シャドーイング練習: Why Experienced Professionals Still Hesitate In English - 動画で英語スピーキングを学ぶ

練習モードを選ぶ

各モードは全画面の練習ルームで開きます。

248 文

文が短すぎたり長すぎる場合は、Editをタップして調整してください。

Imagine this scenario.

You're in an English meeting at work.

Everything is going well.

And then a colleague turns to you and asks a question you weren't expecting.

You've been speaking English at work for years and you're good at your job, but you freeze.

The words don't come out or they don't come out the way you want them to.

You feel uncomfortable and you're worried that you're making a bad impression.

In this video, I'm going to tell you why this happens and I'll share a technique that helps you manage it confidently.

It's an interactive session, so you'll also get the chance to practice the technique with me.

We'll look at two scenarios and I recommend sticking around for both.

They cover very different situations and the second one is where most people struggle.

Hi there and welcome to English for Professionals.

I'm Derek and over the last 20 years, I've coached hundreds of experienced professionals at a wide range of international companies.

I help them close the gap between their expertise

and how they perform in English so they can reach the next step in their careers.

If you've been using English at work for years and still feel that gap, keep watching.

And to help you close that gap, I've created a free guide that goes deeper into this exact problem.

It's called the Real-Time English Gap and it will help you respond with confidence in the moments that matter most.

It comes with an interactive audio guide and the link to download it is in the description below.

I highly recommend taking a look.

And now let's get started.

So why do experienced professionals still freeze when they're put on the spot?

Let's look at two of the main reasons for this.

First of all, your brain can quickly get overloaded.

Especially when you're trying to find the right words, use the correct grammar and sound professional all at the same time.

And secondly, there's the pressure.

You're worried that even the smallest mistake will make you sound unprofessional.

Now, when we say freeze, you might imagine going completely silent.

And sometimes that's exactly what happens.

But often, it's not silence at all.

It's a weak attempt at trying to say something or an answer that trails off and doesn't land properly.

Uh, probably.

Uh, I think so.

That's the freeze too.

And here's what's really going on.

People often want to get the whole answer ready in their head before they begin.

The technique you're going to practice does the opposite.

It gets you started properly with something solid, so the rest of the answer has time to come together as you speak.

And one important thing before we start.

If you sometimes get nervous before an important meeting, take a moment and remember this.

You were invited to that meeting for a reason.

You're good at your job and your ideas and opinions are worth more than your grammar.

So don't let the fear of making a mistake hold you back.

And now it's time for our first scenario.

Andrea is a project manager.

She's in a weekly team meeting.

It's going fine.

And then a colleague turns to her and asks, Andrea, quick one.

Is the end of September still happening for the launch?

Or are we being too optimistic?

Now, Andrea knows this.

It's her project.

But she wasn't expecting the question.

So here's what comes out.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think it should be fine.

I mean, probably.

We'd have to check a few things, but yeah.

Obviously, that's not what she wanted to say.

That's what came out when she was trying to deal with the unexpected question.

Now, let's take a look at how she can handle that better.

First of all, she can use an acknowledged phrase, something like this.

That's a fair question.

Now you might be thinking, that's easy.

I know what an acknowledge phrase is and maybe you do.

But here's the real question.

When someone asks an unexpected question, do you actually use an acknowledged phrase?

Or do you go quiet and start searching for the perfect answer?

Because knowing the phrase and using it under pressure are two very different things.

Now let's talk about what this phrase is actually doing, which is a few very important things things.

It's getting Andrea started without freezing and makes a more confident impression.

It also buys her a few seconds to start putting her answer together.

Then she can add something like this.

That's a fair question.

The short answer is and then the answer follows.

That little phrase the short answer is is doing something clever.

She's not answering yet but she's telling the room how she's going to answer.

A lot of people spend those few seconds searching for the perfect answer.

Andrea uses hers to decide how she'll start and then the answer follows.

And did you notice the very short pause?

That's not a mistake.

She's already speaking.

So this very short pause doesn't sound like she's stuck.

It sounds like she's thinking.

That's a fair question.

The short answer is now I know pausing can feel uncomfortable.

One second can feel like 10.

But it's really worth practicing because a speaker who can pause effectively sounds more composed and professional.

A speaker who rushes often sounds nervous.

And those two phrases with that tiny little pause have bought her some time and will help her deliver her answer confidently.

Because Andrea knows this.

It's her project.

The information was never the problem.

She just never gave herself a few seconds to get to it.

Now let's look at her full answer and then we'll practice together.

Andrea, quick one.

Is the end of September still happening for the launch or are we being too optimistic?

That's a fair question.

The short answer is yes.

