Shadowing Practice: 3 Simple Steps to Become Fluent in English - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Teacher, how do I become a confident speaker of English?
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Well, to attain communicative competence, you should engage in a tripartite pedagogical framework.
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First, engage in contextual input processing by...
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Excuse me, teacher, please, in simple English?
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Oh, well, just follow a simple three-step system.
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Let me get Keith to show you.
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Hello, it's Keith from the Keith Speaking Academy and the YouTube channel, English Speaking Success, here to help you become a more confident speaker of English.
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Now, students ask some great questions like, Keith, how can I improve my English speaking?
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How can I become more confident?
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Well, it's a great question.
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But sometimes teachers give rather long and confusing answers to this, right?
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And sometimes that leaves the student frustrated and they then waste more time trying to look for a better answer.
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So today, as I always try to do, I want to give you a really simple answer to this question.
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How do I become a confident speaker of English?
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And the answer is a simple, proven, three-step system that will transform your English speaking.
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And it's a system that is at the heart of my gold course.
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And in fact, it's the system I follow for all of my courses, really, because it just works.
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Now, I think many teachers of you will know the theory behind this, but I just wanted to simplify it to make it really simple
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so that students like you understand and can implement and follow it.
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I call this the speaking success system, and I'm sure it will help you become a more confident speaker of English.
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Now, some of you who are very clever and maybe follow my courses will say, hang on, Keith, speaking success system has four steps.
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It used to, but I've simplified it to make it even easier to follow and easier for students to understand.
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Because of course, with simplicity comes comes what?
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Fluency?
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Confidence?
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I'm not sure.
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But simplicity, I think, makes it easier to follow.
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So here is the system, right?
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Step one, discover.
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Step two, practice.
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Step three, review.
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Simple as that.
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Let's go into a bit more detail.
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So the first step to becoming a better speaker and learning new language is to find new language.
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Part of the problem I have here in Spain with my Spanish is that I say the same things day after day.
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I keep using the same words.
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I'm not really discovering any new language.
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So that's the first step.
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You have to discover language.
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You can do that by listening or by reading.
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You can listen to podcasts, radio, TV shows, read books, articles, whatever it is.
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But discover the language.
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I say discover because it is a bit like being a hunter or a pirate.
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You want that sense of curiosity,
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that you want to look for things that are interesting and that you can steal and take and make your language.
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So discover the language.
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A key part of this is learning in context, because when you listen to something or read it, you see the language in context.
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That's so important.
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A, because it's easier to get the meaning in context.
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And B, you can see or hear how to use it.
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So it's easier to use in the future.
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Step one, discover the language.
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In the Gold course, the text
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that we use is we use model answers to discover the language because that's what IELTS students are focused on.
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In some courses, I actually use stories or listening activities.
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In my live lessons, I use listening activities to discover the language.
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Let's move on.
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Step number two is practice.
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Now, if you want to become a confident speaker, you have to practice speaking.
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Full stop.
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Otherwise, you're going to spend years learning vocabulary and the grammar rules, but you still can't speak.
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So, practice is important.
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There are two ways to practice, either on your own, great, or with other people, even better.
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Okay.
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How do you actually do that though?
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I mean, how do you practice, for example, on your own with all the grammar and vocabulary that you have discovered, right?
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Well, I've made a video all about that.
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There are three simple steps to follow.
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You can have a look up here, go later.
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Basically, it goes from controlled practice, kind of repeating, to semi-controlled, to repeating and changing, to free practice, conversation.
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Controlled, semi-controlled, free.
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Different ways of practicing.
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In my gold course, we have special videos where I talk you through different ways of practicing on your own,
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from repeating words, to repeating chunks or phrases, to changing a word, to changing the tense,
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using synonyms, antonyms, substitutes, all sorts of different ways of doing it.
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And you can do that on your own, super flexible.
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There's also the opportunity to speak to other people.
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So we have online speaking practice rooms where with two or three other students,
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students around the world, you get to practice speaking different topics and IELTS questions.
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It's all in the practice.
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So you're activating the language you have discovered.
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Let's move on.
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Okay, step three is to review.
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And this is super important because we know from research, basically, that if you don't review within a day,
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you're going to forget about 70% of everything you've learned.
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And over the next few days, you need to review again to make sure you're not forgetting everything.
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This is often why people forget because they're not reviewing.
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Okay.
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Now, you can review by rereading the same text you've studied,
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re-watching the same video, reviewing the same PDF lesson notes that you've studied.
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All of that is good, but it's probably not enough because what you need to do is see the language in different contexts.
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So if you've read a text about the environment, you need to read a different text about the environment where some of
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that same language will come up or watch a different video on the same topic
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or listen to a story on the same topic where some of the words will come up again.
