The purpose of this study is to examine what factors make listening difficult in English education and suggest some principles for teaching English listening skills. The eight characteristics of spoken language are adapted from several sources: clustering, redundancy, reduced forms, performance variables, colloquial language, rate of delivery, stress, rhythm, intonation, and interaction. There are some principles for teaching listening skills: 1) include a focus on listening in an integrated-skills course 2) use techniques that are intrinsically motivating 3) utilize authentic language and contexts 4) carefully consider the form of listeners’responses 5) encourage the development of listening strategies 6) include both bottom-up and top-down listening techniques.