Shadowing Practice: 5 Tiny Habits That Make You Instantly Magnetic - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Magnetic people don't hustle for attention.
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They don't try harder.
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They don't people please.
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What they do is actually so much simpler.
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A few very small things, almost invisible to others, that completely shift the energy in the room.
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And these five habits, they changed how people responded to me instantly.
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Now to be clear, I did not come out of the womb magnetic.
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Quite the opposite.
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I was painfully shy growing up.
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I never raised my hand in class.
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I rarely spoke in groups.
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My mom even had to conspire with my teacher to get me to come out of my shell.
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And my friends, the people I trusted, would say things like, Kim, you're so quiet.
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The truth is, I was terrified of being judged and scrutinized.
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Fast forward to today, totally different story.
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I actually love walking into a room full of strangers.
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I love striking up conversations, speaking in front of people.
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Honestly, it feels a little like play to me now.
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This past summer, I was invited to an exclusive mastermind for established entrepreneurs hosted by Ali Abdaal.
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I didn't know a soul and I had the best time.
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I just let myself enjoy meeting new people and it led to all kinds of connections.
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I had some really great conversations, including with Ali himself.
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I made a lot of new contacts and have been having ongoing follow -up conversations with people in fairly high places,
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messaging me about pre -ordering my book that comes out next summer and inviting me to some future events.
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My old self would have been shocked.
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So what changed?
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Honestly, it's not magic.
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It's these five small habits that I'm about to share with you.
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So let's jump right in.
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Habit number one, the two -second eye contact rule.
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Magnetic people use eye contact not to dominate, but to connect.
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There's actually research on this.
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People who hold eye contact about 60 to 70 % of the time are rated as more confident, more likable, and even more trustworthy.
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But here's the tiny tweak that changes everything.
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When you're greeting someone or in conversation, hold their gaze just two seconds longer than feels natural.
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That's it.
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Now, quick disclaimer, I am not telling you to go full unblinking serial killer stare.
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Please don't do that.
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This is just about being present, giving the other person the sense that they are worth your attention for those extra two seconds.
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I've seen how powerful this is in all kinds of situations.
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One time I tried it in the most ordinary setting, ordering coffee.
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I just held eye contact a beat longer with the barista and immediately she smiled wider, her whole energy shifted.
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It was tiny but it made me realize how much it changes the vibe.
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And when I was practicing medicine, I noticed the same thing with patients.
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If I sat down, looked them in the eye for just a moment longer, their shoulders would drop, they'd relax, they'd feel like they mattered,
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and it only took two extra seconds.
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It's such a tiny thing, but it sends the signal, I see you, I'm here with you, and people respond to that.
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But eye contact isn't the only thing that people are reading.
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Before you even open your mouth, you're already sending another set of signals that can make or break your first impression.
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And most of us, we get this one wrong without even realizing it.
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I used to, big time.
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I would walk into a room with my shoulders rounded, arms crossed, trying to disappear into the wallpaper.
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And of course, people responded to me exactly like that.
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Quiet, reserved, forgettable.
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It wasn't until I made this one small shift that everything changed.
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I call it the open posture reset and it's habit number two.
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So here's the thing, before you even say a word, your body has already introduced you.
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People are constantly reading signals from your posture, your shoulders, the way you walk into a room.
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Magnetic people don't fold in on themselves, they expand.
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They're not puffing themselves up, they are just sending the signal i belong here now research backs
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this up you may have heard of the harvard study on
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power poses amy cuddy's work the long -term effects are debated
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but the truth is in the short term posture absolutely influences how others see you
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and more importantly it influences how you feel the tiny habit
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when you walk into a room or sit down with someone
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check in with your body uncross your arms relax your shoulders
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angle your torso toward the person in front of you it's like a one second reset button
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i remember going to a huge cocktail mixer at a writer's conference in new york city a few years ago
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i didn't know a soul
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but i made the choice to walk in like i belonged
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there not like i was the most important person in the room not pretending, but just head up, shoulders back, open to connection.
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And the difference was night and day.
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I met tons of writers and agents and editors and even
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Lee Child himself.
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Yes, the Jack Reacher guy.
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That night really drove it home for me.
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When your body says, I belong here, people feel it and they respond to you completely differently.
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But posture alone isn't enough.
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You can look look confident and still leave people feeling like you don't really see them.
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And here's where so many of us trip up.
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We get caught up in our own nerves or in what we're going to say next.
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And the other person walks away thinking, okay, nice enough, but forgettable.
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By the way, if you want to start weaving habits like these into your daily life,
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I just want to pause for a sec and let you know that I put together something for you.
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It's called The Reset, a free five -day challenge to help you to reset your energy, your focus, and your confidence.
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The link is below, so check that out.
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Okay, back to it.
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What changes this whole dynamic is one of the simplest tricks I've ever learned.
