Shadowing Practice: 04.e Stand Out Commentary - Effortless Business English - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
297 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Okay, hey, welcome to the commentary for Standout.
2
Just going to talk about this topic freely, spontaneously.
3
Here we go.
4
This is a very important topic.
5
I talked a little bit about it in the other commentaries, in fact.
6
But it's important to repeat it because this is probably one of the top two or three keys to success in business,
7
career, and really in many things, many parts of life.
8
But especially as an entrepreneur, if you have your own business, this is, if it's not number one, it's number two.
9
It's up there.
10
It's very, very, very important.
11
Standing out.
12
You have to stand out.
13
I mean, that's how you succeed.
14
You stand out.
15
Standing out means you're different.
16
It means people notice you or they notice your company.
17
now that sounds simple right it sounds simple oh just stand out just be very different
18
but of course it's not so easy
19
because we are trained we are taught from
20
when we're little children until right now not to stand out we're taught
21
that standing out is bad and this is true in every culture.
22
Now, I know some people say, oh, but my country's different.
23
My culture is much more tough about standing out.
24
Well, maybe.
25
You know, maybe.
26
Japanese people always say this to me.
27
Oh, but in Japan, you can't stand out.
28
Well, bullshit.
29
Yes, you can.
30
Because there are plenty of successful Japanese entrepreneurs who do stand out.
31
There are plenty of interesting Japanese artists and filmmakers who do stand out, in fact, and they're very, very successful.
32
So it's not true that any country is so different that this won't work.
33
Yes, maybe it's a little more difficult, but it's only difficult in your head, in your mind.
34
That's the only difficult part.
35
All of this is happening in our heads because no one's going to smack you in the face if you're different.
36
right no one's going to kill you no one's going to lock you in jail just because you act strange
37
or different just because you stand out
38
what are we afraid of we're afraid of embarrassment
39
we're afraid of humiliation we're afraid of what other people will think
40
and what they will say and that's true in america too right people have an idea that,
41
oh, America, everybody's so free and everybody's independent and they do crazy stuff.
42
Well, you know what?
43
Yes, that's maybe more true than some countries.
44
But, you know, America is the same as every other place.
45
We have rules.
46
We have ideas about what is normal and what's not normal.
47
And if you're very different, you still have problems.
48
People still criticize you in America also.
49
So this is an international challenge.
50
It's true for all of us that the obstacle, the big challenge we have,
51
the big wall that's preventing us from succeeding is this fear, the fear of standing out,
52
fear of being humiliated or embarrassed,
53
the fear of failing, the fear that other people will say bad things about us or laugh at us or criticize us.
54
That's the thing that stops most of us.
55
That's why most of us don't reach our dreams,
56
don't succeed big the way we want to.
57
And I'll be honest, this was the number one obstacle, problem, challenge for me when I started Effortless English.
58
That's why I waited so long.
59
I waited too long.
60
I should have started this business many years ago.
61
Why didn't I start Effortless English five years ago?
62
I could have.
63
Why didn't I?
64
I wanted to.
65
I wanted to be independent, but I was afraid.
66
I'll be honest.
67
You know, I'm not, it's okay.
68
I don't mind saying it.
69
I don't mind being honest.
70
The truth is I was afraid.
71
I was afraid I would fail.
72
I thought, well, I don't know anything about business.
73
I'm not a businessman.
74
I'm a teacher.
75
And I thought, oh, you know, other people will criticize me.
76
Already, other teachers criticized me sometimes.
77
Bosses criticized me because I was a different teacher.
78
If I really do what I want to do, then people will criticize me a lot because I really want to be different,
79
and I really am very, very different.
80
I'm still pretending to be a little normal, but I'm not.
81
So, what happened is finally, a year and a half ago, I finally decided, enough.
82
Enough.
83
I am not afraid anymore.
84
I don't care what other people say.
85
I don't care what other people think.
86
This is my life, and I'm going to live my life my way.
87
So I started Effortless English.
88
I did it with basically no money.
89
The website was really ugly.
90
There was no technical skill at all with the internet or business.
91
I knew nothing about business. But you know what?
92
It succeeded because I was not afraid anymore.
93
I taught my way.
94
Yeah, sometimes strange, sometimes yelling, crazy, strange stories, a very different method.
