First of all, I completely understand your problem. Understanding native speakers (of any language!) when they speak at natural speed is the most difficult part of language learning, and in my experience, it's what comes last.

When somebody starts speaking so fast that you just can't understand them, the most normal thing would be to say "I'm so sorry, but I couldn't quite catch that. Would you mind speaking a bit more slowly, please?" If that is not possible, just try to catch something. Was there any important word in the sentence that you did understand? If so, try to guess and repeat the sentence back at the client, e.g. "Oh, did you just ask us if the goods are ready?", "Sorry, were you just asking about the delay in delivery?" or "So, you're saying there is a problem with X?" and wait for him to agree or correct you. Even if you've guessed wrong, this will at least show the client that you do speak English, and that he will be able to communicate with you (which will definitely make him happy!).

That said, it's also a good idea to keep working on your own pronunciation, since pronunciation and understanding spoken English are closely interconnected. There is a site called speechling.com which I hear is pretty helpful.

The problem with listening to the news (and also many films) is that they are aimed at a wide audience, so people tend to speak quite clearly and not as fast as they normally would. To train your listening skills, listening to music is ususally very helpful. Listen to a song various times. Try to write down some of the lyrics. Then read the written lyrics, check what you got right, what you got wrong and what you didn't get. Listen again to make out the rest of the words. Try to sing along with the singers - at least in your head, if you can't do it out loud.

Hello Yuan, 

You're not alone!! Most English learners say exactly the same thing - I've met really advanced students who found understanding English speakers difficult. 

When we learn our first language, we also learn a particular way of moving our tongues and other vocal muscles: that's how we make speech, and we then add things like pitch, stress and rhythm on top of these sounds.

All languages have different ways of using sound, pitch, stress and rhythm. So when you learn a new language, you have to learn new ways of using your vocal muscles, as well as learning the grammar and vocabulary! 

The good news is that there are lots of reliable exercises you can do to help you focus on sound. Slowly at first, you can learn how to understand, hear and produce English sounds. Because listening and speaking are so closely linked, you'll quickly find that understanding the difference ways in which sound is used in English will really help you understand spoken English. 

Practising on your own, making recordings of your voice and using music are all good - but I also recommend getting some support from a teacher who understands phonics. There are plenty on italki :) 

Helen

One issue that barely gets any attention in ESOL classes is connected speech （连读）. The pronunciation of individual words changes radically when they are used in a sentence. For example, the sentence "China and India" may sound like "China ran India", "great book" may sound like "grape book", etc.

The rules around connected speech are very complicated and I doubt learning them will make a lot of practical differences to your listening ability. Instead, focus on learning short phrases as connected sets, eg. "did you" (dɪdʒu), "must be" (mʌsbi).

Note that you do not need to use connected speech in your own speaking, though being aware of it is very important in your listening.

Hi Yuan, every non-native speaker is in difficulty when facing a fluent native speaker maybe also with a particular accent. That's to say, don't worry and don't forget you are not alone! You are doing great! In the past it worked for me to forget about the mistakes I could probably and obviously make and just talk with everyone, experiencing the sound of different accent and contributing with mine.

Get yourself sorrounded with good people almost at your level, search here in Italki if you don't find them in China, there are plenty of them. Wish I helped you! 

The speaker you are listening to is fluent, that means they no longer think in words but in chunks of words so "Good morning" is one chunk, but you try to hear it as Good...... morning...... so everyone speaking fluently will speak too fast for learners.

Right now you need to ask visitors to speak more slowly and to feedback to them what you hear, it will take more time but it will end up with communication

So the question is, how to catch chunks...

1) Get a notebook and write chunks down, review every few days until you feel the chunks work (speak them out loud)

2) Get some short (10 minutes) of spoken english on your phone and listen to them, repeating them until you have them in chunks

3) list to English all the time (BBC world service keep the speed of speech slowish), just put it on your phone when commuting etc

4) For your boss, what are the likely things he will want you to talk about?  Put all the special words in a little book and review often