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It's subtle, it's powerful, and it makes people feel instantly important.
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I call it the name echo, and this is habit number three.
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So here's the secret.
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Magnetic people make other people feel seen.
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And one of the simplest ways to do that is to use their name naturally, not excessively, in conversation.
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There's actual neuroscience on this.
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Hearing your own name activates unique regions in the brain.
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It's like a little shot of dopamine.
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People light up when they hear their name, even if they don't show it on the outside.
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So here's the tiny habit.
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When you meet someone, use their name three times once
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when you greet them once naturally in the middle of the conversation
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and then once as you say goodbye that's it
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and I promise this works even if you're terrible at remembering names honestly
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that used to be me I would forget someone's name five seconds after being introduced
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which is mortifying but forcing myself to use it right away has made me way better at actually remembering.
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I'll give you an example.
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A few years ago, I attended a very fancy event in LA.
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Rooftop terrace, pool, the sun setting over Hollywood.
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Some big headliner names in the personal development world were there.
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It could have been really intimidating.
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I didn't know a single person personally.
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But that evening, as I circulated, I made a point of practicing this name echo habit and it worked.
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People relaxed, they opened up, and it wasn't just small talk.
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Those little connections turned into real relationships.
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That night led to an invitation to another event in New York City,
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a collaboration, and several ongoing friendships and contacts that I still have in the personal development space.
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Now, quick warning, don't overdo this.
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We have all met that person who goes, so Kim, what brings you here, Kim?
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And tell me, Kim, that's not magnetic, that's creepy.
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But used lightly, naturally, this one tiny habit makes people feel seen and that's unforgettable.
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So once you start using someone's name in a natural, effortless way, people feel seen and they remember you.
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But here's the catch.
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If you sound nervous or rushed, all that connection can slip away and
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that was me for years i would tumble over my words fill every silence with nervous chatter
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and walk away thinking why did i just ramble like
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that the shift happened
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when i learned a very different habit one
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i first picked up during my medical residency in some of the most high pressure situations
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that you can imagine and it comes down to something
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so simple but so powerful the micro pause which is habit number four
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so here's what i mean magnetic people don't rush they don't scramble for words
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or fill every sentence with nervous chatter they pause they let their words land
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and the pause is powerful communication researchers have found
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that people who pause even briefly are perceived as more thoughtful more authoritative and more charismatic.
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Think of Steve Jobs during those legendary Apple keynotes.
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He would make a bold statement.
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and then just let it hang in the air.
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That silence is what made people lean forward and pay attention.
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Now I didn't first learn this on a stage, I learned it in a much scarier environment, my medical residency.
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On my radiology rotation, the attending radiologist would put up a film, an x -ray or a CT scan,
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and in front of all the other students and residents he would say, okay, Kim, what do you see?
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The temptation, of course, was to blurt something out immediately, just to look smart or avoid that awkward silence.
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But I trained myself to pause, to really look at the film, gather my thoughts, and then speak.
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And what happened was unexpected.
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One of the senior residents, a couple years ahead of me, actually pulled me aside after a few sessions like this.
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He told me how impressed he was with my composure, that I seemed poised and confident under pressure.
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Side note, he also asked me out a few times after that, but that is another story.
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But that was the first time that I realized how powerful a pause could be.
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Not only did it make me feel calmer and more grounded, it completely changed how other people perceived me.
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So here's your tiny habit.
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Before you answer a question or after you make a point, take a breath.
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Just one beat smile if you like let your words have room to land
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because confidence isn't about speaking faster or saying more it's about showing
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that you're not in a rush to prove yourself
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so once you learn to pause to let your words breathe people see you as calm confident and grounded
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but here's the thing being magnetic isn't just about how you show up it's also about how you make other people feel.
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And if there's one mistake that I see over and over, it's this.
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People try to be interesting instead of being interested.
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They think they need the perfect story or the clever line
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when actually the fastest way to be magnetic is to flip the focus.
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That's where this last habit comes in.
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It's my secret weapon for turning small talk into real connection.
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And I call it the curiosity spark and this is the fifth habit
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that i want to share with you now if there's one thing
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that instantly makes you magnetic it's this showing genuine curiosity about other people
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because here's the truth most of us are walking around wanting
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to be seen wanting someone to care enough to ask a real question
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and the research is clear on this harvard business review published a study showing that people who ask follow -up questions,
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not just one, but thoughtful follow -ups are rated as more likable and more competent.
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In other words, curiosity makes you charismatic.
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So here's the tiny habit.
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When someone tells you something, ask one simple follow -up question that goes just a little deeper.
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Instead of how's work and then moving on, ask what's been the most exciting part of your work lately.
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Instead of where are you from, try what do you love most about living there?
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And honestly, this is something that I use all the time.
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It's like a secret weapon when you're not sure how to carry a conversation.