95
The storytelling and asking method, this listen -only method, the no -grammar method,
96
all of those seven rules that you learn in my email course, all very, very different.
97
I knew they would work because there's a lot of research about them, but still nobody does them.
98
Why not?
99
If research shows this is the best method, that these are the best ways to teach English,
100
Why don't other schools use them?
101
Why not?
102
It's crazy.
103
Why not?
104
Because they're all afraid.
105
They're all afraid to be different.
106
So they all use the same textbooks from the big, big companies.
107
Even though they suck, they're terrible.
108
But it's safe, right?
109
Nobody's going to criticize them for using a really big popular textbook.
110
No teacher will lose their job because they're using a big popular textbook.
111
There's no risk.
112
It's safe.
113
It's easy.
114
So what I want you to think about is not my business, okay?
115
I'm okay.
116
I can take care of my business.
117
I want you to think about yourself.
118
What is it that you really want to do with your life?
119
Not just business, not just career, anything.
120
What is it you really, really want to do, but you have not done it?
121
Because you're afraid to stand out.
122
Do you want your own business?
123
Do you want to start a business, but you're afraid?
124
You're afraid you'll fail and people will laugh at you or people will criticize you?
125
Are you afraid to do something interesting and try a crazy idea at your job?
126
you don't do it because you're afraid your boss will be upset.
127
You're afraid other employees will laugh at you or criticize you.
128
Maybe it's something with your family.
129
Maybe your relationship with your husband or wife.
130
You're afraid to say something.
131
You're afraid to suggest something because, oh, they'll think I'm strange.
132
It's weird.
133
It's different.
134
Really think about it.
135
Really think about your big dreams.
136
If you knew you would succeed, what would you want to do?
137
What kind of life would you really, really want?
138
Would you stay at your same job?
139
Is it your dream job?
140
Do you love it?
141
Or do you go because it's safe?
142
Really, it's important to think about this.
143
Now, if you realize, oh, I am afraid, that's okay.
144
That's good.
145
You need to realize it.
146
You need to admit it.
147
You need to say honestly, this is my big dream and I am afraid to do it.
148
I have been afraid to do it.
149
don't pretend that you're not afraid.
150
It's okay.
151
If you're afraid, admit that you're afraid.
152
Recognize the fear.
153
Look at the fear.
154
Think about the fear.
155
That's the first step to move through the fear.
156
And the next thing you need to do is you need to take some action.
157
even when you're afraid, you'll still feel afraid.
158
It's okay.
159
You will still be afraid, but act anyway.
160
There's a nice phrase.
161
I can't remember the book, but there's a great phrase.
162
It says, feel the fear and do it anyway.
163
It's kind of a success formula.
164
Feel the fear, but do it anyway.
165
So the idea is don't wait until you're not afraid because you'll never do it because you'll always be afraid.
166
Fear is natural.
167
So you feel the fear.
168
You say, yes, I'm afraid.
169
I'm scared.
170
But you do it anyway.
171
If you do that, actually, eventually, the fear goes away.
172
But the way you defeat fear is with action.
173
It's the only way, really.
174
So in the beginning, you just have to feel it.
175
You have to feel that fear, and you do whatever you need to do anyway and you're scared to death and you still do it.
176
You're petrified, you still do something.
177
All right, so, and let me talk now,
178
let me just end now a little bit now and just specifically talk about business because these are business lessons.
179
Now, in business, especially if you have your own business or want to start your own business,
180
standing out is not a luxury, it's a necessity.
181
If you start your own business, you must be different.
182
I mean, think about it as a customer.
183
Right?
184
You're not going to choose a new company if they're the same.
185
Why would you?
186
Why would you change companies, buy from someone else, if they're the same as the company you already use?
187
If I drive a Toyota, and I'm happy with Toyotas.
188
I like Toyotas.
189
You know, why would I change to another company?
190
Well, I won't.
191
I won't change to another company unless another company does something
192
so interesting and different and exciting to me that I must change.
193
Now, that's different for every customer, of course.
194
but let's say you know you want me as a customer
195
and I like fast cars well
196
if you create a really fast cool car that's not too expensive then maybe I'll change
197
if it's very different but if it's the same as a Toyota I won't change
198
so this is even worse when you start a new business
199
because people are a little worried about new businesses right you're new you're not big they don't know your name.