100

The end of September still works.

101

Testing is on track.

102

And if we get the legal sign off this week, we're fine.

103

And now let's practice together.

104

You'll hear me asking the question again and you'll see it on the screen.

105

Just practice the part in white, not the full answer, and try to include the little pause.

106

And one more thing, for more effective practice, try to read out loud if you can.

107

Ready?

108

Andrea, quick one.

109

Is the end of September still happening for the launch, or are we being too optimistic?

110

Great.

111

Now let's practice it one more time.

112

This time I've added a little challenge.

113

I've removed a couple of the key words in the phrases.

114

Can you remember them?

115

Andrea, quick one.

116

It's the end of September still happening for the launch,

117

or are we being too optimistic? Did you guess right?

118

Here's the response again.

119

I recommend coming back to this part of the video again and practicing several times.

120

Repetition is really important here.

121

Now, before we move on to our second scenario, the one that most people struggle with,

122

let's take a look at another way Andrea might respond to this question with a different acknowledged phrase.

123

Andrea, quick one.

124

Is the end of September still happening for the launch or are we being too optimistic?

125

That's something I've been thinking about as well.

126

There are two things I'm watching.

127

The first is testing and that's on track.

128

The second is legal sign off.

129

That's the one that could move us.

130

If we get that this week, end of September works.

131

Now that acknowledged phrase, that's something I've been thinking about as well, does something extra.

132

It tells the room she's already on top of this.

133

She's not being caught out.

134

She's been watching it.

135

That instantly changes her position from someone who's being questioned to someone who's ahead of the problem.

136

One word of warning though, only use it if it's true.

137

If you haven't been thinking about it, don't say that you have, because the next question that comes could make things difficult for you.

138

And before we move on, that phrase, there are two things I'm watching, does a very similar job to the phrase,

139

the simple answer is, in the first example we looked at.

140

So that was our first scenario with two examples of how Andrea uses acknowledged phrases to deal with an unexpected question.

141

And this is one of the techniques that makes a huge difference for my one-to-one coaching clients.

142

Once it clicks, they stop worrying about those pressure moments and feel much more in control.

143

And now let's move on to the next scenario.

144

Now, Andrea knew the answer to the question she was asked.

145

But let's be honest, that's not always the case.

146

Sometimes you don't know the answer, and that's a very different kind of pressure.

147

Let's take a look at Mario.

148

He's a systems engineer, and he's in a meeting with a client when someone asks, Mario, do you have the downtime figures for the last quarter?

149

Now, that's a fair question, and it's completely normal not to have that number in your head.

150

Nobody can be expected to have every figure available to them whenever someone asks for it.

151

But that's not how Mario feels in that moment.

152

He doesn't want to seem unprepared or incompetent, especially in front of a client.

153

But here's what comes out.

154

The downtime.

155

I think it was.

156

Sorry, I'm not sure.

157

I'd have to check.

158

Sorry.

159

He says sorry twice.

160

And here's the thing.

161

Nobody in that room expects him to have every figure.

162

What they see is someone lose confidence in himself.

163

That's what does the damage, not the missing number.

164

Now let's look at how Mario can handle that better.

165

And the technique is exactly the same as Andreas.

166

He starts with an acknowledge phrase.

167

Right.

168

The downtime figures.

169

Now that's a simple one, but it's very useful.

170

He's just repeating the key words back.

171

And that does two things.

172

It gets him speaking and it buys him a second or two while he figures out what he's actually going to say.

173

Then he adds the second part.

174

Right, the downtime figures.

175

I'm afraid I don't have those in front of me, but what I can tell you is, and then the answer follows.

176

And this is where Mario is different from Andrea.

177

Andrea used her few seconds to decide how she'd give her answer.

178

Mario can't do that.

179

He doesn't have the answer.

180

So he uses those few seconds for something else.

181

He decides what he can offer instead.

182

Because you often have something.

183

You may not know the number, but you could know the trend.

184

And what I can tell you is, commits him to that.

185

Once he said it, he has to produce something.

186

So he does.

187

And again, notice the pause.

188

He's already speaking so that silence doesn't sound like he's stuck

189

and it's giving him an extra second to deliver his response

190

Now here's something

191

that I believe is very important You don't lose credibility by not knowing something you lose credibility by falling apart

192

When you don't know Mario doesn't need the number.

193

He just needs to stay in control of the room Let's take a look at his full answer Mario, do you have the downtime figures for the last quarter?

194

Right, the downtime figures.

195

I'm afraid I don't have those in front of me, but what I can tell you is that it has improved.

196

We had less downtime than the previous quarter, and that came after we updated the firmware.

