Shadowing Practice: Why Experienced Professionals Still Hesitate In English - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Imagine this scenario.
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You're in an English meeting at work.
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Everything is going well.
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And then a colleague turns to you and asks a question you weren't expecting.
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You've been speaking English at work for years and you're good at your job, but you freeze.
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The words don't come out or they don't come out the way you want them to.
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You feel uncomfortable and you're worried that you're making a bad impression.
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In this video, I'm going to tell you why this happens and I'll share a technique that helps you manage it confidently.
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It's an interactive session, so you'll also get the chance to practice the technique with me.
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We'll look at two scenarios and I recommend sticking around for both.
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They cover very different situations and the second one is where most people struggle.
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Hi there and welcome to English for Professionals.
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I'm Derek and over the last 20 years, I've coached hundreds of experienced professionals at a wide range of international companies.
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I help them close the gap between their expertise
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and how they perform in English so they can reach the next step in their careers.
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If you've been using English at work for years and still feel that gap, keep watching.
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And to help you close that gap, I've created a free guide that goes deeper into this exact problem.
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It's called the Real-Time English Gap and it will help you respond with confidence in the moments that matter most.
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It comes with an interactive audio guide and the link to download it is in the description below.
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I highly recommend taking a look.
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And now let's get started.
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So why do experienced professionals still freeze when they're put on the spot?
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Let's look at two of the main reasons for this.
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First of all, your brain can quickly get overloaded.
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Especially when you're trying to find the right words, use the correct grammar and sound professional all at the same time.
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And secondly, there's the pressure.
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You're worried that even the smallest mistake will make you sound unprofessional.
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Now, when we say freeze, you might imagine going completely silent.
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And sometimes that's exactly what happens.
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But often, it's not silence at all.
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It's a weak attempt at trying to say something or an answer that trails off and doesn't land properly.
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Uh, probably.
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Uh, I think so.
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That's the freeze too.
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And here's what's really going on.
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People often want to get the whole answer ready in their head before they begin.
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The technique you're going to practice does the opposite.
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It gets you started properly with something solid, so the rest of the answer has time to come together as you speak.
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And one important thing before we start.
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If you sometimes get nervous before an important meeting, take a moment and remember this.
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You were invited to that meeting for a reason.
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You're good at your job and your ideas and opinions are worth more than your grammar.
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So don't let the fear of making a mistake hold you back.
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And now it's time for our first scenario.
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Andrea is a project manager.
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She's in a weekly team meeting.
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It's going fine.
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And then a colleague turns to her and asks, Andrea, quick one.
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Is the end of September still happening for the launch?
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Or are we being too optimistic?
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Now, Andrea knows this.
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It's her project.
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But she wasn't expecting the question.
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So here's what comes out.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, I think it should be fine.
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I mean, probably.
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We'd have to check a few things, but yeah.
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Obviously, that's not what she wanted to say.
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That's what came out when she was trying to deal with the unexpected question.
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Now, let's take a look at how she can handle that better.
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First of all, she can use an acknowledged phrase, something like this.
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That's a fair question.
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Now you might be thinking, that's easy.
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I know what an acknowledge phrase is and maybe you do.
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But here's the real question.
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When someone asks an unexpected question, do you actually use an acknowledged phrase?
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Or do you go quiet and start searching for the perfect answer?
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Because knowing the phrase and using it under pressure are two very different things.
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Now let's talk about what this phrase is actually doing, which is a few very important things things.
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It's getting Andrea started without freezing and makes a more confident impression.
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It also buys her a few seconds to start putting her answer together.
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Then she can add something like this.
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That's a fair question.
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The short answer is and then the answer follows.
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That little phrase the short answer is is doing something clever.
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She's not answering yet but she's telling the room how she's going to answer.
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A lot of people spend those few seconds searching for the perfect answer.
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Andrea uses hers to decide how she'll start and then the answer follows.
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And did you notice the very short pause?
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That's not a mistake.
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She's already speaking.
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So this very short pause doesn't sound like she's stuck.
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It sounds like she's thinking.
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That's a fair question.
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The short answer is now I know pausing can feel uncomfortable.
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One second can feel like 10.
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But it's really worth practicing because a speaker who can pause effectively sounds more composed and professional.
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A speaker who rushes often sounds nervous.
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And those two phrases with that tiny little pause have bought her some time and will help her deliver her answer confidently.
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Because Andrea knows this.
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It's her project.
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The information was never the problem.
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She just never gave herself a few seconds to get to it.
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Now let's look at her full answer and then we'll practice together.
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Andrea, quick one.
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Is the end of September still happening for the launch or are we being too optimistic?
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That's a fair question.
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The short answer is yes.
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The end of September still works.
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Testing is on track.
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And if we get the legal sign off this week, we're fine.
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And now let's practice together.
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You'll hear me asking the question again and you'll see it on the screen.
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Just practice the part in white, not the full answer, and try to include the little pause.
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And one more thing, for more effective practice, try to read out loud if you can.
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Ready?
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Andrea, quick one.