200
They know nothing about you.
201
So for a new business, it's even more important to stand out.
202
If you have a huge company like
203
Toyota or Honda, well, you can be a little safe.
204
Everybody knows your name already.
205
But if you have a new business, it's vital, extremely important to be different,
206
different in a very interesting way for some small group of customers, some niche, right?
207
You know that word niche.
208
Niche means it's a small part of a market.
209
You don't try to sell to everybody.
210
Like, I don't try to sell to all English students.
211
I can't.
212
It's impossible, right?
213
It's a huge number.
214
It'd be great
215
if every English student in the world bought my lessons i'd be richer than bill gates
216
but the truth is they're not going to everybody's not going to buy my lessons
217
i have to find small niches small groups that fit me
218
that fit my style that fit my personality that fit my methods that i can solve their problems better than even very,
219
very big companies.
220
So that's what my niche,
221
my market niche, is very independent learners who can use computers and the internet and who are focused on speaking and listening,
222
who want to speak faster, naturally, automatically.
223
That's my niche.
224
That's who I sell to.
225
That's who I focus on.
226
That's who I make lessons for that's who I help.
227
I don't help students who want to learn writing and want to memorize grammar rules.
228
I don't help students who want to take tests.
229
It's a big market but I don't do it.
230
So you have to decide this.
231
You have to decide first who's your market?
232
Which small group are you going to help?
233
solve their problems.
234
And then number two, you have to stand out to that group.
235
You have to be different and remarkable,
236
crazy, extreme, very, very, very something so that they notice you and talk about you.
237
People talk about me.
238
Even when I was teaching in a school, they talked about me.
239
AJ's a crazy teacher.
240
He's always yelling.
241
At my school, all the students knew me even the students in other classes
242
because I was always yelling and jumping around
243
and telling crazy stories I was very very very different
244
I stood out the past tense right I stood out
245
now a lot of students really loved my style they loved me oh AJ's fantastic he's crazy he's fun.
246
He tells these great stories.
247
His method works.
248
I'm improving my speaking so much.
249
Yay, AJ.
250
We love you. But not all.
251
Some students in my class hated me.
252
They hated me.
253
He's always yelling and telling these stupid stories.
254
He never teaches from the grammar book.
255
He never uses the textbook.
256
He never gives us tests.
257
It's not serious.
258
I don't like it.
259
Some of these students complain to my boss.
260
He doesn't use the textbook.
261
He never follows the textbook or the system at the school, right?
262
And then my boss would get upset with me and meet with me.
263
Oh, I hear that you're not using the textbook.
264
Some students are complaining about you. That is the risk.
265
That is the price for standing out.
266
If you stand out, that will always happen. But that's good.
267
In marketing, in business, that is good.
268
That's what you want.
269
You want people to have strong feelings about you and your business or your career.
270
You want that.
271
Strong feelings means some people really hate you.
272
They don't like you.
273
They don't like your style.
274
They don't like your product.
275
They don't like your company.
276
But the magic part is that a lot of other people really, really love you.
277
They will be super loyal customers.
278
They will tell everybody about you or your business.
279
They will not leave you.
280
They will be your salespeople.
281
Better than you can do it.
282
They're going to tell lots and lots and lots and lots of other people about you.
283
Who cares about the people who hate you?
284
It doesn't matter.
285
You can create a huge successful business just with the people that love you, love you, love you.
286
People who hate you, let them find somebody else.
287
It's okay.
288
You can't be so sensitive.
289
In business, you just can't be sensitive.
290
You want strong reactions.
291
Strong reactions will give you a successful business strong reactions will give you a successful career.
292
Now, it won't be boring.
293
It won't be safe.
294
There will be some bad days.
295
But overall, that's the path to big success in anything, to be honest, but especially in business.
296
So think about that and start to take small actions first and then later big actions to stand out, to be different.