197

I'll send you the exact numbers by the end of the day.

198

He still didn't know the answer.

199

He just didn't collapse and notice what he gave them, a direction, a reason, and a deadline.

200

And now let's practice this one together.

201

You'll hear me ask the question again, and you'll see it on the screen.

202

Just practice the part in white, not the full answer, and try to include the pause.

203

And don't forget to read out loud if you can.

204

Ready?

205

Mario, do you have the downtime figures for the last quarter?

206

Great, and now let's practice it again, similar to Andrea's example in the first scenario with a little extra challenge.

207

I've taken a few keywords out of the dialogue.

208

Can you remember them?

209

Mario, do you have the downtime figures for the last quarter?

210

And did you guess right?

211

Here's the response again.

212

As with Andrea's first response in scenario one, I highly recommend coming back to this part of the video and practicing several times.

213

Repetition is really key.

214

And now let's look at one other way Mario might handle this, because sometimes it's even harder than that.

215

Sometimes you don't have the number and you don't have the trend either.

216

You genuinely have nothing.

217

Mario, do you have the downtime figures for the last quarter?

218

Good question.

219

To be honest, I don't have that information to hand and I'd rather give you an accurate number than make a guess.

220

So let me pull the figures and get back to you later today.

221

Would that be okay?

222

Now look at what Mario is offering here.

223

He can't give them the answer.

224

So he makes a commitment to get them the answer and gives them a time.

225

And that phrase, I'd rather give you an accurate number than make a guess, is doing something extra.

226

He's no longer someone who doesn't know.

227

He's someone who won't guess.

228

And that makes a completely different impression a very professional one.

229

Finally, let's see how he finishes.

230

Would that be okay?

231

That's a small thing, but it's clever.

232

He hands it back to them very calmly as if it's a completely normal way to handle it.

233

Because it is.

234

He's not apologizing, he's managing it.

235

So let's briefly review the most important parts of this session.

236

Andrea and Mario, their technique was the same.

237

A short acknowledge phrase to get you started confidently, a tiny pause and then away into your answer.

238

And notice it's the same technique whether you know the answer or not.

239

What changes is what you do with the few seconds it buys you.

240

Here's the thing to remember, you freeze less when you stop trying to have the whole answer ready before you speak.

241

Get started and be brave enough to let the rest come together as you go.

242

Now the real change comes from practicing and repetition.

243

And that's exactly what I created the free guide for.

244

It's called the Real-Time English Gap

245

and it covers the acknowledge phrase technique from this session and two other techniques that often catch professionals out.

246

It comes with an interactive audio guide so you can practice properly and the link is in the description below.

247

If you like this session, give it a thumbs up and watch one of these next.

248

Thank you.

アプリをダウンロード

流暢に話すために必要なすべて

AI発音採点文ごとに採点

IPA練習すべての音をマスター

単語学習自分の単語帳を作る

単語ゲーム遊びながら覚える

QRをスキャン

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

同じチャンネル

41 Phrases For Leading A Business Meeting - Business English (FREE E-Phrasebook)

Business EnglishWorking Adults

English for Business Meetings - Interactive Lesson

Business EnglishWorking Adults

20 Collocations to Boost Your Business English

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

Business English Vocabulary - Talking about Decisions - Part 2

Business EnglishWorking Adults

More Essential Verbs For Meetings - Business English Meetings

Business EnglishWorking Adults

Phrasal Verbs For Meetings - Business English

Business EnglishWorking Adults

40 Phrases For Presenting In English - Business English (FREE PDF)

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

FOR YOU

プロフェッショナルが英語でもたつく背景

ビジネスシーンで長年英語を使ってきても、突然の質問に「フリーズ」してしまう経験は多くの人が持っています。このビデオでは、そんな現象の原因と対策について解説しています。プロのコーチが20年間の経験から明かすとおり、脳の過負荷とプレッシャーが主な要因です。正しい単語や文法、プロフェッショナルな発音を同時に考えると、思考がストップしてしまうのです。しかし、「答え全体を頭の中で完成させてから話す」のではなく、「しっかりとした始まりで話し始める」技術を使えば、スムーズに応答できるようになります。

日常会話に使える5つのフレーズ

「Quick one.」（ちょっと質問が）- 突然の質問の始まりに使われるフレーズで、臨機応変な対応が求められます。
「Is the end of September still happening...?」（9月末のスケジュールは変わりませんか？）- プロジェクトの進捗確認によく使われる表現で、柔軟な言い回しがポイントです。
「Or are we being too optimistic?」（楽観的すぎませんか？）- 反対の可能性を提案する際の丁寧な言い方です。
「I think so.」（そうだと思います）- 曖昧な応答になりがちですが、これをベースに詳しく説明を加えることが重要です。
「You were invited to that meeting for a reason.」（あなたが会議に招待されたのには理由があります）- 自信喪失時の自己啓発フレーズで、自分の価値を再認識させてくれます。

