Shadowing Practice: 20 Collocations to Boost Your Business English - Learn English Speaking with Video

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If you want to sound more natural, fluent and professional when you speak English, collocations are essential.
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These are word combinations that we see and hear very often and just sound right.
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Like make a decision or take responsibility.
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In this lesson I'm going to teach you 20 essential business collocations from intermediate to advanced.
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Before we get started I just want to let you know
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about my free professional English phrase booster with over 50 smart phrases to help you with meetings, presentations, projects and more.
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It's completely free for you to download and you'll find the link in the video description below.
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And you'll find more information about my online courses there too.
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And now let's get started.
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For each collocation I'll share a simple definition and two example sentences.
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I'll say each sentence twice.
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To practice your speaking and pronunciation skills, pause the video after each example and repeat out loud.
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Our first collocation is make a decision.
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Make a decision, which means to decide what to do in a specific situation.
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Our examples, we need to make a decision by Friday
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or risk delaying the whole project we need to make a decision by Friday
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or risk delaying the whole project if you want pause the video now
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and repeat the sentence out loud example two Paolo needed a few days to make a decision about the job offer
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Paolo needed a few days to make a decision about the
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job offer next we have schedule a meeting schedule a meeting
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and this means to arrange a time for a meeting to
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happen first example I'll schedule a meeting with the client for
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Tuesday I'll schedule a meeting with the client for Tuesday example
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two can you schedule a quick meeting with the tech team
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this afternoon can you schedule a quick meeting with the tech
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team this afternoon next collocation is join a meeting join a meeting
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which means to take part in a meeting can you join
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the meeting tomorrow morning can you join the meeting tomorrow morning
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second example Susan won't be able to join the meeting today
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because she's out sick Susan won't be able to join the meeting today
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because she's out sick next we have meet a deadline meet a deadline
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which means to finish something on time we worked all weekend
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to meet the deadline for the product launch we worked all weekend to meet the deadline for the product launch Second example,
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if we don't meet the deadline, the client will not be happy.
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If we don't meet the deadline, the client will not be happy.
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Our next one is give feedback.
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Give feedback, which means to share your opinion about someone's work.
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She asked her manager to give her some feedback on her presentation skills.
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She asked her manager to give her some feedback on her presentation skills us.
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Everyone was encouraged to give feedback on the new training program.
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Everyone was encouraged to give feedback on the new training program.
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Next collocation is to run a project.
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Run a project, which means to manage or lead a project.
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She has experience running projects in both marketing and operations.
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She has experience running projects in both marketing and operations.
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I don't think Tom has enough experience to run this project.
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I don't think Tom has enough experience to run this project.
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Make sure to leave a comment and let me know
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which collocations you find most helpful and feel free to leave your own example sentences using some of the collocations.
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One more intermediate collocation before we move on to the upper intermediate ones.
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Set a goal.
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Set a goal.
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And that means to decide what you want to achieve.
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We've set a goal to increase sales by 8 % this quarter.
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We've set a goal to increase sales by 8 % this quarter.
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Every team member should set at least one personal goal for the month.
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Every team member should set at least one personal goal for the month.
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Okay, now let's move on to some upper intermediate collocations.
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And the first one we have is reach an agreement.
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Reach an agreement, which means to decide on something together after discussion.
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Our first example, the negotiations were tough, but we finally reached an agreement.
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The negotiations were tough, but we finally reached an agreement.
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Second example, we need to reach an agreement before we can move forward.
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We need to reach an agreement before we can move forward.
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Next we have raise a concern.
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Raise a concern which means to say something could be a problem.
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You're welcome to raise any concerns during the Q &A session.
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You're welcome to raise any concerns during the Q &A session.
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Several staff members raised concerns about the increased workload.
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Several staff members raised concerns about the increased workload.
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Next we have take the lead.
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Take the lead which means to be the first to act or guide others in a task meeting or project.
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Take the lead.
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If no one steps up I'll take the lead and get us started.
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If no one steps up, I'll take the lead and get us started.
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When the discussion went off topic, Maya took the lead and brought everyone back to the main point.
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When the discussion went off topic, Maya took the lead and brought everyone back to the main point.
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Next up, we have address an issue.
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Address an issue, which means to talk about and try to solve a problem.
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Good question.
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I'll be addressing that issue after I've finished this point.
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Good question.
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I'll be addressing that issue after I've finished this point.
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The company is working to address issues raised by employees.
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The company is working to address issues raised by employees.
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Our next collocation is draw up a contract draw up a contract
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which means to write and prepare the official details of an agreement
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so it's ready to be signed the legal team is drawing
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up a contract for the new supplier the legal team is
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drawing up a contract for the new supplier can you draw
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up a contract by the end of the week can you draw up a contract by the end of the week?
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Next up we have set priorities.
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Set priorities, which means to decide what's most important.
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She helped the team set clear priorities for the week.
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She helped the team set clear priorities for the week.
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Learning to set priorities is key when managing multiple deadlines.
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Learning to set priorities is key when managing multiple deadlines.
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Next we have provide an update.
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Provide an update, which means to share new information.
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The boss wants you to provide an update on the project next week.
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The boss wants you to provide an update on the project next week.
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I'll provide a full update at tomorrow's team meeting.
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I'll provide a full update at tomorrow's team meeting.
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Don't forget to leave a comment and let me know
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which collocations you find most useful or to leave your own example sentences using some of the collocations from this lesson.
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And now let's move on to some more advanced collocations.
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First we have gain a competitive edge.
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Gain a competitive edge, which means to be better than others in your industry.
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Offering 24 -hour support should help us to gain a competitive edge.
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Offering 24 -hour support should help us to gain a competitive edge.
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We're investing in AI to gain a competitive edge in the market.
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We're investing in AI to gain a competitive edge in the market.
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Next we have allocate resources.
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Allocate resources which means to decide how to use money, time or staff.
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We need to allocate resources to both the development and marketing teams.
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We need to allocate resources to both the development and marketing teams.
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Let's discuss how best to allocate our resources for the next phase.
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Let's discuss how best to allocate our resources for the next phase.
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Implement a strategy.
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Implement a strategy, which basically means to put a plan into action.
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They implemented a new strategy to reduce staff turnover.
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We can't implement the strategy until everyone is trained.
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We can't implement the strategy until everyone is trained.
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Next we have establish a reputation.
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Establish a reputation which means to build a strong image over time.
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The company has established a reputation for excellent service.
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The company has established a reputation for excellent service.
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She quickly established a reputation as a strong team leader.
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She quickly established a reputation as a strong team leader.
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Our next collocation is streamline processes.
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Streamline processes, which means to make work more efficient.
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We're working to streamline processes and cut down on admin time.
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We're We're working to streamline processes and cut down on admin time.
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The new system will help us to streamline the approval process.
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The new system will help us to streamline the approval process.
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Our next collocation is monitor performance.
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Monitor performance, which means to check how well someone or something is doing.
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We use weekly reports to monitor performance across all teams.
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We use weekly reports to monitor performance across all teams.
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Managers should regularly monitor team performance and give feedback.
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Managers should regularly monitor team performance and give feedback.
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I hope you found this lesson helpful.
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If you liked it, give it a thumbs up, leave a comment and share with your colleagues and friends.
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And make sure to watch one of these next.

