Shadowing Practice: 5 Speed Reading Techniques to Read Faster and Retain More - Learn English Speaking with Video

Did you know 33 % of Americans didn't read a single book last year

and only 12 % read one book all the way to the end?

Probably just to forget everything they just read.

Meanwhile, the most successful people in the world, they read religiously and actually apply what they read in their daily lives.

Reading gives you a massive competitive edge.

If somebody has decades of experience they put into a book

and you can read

that book in a few days you could download decades in a days there's no bigger advantage

and today I'm going to teach you how to double your reading speed

and actually remember what you read

so you can unlock the limitless possibilities in your mind

and in your life I've used these exact techniques to train actors CEOs students at Harvard University,

and lifelong learners across the globe.

By the end, you'll learn five proven speed reading strategies that you can start using in just 10 minutes.

So let's dive in.

We live in an era of information.

There's never been more to read.

Think about social media, emails, reports, messages, Google searches, AI, information overload is very real.

Most people waste hours and hours of their day just trying to catch up, never realizing how much time they are losing.

Let's say you have four hours of reading a day and you could just double your reading speed.

You could save two hours a day.

What's two hours a day across a year, right?

Or even one hour day is what 365 hours how many 40 hour work weeks is

that over nine

so you get two months of productivity back just by improving your reading how do you unlock

and save more of

that valuable time first you have to find out what your baseline is your base rate

so what i want you to do

and let's make this interactive remember learning is not a spectator

sport is i want you to set a timer on your phone for 60 seconds.

And I want you to read naturally as you would normally would.

Then count how many lines you just read.

And that's your base rate.

That's your starting point.

So pause this, grab a book, put a mark in the margin where you are starting, and then time yourself for 60 seconds.

Put a mark in the margin where you left off

and then count the number of lines okay hopefully you just did

that remember don't learn this passively pause it

and do it now to get the benefit

because in order to manage something you have to measure it so now

that you know your base rate your baseline let's dive into

technique number one meta guiding most of us were taught to read out loud

while we're in school and even when we stopped moving our lips we kept doing it inside of our heads.

You ever notice when you're reading something, you hear that inner voice inside your head?

Hopefully it's your own voice.

It's not like somebody else's voice.

That's called sub -vocalization.

And it slows you down because you can only read as fast as your inner voice,

which is about 150, 200 words per minute.

Meta -guiding helps you to break that habit by using a visual pacer.

It could be your finger, a pen, a highlighter, even a cursor on a computer to guide your eyes across the page.

And here's how it works.

Place your finger just under the line you're reading.

Start moving it steadily left to right just a bit faster than you normally read.

Let your eyes follow that movement without trying to say the words inside your head.

It might feel a little strange at first especially

if you were told not to use your finger while reading

but the truth is your eyes naturally follow motion and

when you use a pacer like this you retrain your brain to process words visually not

so much audibly this alone can significantly increase your reading speed

while also improving your reading focus and reduce backtracking or back skipping.

They call it regression.

Try it and you'll see a difference almost immediately.

Number two, the technique is called chunking.

Now don't confuse chunking with skimming.

They're very different.

Skimming is about jumping through text, skipping words, and hoping to catch a few key phrases.

Chunking, on the other hand, is about training your eyes and your mind to read in meaningful blocks of information.

Think of it this way.

Your brain doesn't process language one letter at a...

time it recognizes patterns it recognizes phrases

and structures that's why chunking works it allows you to absorb multiple words at once without reading each one individually

and here's how you can apply it instead of focusing on

one word at a time start focusing on groups of maybe three words you can look at a word

and see the word to the left and see the word to the right

because if you're looking at the center of a line,

you can let your peripheral vision capture the rest and practice reading line by line with a wider lens.

You can gradually expand the width of what you take in with each glance.

They call it a fixation, an eye stop.

You're retraining your visual field and teaching your brain to process more with less effort.

It may feel awkward at first because it's different

but with practice you'll stop reading like a printer one letter

or word at a time

and start reading like your brain was designed to in chunks this one shift alone can dramatically

and drastically reduce the time you spend reading

while improving your reading rhythm comprehension

and overall flow are you a high achiever constantly seeking

that next level of success welcome to the quick success program it's a deep dive

and support system to master your life and scale to new heights in personal

and professional achievement included is our exclusive monthly book club where

we process transformative ideas from amazing books to level up your learning

and your life we also bring the author to the club to answer your burning questions.

You could also participate in monthly live coaching calls with me where your questions meet my decades of expertise.

Simply go to quicksuccess .com.

That's K -W -I -K success .com and choose the plan that works best for you.

Number three, this is a big one, the testing effect.

Most people hear the word test and immediately tense up.

But what if I told you that testing yourself could actually make you better at reading.

The testing effect is a well -studied psychological phenomenon where practicing under time pressure strengthens both your focus and your memory.

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But here's the key.

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Don't treat it like a test.

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What I do is I treat it like a game.

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If you've ever played a game, let's say it's Mario Kart or any game with a timer,

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you probably push yourself to beat your last time, right?

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Lap after lap until you hit first place.

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Think of this technique as the reading version of Mario Kart.

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And here's how to use it.

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I want you to set a timer for five or maybe 10 minutes max and read using the techniques we've already covered.

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Count how many lines or pages you get through just like we did the first time.

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So pick up where you left off and practice reading.

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Then the next day, I want you to beat your number, right?

