Shadowing Practice: A1 English Listening Practice - Productivity - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
1
Hey everybody!
2
Welcome to this A1 English listening practice video.
3
You can use this video to practice your listening and comprehension as I speak.
4
And remember to sign up for our $1 listening practice seminars at polyglossa.com to improve your listening fast.
5
So today I'm gonna talk about productivity.
6
This is a great topic to talk about because everybody wants to be productive.
7
What does productivity mean?
8
If you're productive it means you produce a lot.
9
It means that you see good results from your effort or work.
10
So let's talk about some ways we can be productive.
11
The first way we can be productive is by waking up early.
12
I know that many of you don't like this advice.
13
Not many people like waking up early.
14
I wake up pretty early but it's not easy for me.
15
I usually wake up at 6 a.m every day.
16
This is early but some people wake up earlier than me like at 5 a.m.
17
I wake up early so I can be more productive every day.
18
My official work starts at 7.30 a.m
19
but since I wake up at 6 I can do more things before I start working.
20
For example, I read a little bit in the morning and I study languages.
21
I usually read for about 15 minutes and I can study languages for about 50 minutes.
22
If I don't do this in the morning,
23
I might not have time to do it later.
24
So I do all this before my work starts.
25
I'm pretty productive in the morning.
26
How about you?
27
Are you productive in the morning?
28
Okay, another way we can be productive is by removing distractions.
29
A distraction is something that doesn't let you focus on your work.
30
For example, if you're trying to work and you hear dogs barking outside,
31
that might make you lose focus.
32
Some distractions are hard to remove,
33
like your neighbor's dog, but other distractions are easy to remove.
34
For instance, you can silence your cell phone.
35
If you hear your phone vibrate or ring you usually want to look at your phone.
36
When my phone vibrates I sometimes get distracted.
37
If you want to remove this distraction you can put your phone on silent or on airplane mode.
38
For some people this is hard.
39
Some people don't want to ignore their phone calls and messages.
40
They think that it's very important to check their phone.
41
This might be true, but it's also important to finish your work.
42
If you silence your phone,
43
it can help you finish your work faster.
44
So removing distractions like this can be very helpful.
45
Okay, another way we can be more productive is by making sure that we're comfortable when we work.
46
For example, if you're in an uncomfortable chair,
47
or if you feel hot or cold you might be less productive when you're working.
48
In my case, I don't work well if my chair is uncomfortable.
49
Usually my back hurts and I want to change positions.
50
So I need to sit in a comfortable chair when I work.
51
Sometimes I sit on my couch when I work because it's comfortable there.
52
This helps me be more productive.
53
Alright, one more way that we can be productive is by setting goals.
54
In my opinion this is the best way to be productive.
55
If you set goals for yourself you feel motivated to work.
56
You want to achieve your goals.
57
I always set goals for myself to help me be productive.
58
It's good to set short-term and long-term goals.
59
A short-term goal is a goal you want to achieve soon.
60
A long-term goal is a goal you want to achieve after a long time.
61
You can set short-term and long-term goals to help you learn English.
62
For example, maybe your short-term goal is to watch all my A1 listening practice videos by next month.
63
And maybe your long-term goal can be to read a whole book in English by the end of the year.
64
You can set many types of goals for yourself.
65
I like to set daily goals too.
66
This helps me be productive every day.
67
For instance, each day my goal is to practice my listening in French for one hour.
68
Every day when I complete this hour I feel great.
69
I know that I accomplished my goal.
70
Okay, I hope you can use these tips to help you be more productive.
71
Now I'm gonna ask you some questions about the video to see if you understood.
72
Write your answers in a comment down below.
73
Number one, what's one activity I do before I start my work in the morning?
74
Number two, what's one thing that can distract us from our work.
75
And number three, what are two types of goals that we can set?
76
Alright, remember to sign up for our $1 listening practice seminars if you need more listening practice.
77
And remember to subscribe to the channel,
78
click on the bell, and follow us on Instagram.
79
I'll see you next time.

Context & Background

In the A1 English listening practice video titled "Productivity," the speaker provides valuable insights into enhancing daily productivity. This content is tailored for English learners seeking to improve their listening and comprehension skills while engaging with practical, real-world topics. The speaker shares personal experiences and actionable tips about being productive, making it relatable and effective for learners at the A1 level. By focusing on common habits and strategies, the speaker encourages viewers to apply these methods in their own lives and improve their language skills simultaneously.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • What does productivity mean? - A great way to start a discussion about efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Waking up early - An essential habit for many productive individuals.
  • Remove distractions - A useful phrase when talking about creating a better working environment.
  • Comfortable when we work - Important for ensuring maximum focus and productivity.
  • Setting goals - A key factor in achieving greater effectiveness in any task.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively utilize the shadowing technique with this video, follow these steps:

  1. Listen First: Play the video without subtitles to familiarize yourself with the content and the speaker's pace.
  2. Break It Down: Pause the video after a few sentences to digest what has been said. Repeat those sentences aloud, mimicking the speaker's pronunciation and intonation.
  3. Use a Shadowing App: Consider using a shadowing app to aid your practice. Such tools often provide playback controls, allowing you to repeat sections seamlessly.
  4. Shadow Speak: After you've practiced with pauses, try shadow speaking along with the speaker in real-time. This will help you improve your fluency and confidence.
  5. Record Yourself: Record your shadow speeches to compare your pronunciation and pacing with the original speaker. This feedback loop is essential for improvement.

By incorporating these steps into your English learning routine, you can effectively enhance your listening and speaking skills. Utilizing the shadowing technique not only helps with understanding but also with retention. Remember that practice makes perfect, so regularly engaging with content like this can be immensely beneficial in your journey to learn English with YouTube.

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.