297
stop playing it safe go get your dreams all right i'll see you next time bye
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
A21
02.a Evil English Teacher - Effortless Flow English
KidsDaily Conversation
A210
04.b Stand Out MS - Effortless Business English
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
08.b The Way MS - Effortless Business English
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B11
07.b Wealth Steps MS - Effortless Business English
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
05.a True Wealth - Effortless Business English
Business EnglishWorking Adults
A21
1.02b A Kiss MS-A - Effortless Original English
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
Article #1 I Want to Dye my Hair Green - Learn English via Listening Level 02
TeensDaily Conversation
B21
03.e Solve a Problem Commentary - Effortless Business English
Business EnglishWorking Adults
C12
04.a Stand Out - Effortless Business English
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B15
02.c What Is Success? POV - Effortless Business English
Business EnglishWorking Adults
A25
03.b Solve a Problem MS - Effortless Business English
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B12
Unit 23 The Report - Listening Practice Through Dictation 2
Daily ConversationHigh School Students
B12
1.01a Day of the Dead - Effortless Original English
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B12
05.b True Wealth MS - Effortless Business English
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B16
02.a What Is Success? - Effortless Business English
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B25
04.d Stand Out Vocab - Effortless Business English
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B126
Unit 12 The Summer Music Festival - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
A210
01.b Financial Liberation MS - Effortless Business English
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B13
02.d What Is Success? Vocab - Effortless Business English
Business EnglishWorking Adults
A23
1.03b Bubba's Food MS-A - Effortless Original English
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B21
198 sentences
How to keep people’s attention in work presentations as an expert in your domain
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B22
117 sentences
Speak English Fast with JEFF BEZOS | Business English Shadowing & Pronunciation Practice (#32)
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B21
1004 sentences
ALL OF BUSINESS Explained in 58 Minutes (No BS, No Fluff)
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B24
110 sentences
The Most Critical Social Skill
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
73 sentences
Harness The Negativity | Free Sales Training Program | Sales School
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B21
248 sentences
Why Experienced Professionals Still Hesitate In English
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B21
435 sentences
Don't Lose the Room: How to Make Ideas Stick
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B26
44 sentences
How to Make People Feel HEARD
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B22
309 sentences
watch this before 2026
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
63 sentences
Vol 5 - test 1 - section 2
Business EnglishInterview EnglishWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “04.e Stand Out Commentary - Effortless Business English”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: afraid, fear, stand, student. This video has 297 sentences and 2512 words to shadow. The speech runs for 19:11. The speaker talks at a steady 131 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 90% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| criticize verb | /ˈkɹɪtɪsaɪz/ | To find fault (with something). |
| niche noun | /nɪt͡ʃ/ | A cavity, hollow, or recess, generally within the thickness of a wall, for a statue, bust, or other erect ornament. |
| textbook noun | /ˈtɛkst.bʊk/ | A coursebook, a formal manual of instruction in a specific subject, especially one for use in schools or colleges. |
| succeed verb | /səkˈsiːd/ | To follow something in sequence or time. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| yell verb | /jɛl/ | To shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice, especially to express intense emotions such as anger or excitement. |
| grammar noun | /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ | A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general. |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| sensitive adjective | /ˈsɛn.sɪt.ɪv/ | Having the faculty of sensation; pertaining to the senses. |
| solve verb | /sɒlv/ | To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out. |
| pretend verb | /pɹəˈtɛnd/ | To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| complain verb | /kəmˈpleɪn/ | To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment. |
| commentary noun | /ˈkɑ.mənˌtɛ.ɹi/ | A series of comments or annotations; especially, a book of explanations or expositions on the whole or a part of some other work. |
| scare verb | /skɛɚ/ | To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| stand out verb | To jut out, protrude (from a surface etc.). |
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. |
| jump around verb | To move erratically by jumping. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Do you want your own business?
- Do you want to start a business, but you're afraid?
- What kind of life would you really, really want?
- Would you stay at your same job?
- You have to decide first who's your market?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If you knew you would succeed · If you stand out, that will always |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | students who want · people who hate |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have not done · have been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are trained · being humiliated |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 95 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: luxury /ˈlʌk.ʃə.ɹi/, humiliation /hjuːˌmɪliˈeɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: commentary /ˈkɑ.mənˌtɛ.ɹi/, entrepreneur /ˌɑn.tɹə.pɹəˈnɝ/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, necessity /nɪˈsɛsəti/, embarrassment /ɪmˈbæɹ.əs.mənt/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like criticize, niche, textbook.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.