Listening is defined as a process of receiving, interpreting and reacting to a message from the speaker. When in a conversation with someone, do we ask to repeat what has just been said? This often happens when our mind is not on what is being said. Though we hear the sound of the words being spoken, we fail to remember or understand what was said. We remember and understand words we hear only when we are actually listening, that is, we are attentive to what we have heard. Thus there is a difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is a physical act that happens automatically. Though we are not conscious of it most of the time, we get to hear many types of sounds or noise all round us all day. Hearing does not require any effort on our part. Listening, however, is an active skill and a conscious activity that demands involvement and concentration. When we listen, we receive information, interpret it and analyse it and construct a message out of what we hear. The present paper highlights how in the language laboratory students are given training with the use of authentic materials to develop their listening abilities to overcome the hindrances they face in their everyday life.