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nowadays what's really good with AI ChatGPT is you can get it to create your own story
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or your own text or news article based on that vocabulary
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so if you've learned these 10 words put them into ChatGPT ask it to give you a news article
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and there is a new context reviewing those words perfect dead
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easy in my courses in particular the gold course we review with quizzes is a nice way to review.
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So testing yourself is reviewing, reading stories, listening to the course again, but maybe on a podcast.
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So all of the courses have a private podcast.
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You can actually listen to it again, which is great.
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We also have the practice rooms, the speaking practice rooms.
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What a lot of people don't realise is that by practising again, you are also reviewing.
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So practicing is a way of reviewing as well, right?
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Lots of ways to review, but it's really, really important.
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You do it on a regular basis.
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Now, don't be confused that you're going to review exactly the same words.
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That doesn't always happen.
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They come up at different points in time.
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So you have to be patient.
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And over time studying, you'll be recycling a lot of language anyway.
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So there is the simple three step forward, right?
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Discover, practice and review.
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It looks like they're all separate.
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But as all educators will know, language learning is very messy,
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not football messy, messy as in a mess, complicated mixed up.
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The discovering is connected with the practice.
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The practice can be the reviewing.
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It's all a bit of a cycle.
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It just goes round and round and round.
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It's not neat, right?
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It looks neat on paper, but the reality is it's not neat.
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It's messy.
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So be prepared for that.
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Be patient, but keep going through, okay?
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Follow this speaking success system and you will become a more confident speaker of English.
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Simple as that.
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And now you know the speaking success system, you can go ahead and use it.
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If you join my course, you'll use it, but you can also just use it on your own, right?
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And it will transform your speaking skills.
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It'll make you a more confident speaker.
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Here's an action step for you.
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Go back a look at some recent study activity you did for learning English.
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Compare it to the Discover Practice Review system.
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Are you following that system?
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And if not, if you can see a gap, fill the gap.
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Change it.
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If you're not reviewing, start reviewing.
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If you're not really practicing very much, start doing that.
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Okay.
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So take your own study activity and map it to the speaking success system.
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And if you carry on doing this, it will transform how you speak English, really.
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If you want more help, come and join us on the Gold Course, where you'll be doing lots of discovering through hundreds of model answers, latest IELTS topics.
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We'll be doing lots of practice, speaking to students around the world,
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as well as flexibly on your own and reviewing in a fun and motivating way with stories, podcasts, all of that.
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Come and join us.
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I know it sounds like an advert.
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It's not.
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It's just letting you know that it's there if you want it.
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If you've enjoyed this video, do subscribe, give me a like, and also look out for the next video.
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Watch that because it'll show you in more detail how you can practice speaking on your own.
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What I mentioned in the middle of this video.
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Go and check that out as your next video.
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Thanks for watching, and I'll see you very, very soon.
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Take care.
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Bye-bye.
Why Practice Speaking with This Video?
Learning English with YouTube videos like this one offers a dynamic and engaging way to improve your speaking skills. The speaker clearly outlines a three-step system that not only breaks down the process of becoming a confident speaker but also gives you a practical framework to follow. By practicing with videos, you immerse yourself in authentic dialogue, helping you to pick up natural speech patterns and expressions. This method of shadow speech encourages active listening and speaking, which are vital components of language acquisition. Engaging with this material helps you build communication confidence and reinforces your understanding of English in a practical context.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
In the video, the speaker uses various grammatical structures and phrases that can aid in your understanding of conversational English. Here are a few key ones:
- “How do I become a confident speaker of English?” - This question structure is essential for initiating conversations and seeking guidance.
- “I call this the speaking success system.” - Utilizing phrases like “I call this” helps you introduce concepts clearly in discussions.
- “Discover, Practice, Review.” - This imperative structure is useful for giving instructions and guiding listeners on steps to take.
Understanding these expressions in context enhances your ability to use them effectively when speaking. By noting how these phrases are delivered within the conversational flow, you can imitate and adapt them in your own speech.
Common Pronunciation Traps
While watching the video, pay attention to certain words and phrases that may present pronunciation challenges. For example:
- The word “system” often trips up learners. Make sure to emphasize the first syllable: SY-steem.
- “Practice” can be pronounced with a soft “i”, which might be confusing—focus on the clear “pract-iss” sound.
- Words like “discover” and “context” are crucial when discussing language learning; ensure you emphasize the correct syllables for clarity.
By practicing these words repeatedly, particularly through techniques like shadowspeak, you can improve your English pronunciation significantly. Don’t hesitate to mimic the speaker's rhythm and intonation, as this will aid in your fluency and help you sound more natural during conversations.
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.