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I've used it at parties, business functions, conferences, dinners, countless places, and it never fails.
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It takes the pressure off you to be dazzling because you're giving the other person the gift of being heard.
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And here's the beautiful part.
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When you show curiosity about others, they almost always turn it back on you.
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They want to know about you, your work, your story.
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That's how relationships and opportunities get started.
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Bottom line, being magnetic isn't about impressing people with how interesting you are.
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It's about showing them how interesting they are.
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So let's do a quick recap.
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Here are the five tiny habits that make you instantly magnetic.
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One, hold eye contact just two seconds longer.
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Two, reset your posture so your body says, I belong here.
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Three, use the name echo in a natural way, not a creepy way.
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Four, master the micro pause.
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And five, spark conversations with curiosity.
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Now remember where i started the kid who never raised her hand in class the one
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that everyone called so quiet if i can go from
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that to walking into rooms full of strangers
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and genuinely enjoying myself anyone can you don't need to change
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who you are these little habits shift how people experience you
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and how you experience yourself and
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if you want to keep building habits like this into your daily life
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I would love for you to join me in the reset.
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As I mentioned, it's a free five -day challenge to help you to reset your energy and your focus and your confidence.
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Again, I will put the link below.
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And now I'd love to hear from you.
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Which of these five habits are you going to try this week?
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Tell me in the comments, because I would love to cheer you on.
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And of course, if you found this helpful, give this video a like, subscribe if you haven't already,
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and share it with someone who needs a little boost of magnetism in their life.
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And if you're ready for your next step, I have got another video you'll love and I've queued it up for you on the next screen.
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It's called Eight Habits That Quickly Changed My Life.
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If you liked these five habits to help you to become more magnetic, these eight habits will give you even more practical,
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life -changing tools to not only become more charismatic, but to completely change your life and i will see you there
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so once your body is saying i belong here people did i say
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that already am i repeating myself i am repeating myself okay that's fine that's cool
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and here's where so many of us trip up okay speaking of trip up oh my god okay try again
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “5 Tiny Habits That Make You Instantly Magnetic”. This video has 212 sentences and 2563 words to shadow. The speech runs for 16:07. The speaker talks at a natural 159 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 82% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| habit noun | /ˈhæb.ɪt/ | An action performed on a regular basis. |
| magnetic adjective | /mæɡˈnɛtɪk/ | Of, relating to, operating by, or caused by magnetism. |
| pause noun | /pɔːz/ | A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation. |
| reset verb | /ɹiːˈsɛt/ | To set back to the initial state. |
| belong verb | /bɪˈlɒŋ/ | To have its proper place. |
| curiosity noun | /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/ | Inquisitiveness; the tendency to ask and learn about things by asking questions, investigating, or exploring. |
| posture noun | /ˈpɑst͡ʃɚ/ | The way a person holds and positions their body. |
| instantly adverb | /ˈɪnstəntli/ | At once; without delay. |
| naturally adverb | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | In a natural manner. |
| rush verb | /ɹʌʃ/ | To hurry; to perform a task with great haste, often not properly or without thinking carefully. |
| silence noun | /ˈsaɪ̯ləns/ | The absence of any sound. |
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| echo noun | /ˈɛk.oʊ/ | A reflected sound that is heard again by its initial observer. |
| resident noun | /ˈɹɛzɪdənt/ | A person, animal or plant living at a certain location or in a certain area. |
| ongoing adjective | /ɒnˈɡəʊ.ɪŋ/ | Continuing, permanent, lasting. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| follow up verb | To take further actions remaining after an event; to continue, revisit, or persist; especially, to maintain communication or verify. | |
| walk away verb | To withdraw from a problematic situation. | |
| come down to verb | To reach by moving down or reducing. | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| grow up verb | To mature and become an adult. | |
| head up verb | To lead or take the lead in; to direct; to take charge of. | |
| light up verb | To illuminate, to bring light to something, to brighten. | |
| open up verb | To open. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I'll give you an example.
- I didn't know a single person personally.
- Which of these five habits are you going to try this week?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | being judged · was invited · have been shocked |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've seen · has already introduced · I've ever learned |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | People who hold · person who goes · pause which is |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the best · the most ordinary · the most important |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 44 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, isn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thoughtful /ˈθɔːtfəl/, breathe /bɹiːð/, gather /ˈɡæðɚ/, trustworthy /ˈtɹʌst.wɜː.ði/, authoritative /əˈθɔɹɪˌteɪtɪv/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: rush /ɹʌʃ/, shock /ʃɔk/, friendship /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/, shell /ʃɛl/, impression /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: curiosity /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, residency /ˈɹɛzɪdənsi/, ordinary /ˈɔɹdɪnɛɹi/, collaboration /kəˌlæbəˈɹeɪʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like habit, magnetic, pause.
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.