Shadowing Practice: 3 tips to boost your confidence-TED-Ed - Learn English Speaking with Video
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When faced with a big challenge where potential failure seems to lurk at every corner, maybe you've heard this advice before: Be more confident.
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And most likely this is what you think when you hear it: If only it were that simple. But what is confidence?
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Take the belief that you are valuable, worthwhile, and capable, also known as self -esteem,
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add in the optimism that comes when you are certain of your abilities, and then empowered by these, act courageously to face a challenge head -on.
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This is confidence.
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It turns thoughts into action.
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So where does confidence even come from?
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There are several factors that impact confidence.
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One, what you're born with, such as your genes, which will impact things like the balance of neurochemicals in your brain.
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Two, how you're treated.
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This includes the social pressures of your environment.
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And three, the part you have control over, the choices you make, the risks you take, and how you think about and respond to challenges and setbacks.
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It isn't possible to completely untangle these three factors, but the personal choices we make certainly play a major role in confidence development.
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So, by keeping in mind a few practical tips, we do actually have the power to cultivate our own confidence.
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Tip 1: A quick fix.
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There are a few tricks that can give you an immediate confidence boost in the short term.
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Picture your success when you're beginning a difficult task.
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Something as simple as listening to music with deep bass, it can promote feelings of power.
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You can even strike a powerful pose or give yourself a pep talk.
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change, consider the way you think about your abilities and talents.
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Do you think they are fixed at birth or that they can be developed like a muscle?
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These beliefs matter because they can influence how you act when you're faced with setbacks.
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If you have a fixed mindset, meaning that you think your talents are locked in place, you might give up assuming you've discovered something you're not very good at.
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But if you have a growth mindset and think your abilities can improve, a challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow.
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Neuroscience supports the growth mindset.
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The connections in your brain do get stronger and grow with study and practice.
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It also turns out, on average, people who have a growth mindset are more successful, getting better grades, and doing better in the face of challenges.
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Tip 3: Practice failure.
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Face it, you're going to fail sometimes.
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Everyone does.
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J .K.
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Rowling was rejected by 12 different publishers before one picked up
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"Harry Potter." The Wright brothers built on history's failed attempts at flight, including some of their own before designing a successful airplane.
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Studies show that those who fail regularly
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and keep trying anyway are better equipped to respond to challenges and setbacks in a constructive way.
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They learn how to try different strategies, ask others for advice and persevere.
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So, think of a challenge you want to take on.
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Realize it's not going to be easy.
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Accept that you'll make mistakes, and be kind to yourself when you do.
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give yourself a pep talk stand up and go for it the excitement you'll feel knowing that whatever the result,
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you'll have gained greater knowledge and understanding.
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This is confidence.
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Hmm.
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you you
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 44 sentences and 558 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:04. The speaker talks at a steady 137 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mindset noun | /ˈmaɪn(d)ˌsɛt/ | A way of thinking; an attitude or opinion, especially a habitual one. |
| belief noun | /bɪˈliːf/ | Mental acceptance of a claim as true. |
| practical adjective | /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/ | Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis. |
| trick noun | /ˈtɹɪk/ | Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. |
| muscle noun | /ˈmʌs.əl/ | A contractile form of tissue which animals use to effect movement. |
| boost verb | /buːst/ | To lift or push from behind (one who is endeavoring to climb); to push up. |
| discover verb | /dɪˈskʌvə/ | To find or learn something for the first time. |
| gene noun | /d͡ʒiːn/ | A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms which may take several values and (in principle) predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form… |
| bass noun | /beɪs/ | A low spectrum of sound tones. |
| excitement noun | /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/ | The state of being excited (emotionally aroused). |
| publisher noun | /ˈpʌblɪʃɚ/ | A person or (especially) a company who publishes, especially books. |
| pose verb | /poʊz/ | To place in an attitude or fixed position, for the sake of effect. |
| airplane noun | /ˈɛɹˌpleɪ̯n/ | A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings: a fixed-wing aircraft with at least one engine or electric motor. |
| esteem verb | /ɪˈstiːm/ | To set a high value on; to regard with respect or reverence. |
| constructive adjective | /kənˈstɹʌktɪv/ | Relating to or causing construction. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. |
| stand up verb | To rise from a lying or sitting position. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've heard · you've discovered · have gained |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are fixed · are locked · was rejected |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | genes, which will · people who have · those who fail |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, you'll, you've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 mindset, belief, practical.
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.