Why Practice Speaking with This Business English Video?

Mastering business collocations is key to sounding professional and fluent, and this video delivers 20 high-value phrases used daily in work settings. Practicing with it helps you naturally integrate these combinations into your speech, making meetings, emails, and presentations feel less scripted. The shadowing technique—repeating phrases aloud after the speaker—boosts pronunciation and fluency, turning passive learning into active skill. Whether you’re prepping for a promotion or global collaboration, these collocations bridge the gap between "good" and "confident" business communication.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The video uses practical structures that simplify complex ideas. For example, "make a decision" (not "do a decision") follows the common verb-noun collocation pattern, a cornerstone of natural English. Phrases like "schedule a meeting" and "meet a deadline" use simple verbs to convey specific actions, avoiding overcomplication. Notice how "run a project" replaces clunky phrases like "manage the leadership of a project"—conciseness is key in business. The speaker also uses conditional structures ("if we don’t meet the deadline...") to highlight consequences, a critical tool for negotiations. These patterns are easy to replicate with shadow speak, making them stick faster.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Tricky words in the video include "collocations" (stress on the third syllable: col-lo-CA-tions) and "deadline" (avoid overemphasizing the "d"—it’s soft, not "DEAD-line"). The phrase "give feedback" often trips learners; the "v" in "give" should connect smoothly to "feedback" (no pause). Using the shadowing technique here helps. For example, repeat "She asked her manager to give her some feedback" slowly, focusing on linking "give her" into one flow. A shadowing app can help you compare your rhythm to the speaker’s, fixing timing issues that make speech sound stilted. With practice, these traps become second nature.

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.