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Is the end of September still happening for the launch, or are we being too optimistic?
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Great.
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Now let's practice it one more time.
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This time I've added a little challenge.
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I've removed a couple of the key words in the phrases.
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Can you remember them?
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Andrea, quick one.
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It's the end of September still happening for the launch,
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or are we being too optimistic? Did you guess right?
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Here's the response again.
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I recommend coming back to this part of the video again and practicing several times.
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Repetition is really important here.
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Now, before we move on to our second scenario, the one that most people struggle with,
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let's take a look at another way Andrea might respond to this question with a different acknowledged phrase.
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Andrea, quick one.
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Is the end of September still happening for the launch or are we being too optimistic?
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That's something I've been thinking about as well.
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There are two things I'm watching.
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The first is testing and that's on track.
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The second is legal sign off.
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That's the one that could move us.
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If we get that this week, end of September works.
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Now that acknowledged phrase, that's something I've been thinking about as well, does something extra.
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It tells the room she's already on top of this.
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She's not being caught out.
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She's been watching it.
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That instantly changes her position from someone who's being questioned to someone who's ahead of the problem.
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One word of warning though, only use it if it's true.
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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.
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And before we move on, that phrase, there are two things I'm watching, does a very similar job to the phrase,
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the simple answer is, in the first example we looked at.
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So that was our first scenario with two examples of how Andrea uses acknowledged phrases to deal with an unexpected question.
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And this is one of the techniques that makes a huge difference for my one-to-one coaching clients.
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Once it clicks, they stop worrying about those pressure moments and feel much more in control.
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And now let's move on to the next scenario.
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Now, Andrea knew the answer to the question she was asked.
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But let's be honest, that's not always the case.
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Sometimes you don't know the answer, and that's a very different kind of pressure.
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Let's take a look at Mario.
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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?
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Now, that's a fair question, and it's completely normal not to have that number in your head.
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Nobody can be expected to have every figure available to them whenever someone asks for it.
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But that's not how Mario feels in that moment.
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He doesn't want to seem unprepared or incompetent, especially in front of a client.
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But here's what comes out.
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The downtime.
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I think it was.
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Sorry, I'm not sure.
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I'd have to check.
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Sorry.
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He says sorry twice.
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And here's the thing.
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Nobody in that room expects him to have every figure.
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What they see is someone lose confidence in himself.
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That's what does the damage, not the missing number.
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Now let's look at how Mario can handle that better.
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And the technique is exactly the same as Andreas.
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He starts with an acknowledge phrase.
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Right.
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The downtime figures.
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Now that's a simple one, but it's very useful.
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He's just repeating the key words back.
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And that does two things.
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It gets him speaking and it buys him a second or two while he figures out what he's actually going to say.
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Then he adds the second part.
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Right, the downtime figures.
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I'm afraid I don't have those in front of me, but what I can tell you is, and then the answer follows.
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And this is where Mario is different from Andrea.
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Andrea used her few seconds to decide how she'd give her answer.
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Mario can't do that.
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He doesn't have the answer.
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So he uses those few seconds for something else.
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He decides what he can offer instead.
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Because you often have something.
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You may not know the number, but you could know the trend.
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And what I can tell you is, commits him to that.
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Once he said it, he has to produce something.
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So he does.
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And again, notice the pause.
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He's already speaking so that silence doesn't sound like he's stuck
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and it's giving him an extra second to deliver his response
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Now here's something
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that I believe is very important You don't lose credibility by not knowing something you lose credibility by falling apart
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When you don't know Mario doesn't need the number.
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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?
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Right, the downtime figures.
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I'm afraid I don't have those in front of me, but what I can tell you is that it has improved.
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We had less downtime than the previous quarter, and that came after we updated the firmware.
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I'll send you the exact numbers by the end of the day.
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He still didn't know the answer.
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He just didn't collapse and notice what he gave them, a direction, a reason, and a deadline.
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And now let's practice this one together.
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You'll hear me ask the question again, and you'll see it on the screen.
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Just practice the part in white, not the full answer, and try to include the pause.
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And don't forget to read out loud if you can.
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Ready?
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Mario, do you have the downtime figures for the last quarter?
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Great, and now let's practice it again, similar to Andrea's example in the first scenario with a little extra challenge.
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I've taken a few keywords out of the dialogue.
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Can you remember them?
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Mario, do you have the downtime figures for the last quarter?
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And did you guess right?
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Here's the response again.
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As with Andrea's first response in scenario one, I highly recommend coming back to this part of the video and practicing several times.
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Repetition is really key.
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And now let's look at one other way Mario might handle this, because sometimes it's even harder than that.
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Sometimes you don't have the number and you don't have the trend either.
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You genuinely have nothing.
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Mario, do you have the downtime figures for the last quarter?
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Good question.
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To be honest, I don't have that information to hand and I'd rather give you an accurate number than make a guess.
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So let me pull the figures and get back to you later today.
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Would that be okay?
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Now look at what Mario is offering here.
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He can't give them the answer.
