the use of active listening, consistent speaking practice, skill integration, and confidence building, university students can progressively improve their ability to communicate effectively.