ビデオを使ったシャドーイングのステップバイステップガイド

動画で英語学習をする際は、英語シャドーイングが効果的です。特にこのビデオはリアルなビジネスシーンを再現しているので、IELTS スピーキング対策にも最適です。以下の手順で練習しましょう。

ビデオを1回再生して全体の流れを把握し、「フリーズ」するシーンをマークします。
該当するシーンをゆっくり再生し、発音やイントネーションに注目しながら、1文ずつ真似て話します（shadowspeakの基本）。
脳が慣れてきたら、再生速度を上げてリアルタイムでシャドーイングし、自然な発話リズムを身につけます。
「しっかりとした始まり」の技術を使って、質問に対する応答を自分の言葉で組み立て、録音して自分で確認します。
繰り返し練習することで、英語の発音を良くするだけでなく、即応力も向上します。

この方法を継続すると、ビジネスシーンでの英語表現が自然とスムーズになり、自信を持ってコミュニケーションできるようになります。

この動画の文法

話し手がよく使っている文型を、動画の実際の表現とともに紹介します。

文型	動画での表現
現在完了進行形 have/has been + -ing — 以前に始まり今も続いている動作	You've been speaking · you've been using · I've been thinking
現在完了形 have/has + 過去分詞 — 過去の出来事が今も関係している	I've coached · I've created · have bought
受動態 be + 過去分詞 — 誰がするかより、何が起きるかに焦点を当てる	were invited · being caught · being questioned
関係詞節 who / which + 節 — 人や物について情報を加える	doing, which is · someone who doesn · someone who won

シャドーイングとは？英語上達に効果的な理由

シャドーイング（Shadowing）は、もともとプロの通訳者養成プログラムで開発された言語学習法で、多言語習得者として知られるDr. Alexander Arguelles によって広く普及されました。方法はシンプルですが非常に効果的：ネイティブスピーカーの英語を聞きながら、1〜2秒の遅延で声に出してすぐに繰り返す——まるで「影（shadow）」のように話者を追いかけます。文法ドリルや受動的なリスニングと異なり、シャドーイングは脳と口の筋肉が同時にリアルタイムで英語を処理・再現することを強制します。研究により、発音精度、抑揚、リズム、連音、リスニング力、そして会話の流暢さが大幅に向上することが確認されています。IELTSスピーキング対策や自然な英語コミュニケーションを目指す方に特におすすめです。

シャドーイングのやり方: ステップ別の完全ガイドを読む →

シャドーイング練習: Why Experienced Professionals Still Hesitate In English - 動画で英語スピーキングを学ぶ

練習モードを選ぶ

アプリをダウンロード

同じチャンネル

Office Small Talk in English - Talking About Christmas & the Holidays

How To Write Meeting Minutes In English

21 Phrases For Formal Emails - Business English (FREE E-phrasebook)

Important English Phrases For EVERYDAY LIFE

36 English Phrases For Professional Customer Service (FREE PDF Guide)

18 Must-Know Legal English Words & Idioms

41 Phrases For Leading A Business Meeting - Business English (FREE E-Phrasebook)

English for Business Meetings - Interactive Lesson

20 Collocations to Boost Your Business English

Business English Vocabulary - Talking about Decisions - Part 2

More Essential Verbs For Meetings - Business English Meetings

Phrasal Verbs For Meetings - Business English

40 Phrases For Presenting In English - Business English (FREE PDF)

おすすめ動画

How to Handle International Client Calls Smoothly in English | Client Calls

English Job Interview Tips and Tricks 3 | English Job Interview Preparation

I found the reason you can't speak English well

How to get comfortable speaking up in meetings

Speak English Confidently at Work | Workplace English Conversation Practice – Day 8

Small Talk Success: A Simple Trick to Go From Awkward 😬 To Brilliant 😎

English for Problems at Work — Raise Issues Without Sounding Negative

開會時老闆突然點名我，我腦子瞬間一片空白｜Real Life Meeting English

Speak Like an Executive (Even if English Isn't Your First Language)

Job Interview in English | Talking About Your Weaknesses

Meet New People! Self Introduction in English: Business English at Work

What to say in your daily standup

プロフェッショナルが英語でもたつく背景

日常会話に使える5つのフレーズ

ビデオを使ったシャドーイングのステップバイステップガイド

この動画の文法

シャドーイングとは？英語上達に効果的な理由