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So he makes a commitment to get them the answer and gives them a time.
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And that phrase, I'd rather give you an accurate number than make a guess, is doing something extra.
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He's no longer someone who doesn't know.
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He's someone who won't guess.
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And that makes a completely different impression a very professional one.
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Finally, let's see how he finishes.
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Would that be okay?
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That's a small thing, but it's clever.
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He hands it back to them very calmly as if it's a completely normal way to handle it.
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Because it is.
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He's not apologizing, he's managing it.
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So let's briefly review the most important parts of this session.
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Andrea and Mario, their technique was the same.
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A short acknowledge phrase to get you started confidently, a tiny pause and then away into your answer.
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And notice it's the same technique whether you know the answer or not.
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What changes is what you do with the few seconds it buys you.
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Here's the thing to remember, you freeze less when you stop trying to have the whole answer ready before you speak.
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Get started and be brave enough to let the rest come together as you go.
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Now the real change comes from practicing and repetition.
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And that's exactly what I created the free guide for.
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It's called the Real-Time English Gap
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and it covers the acknowledge phrase technique from this session and two other techniques that often catch professionals out.
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It comes with an interactive audio guide so you can practice properly and the link is in the description below.
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If you like this session, give it a thumbs up and watch one of these next.
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Thank you.
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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les
Deze spreekles op niveau B2 is gebaseerd op de video “Why Experienced Professionals Still Hesitate In English”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: answer, Andrea, phrase, Mario, figure. Deze video bevat 248 zinnen en 2491 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 16:04. De spreker praat in een natuurlijk tempo van ongeveer 155 woorden per minuut, dicht bij een alledaags gesprek. 87% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden, dus de woordenschat is goed te volgen.
Belangrijke woorden in deze video
De 15 moeilijkste woorden uit de video, met uitspraak en betekenis:
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| downtime zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈdaʊnˌtaɪm/ | downtime |
| pause zelfstandig naamwoord | /pɔːz/ | pauze |
| acknowledge werkwoord | /əkˈnɑ.lɪd͡ʒ/ | bekennen, erkennen |
| scenario zelfstandig naamwoord | /sɪˈnɛəɹioʊ/ | scenario |
| freeze werkwoord | /ˈfɹiːz/ | bevriezen |
| optimistic bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ˌɒptɪˈmɪstɪk/ | optimistisch |
| repetition zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˌɹɛp.əˈtɪʃ.ən/ | herhaling |
| credibility zelfstandig naamwoord | /kɹɛd.əˈbɪ.ɫɪ.ti/ | geloofwaardigheid |
| colleague zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈkɒliːɡ/ | collega, medewerker |
| grammar zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ | spraakkunst, grammatica |
| uncomfortable bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/ | ongemakkelijk |
| compose werkwoord | /kəmˈpəʊz/ | samenstellen |
| keyword zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈkiː.wɜːd/ | sleutelwoord |
| overload werkwoord | /ˌəʊvəˈləʊd/ | overladen |
| unprepared bijvoeglijk naamwoord | onvoorbereid |
Phrasal verbs die je zult horen
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| come out werkwoord | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | uitkomen |
| come together werkwoord | /ˈkʌm tʊˈɡɛðɚ/ | bijeenkomen, samenkomen |
| fall apart werkwoord | uiteenvallen, uit elkaar vallen | |
| figure out werkwoord | uitvogelen, er achter komen |
Zinnen om te herhalen
Korte, volledige zinnen uit de video die je in alledaagse gesprekken kunt gebruiken:
- The technique you're going to practice does the opposite.
- We'd have to check a few things, but yeah.
- This time I've added a little challenge.
- Can you remember them?
- Did you guess right?
Grammatica in deze video
De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:
| Structuur | In de video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — iets dat eerder begon en nog bezig is | You've been speaking · you've been using · I've been thinking |
| Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt | I've coached · I've created · have bought |
| Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet | were invited · being caught · being questioned |
| Betrekkelijke bijzinnen who / which + zin — extra informatie over een persoon of ding | doing, which is · someone who doesn · someone who won |
Uitspraak om op te letten
De spreker gebruikt 69 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals don't, you're, doesn't. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.
- Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: optimistic /ˌɒptɪˈmɪstɪk/, confidently /ˈkɑnfɪdəntli/, repetition /ˌɹɛp.əˈtɪʃ.ən/, interactive /ˌɪn.tɚˈæk.tɪv/, credibility /kɹɛd.əˈbɪ.ɫɪ.ti/
Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:
- Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: pause /pɔːz/, acknowledge /əkˈnɑ.lɪd͡ʒ/, freeze /ˈfɹiːz/, interactive /ˌɪn.tɚˈæk.tɪv/, colleague /ˈkɒliːɡ/
- /æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: interactive /ˌɪn.tɚˈæk.tɪv/, grammar /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/, collapse /kəˈlæps/
- /g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: colleague /ˈkɒliːɡ/, grammar /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/
Zo oefen je met deze video
- Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
- Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
- Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als downtime, pause, acknowledge.
Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?
Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.