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To surpass what you did, your personal record.

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This technique not only helps you read faster, but it also trains your brain to stay focused under pressure.

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And that pressure actually deepens your learning because your brain treats it as high priority information.

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This turns reading into an active challenge instead of a passive habit.

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So if you've ever thought I'm just bad at tests, rewire that thought.

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You're not testing yourself to pass, you're playing to improve.

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Keep it light, keep it fun, and watch your speed climb.

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Number four, pre -reading scan, also known as priming.

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This is where speed reading meets reading strategy or smart reading because real speed reading isn't about racing through words.

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It's about reading with purpose.

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Without a reason, you won't get the result.

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Before diving into whatever you're reading, a book, an article, a report,

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research, take just 30 to 60 seconds to scan the material.

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And what are you looking for?

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I want you to look at headlines sub headlines bullets bold

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or italic texts look at charts look at diagrams illustrations summaries

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think of this like glancing at the map before you go on that road trip you're not memorizing every

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turn you're just getting a sense of the direction why does this matter

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because your brain is a prediction machine

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when it knows what's coming it processes information faster it makes far stronger connections

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and retains more so this is called priming

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and it's backed by comprehension research that shows how previewing content boosts focus and comprehension and understanding So instead of reading blind,

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you're reading with a mental GPS.

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You're telling your brain, here's what to expect.

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So get ready.

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You're priming yourself.

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And just like you wouldn't walk into a meeting without reviewing the agenda, don't dive into deep reading without giving your brain the same advantage.

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Pre -reading takes less than a minute, but it can completely shift how much you understand and how fast you move through the material.

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And finally, number five, active recall.

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What is it?

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Reading something once isn't enough.

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If you want to remember what you read, you have to engage with it.

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And one of the most effective ways to do that is through active recall, what I call quick recall, and more specifically by saying it out loud.

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And here's how it works.

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After you finish reading a section, let's say it's a book, close the book.

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Then take a moment and try to recall what you just learned but say it out loud.

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That's the key.

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As if you're explaining it to someone else.

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This taps into what's called the production effect.

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Research shows that saying information out loud strengthens your memory and retention far more than just thinking about it passively.

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It forces you to retrieve the information, to organize the information, and express it clearly, all of which deepens your reading understanding.

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If you want to go a step further, combine speaking it out loud with writing down the key points afterwards.

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This activates multiple parts of your brain, including visual, verbal, and your motor functions to help lock in your learning.

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That's how you go from passive reading to active reading, to active retention.

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And if you want to dive deeper into how to actually remember what you learn, I highly recommend checking out my video,

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How to Remember Things, where I walk you through three science -based strategies to boost your recall and retention.

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These techniques have transformed the lives of millions of people,

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and they started by transforming mine if you take even just one of these techniques

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and put it into action you're going to start unlocking more knowledge more confidence

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and more time you'll be able to absorb information much faster retain more

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and apply it in ways

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that move you towards your full potential now make sure you go

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and save this video so you can come back to it whenever you need a quick refresher.

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If you want to magnify the results of your reading, go to quickreading .com.

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Quickreading .com is a 21 -day program, just 10 to 15 minutes a day, where we're guaranteed to triple your reading speed with far better comprehension,

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focus, retention, and overall reading enjoyment.

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So thank you for spending this time with me.

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You're already taking a very powerful step forward, and I can't wait to see where it takes you.

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Also, I'd love to know what book are you reading right now?

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I'm always looking for good suggestions or what's next on your to -read list.

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Share it in the comments below.

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Don't forget to like and subscribe for more brain health and performance accelerated learning strategies.

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I'll see you in our next video and until then, remember, stay limitless.

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What You'll Practice in This Lesson

Ready to boost your English skills while learning how to read faster? This lesson combines english speaking practice with practical speed - reading tips from the video. You'll practice shadowing (or "shadow speak") the speaker's tone and pace, all while picking up new vocabulary. By the end, you'll not only know how to double your reading speed but also feel more confident speaking English naturally.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

Religiously: Doing something regularly and seriously (e.g., "Successful people read religiously").
Information overload: Feeling overwhelmed by too much information.
Baseline: A starting point to measure progress (e.g., "Find your reading baseline").
Sub - vocalization: The inner voice you hear when reading silently.
Meta - guiding: Using a visual pacer (like a finger) to read faster.
Competitive edge: An advantage over others (e.g., "Reading gives a competitive edge").

Practice Tips for Shadowing

Shadowing (or "shadowspeak") is a great way to improve your English speaking. Here's how to do it with this video:

Start slow: Pause the video after 5 - 10 seconds, then repeat the speaker's words. Focus on matching their tone and stress (e.g., emphasize "massive" in "massive competitive edge").
Copy the pace: The speaker talks at a natural, engaging speed. Try to keep up—this helps with fluency. If you stumble, rewind and try again.
Focus on key phrases: Phrases like "unlock limitless possibilities" or "save two hours a day" are useful. Repeat them until they feel natural on your tongue.
Practice daily: Even 10 minutes a day of shadowspeaks will make a difference. You'll not only improve your speaking but also remember the speed - reading techniques better!

Learning English with videos is fun and effective—so hit play, start shadowing, and watch your skills grow. You've got this!

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	There's never been · you've ever played · we've already covered
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	were taught · were told · is called

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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What You'll Practice in This Lesson

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

Practice Tips for Shadowing

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What is the Shadowing Technique?