Hello,
I always face questions like, what is the reason we are unable to communicate in English properly? Or Why we do not understand what the person is trying to say?
The answer is pretty easy. Because we hear what people say, we do not listen.
Hearing and Listening has a huge difference. We hear noises & listen to the conversations or information.
Hearing involves the loss of information, however, being attentive and grasping all the information through a verbal media is called as listening.
There are different accents around the world; significant are the UK, US & Indian (Asian).
If we go through a typical conversation between a British & Indian, no wonder we will have an idea of what Indian gentleman is saying. However, it leaves us confused about the British gentleman.
I will recommend to go online and practice through the visuals to improve listening skills. One will find the transcripts of the video and exercises to practice. I am sure a person has a strong will to learn, will take only 15-18 videos to understand the thing.
Once it is done, search for audios, perform the same. Transcript for the audios and exercises too are available. I generally found British Council pattern pretty friendly.
Once it is done, it will improve your confidence and understanding towards their accent. And once you have these things with you, we are always available to make you communicate firmly.
I will quote,"Listening is the key to speaking." gyhbuh