Shadowing Practice: A2 English Listening Practice - Soft Skills - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hey English learners, welcome to this A2 English listening practice video.
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Hey English learners, welcome to this A2 English listening practice video.
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In today's video, I'm going to talk about soft skills.
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Soft skills are the skills that we have that aren't technical, right?
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In particular, today, I want to talk about soft skills related to communication and how you can use these skills,
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these soft skills, to improve your communication.
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And of course, when you speak English,
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when you speak a foreign language,
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it's good to have these skills.
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They'll make your communication better and more effective in any language that you speak.
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So that's what we're going to talk about today.
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And remember to check out my listening practice seminars.
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You can join my membership and get access to those seminars to help you understand when native speakers speak fast.
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I know that a lot of you have trouble understanding fast English,
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and that's why I have those seminars to help you train
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and help you understand different patterns that can be hard to understand when people speak fast.
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And also, if you want to start speaking and you need a teacher,
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then I highly recommend that you check out my U.S.
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Conversations podcast because in that podcast,
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I talk to many different English teachers from around the U.S.
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And so you can hear and listen to my conversations with those teachers
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and see if you like them and take a class with one of them.
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So those links are down below.
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Okay, let's talk about soft skills.
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So as I already mentioned,
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soft skills are the skills that we have that aren't technical.
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So both soft skills and hard skills are important.
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In some fields, hard skills are more important than soft skills.
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But in some fields, soft skills might be equally as important or even more important than hard skills.
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And for me, in my experience,
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I don't have a lot of hard skills.
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I don't have a lot of technical skills except for skills related to language,
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writing, linguistics, things like that.
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But I do have some soft skills that have helped me develop my career.
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Specifically, my way of communicating,
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my way of speaking these skills have helped me make content for English learners
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and people tend to like my way of talking the way I speak and so these aren't technical skills,
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these are soft skills, but they have been really important for me in my career.
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And I think that soft skills related to communication are really important.
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And you are a language learner and so you should care about
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communicating well and having good soft skills that can help you
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when you interact with other people in English or in any other language.
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So let me talk about some specific soft skills related to communication that can really help you.
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So number one is adjusting your speech to different audiences.
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So many people lack this skill.
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They aren't able to change the way that they speak depending on who is listening to them.
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And I think most people could improve in this area.
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I've seen many instances where an English speaker is talking to someone who doesn't speak English well,
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but the English speaker doesn't change the way that they speak to help the other person understand them.
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They just talk really fast and use complicated phrases and idioms and things like that.
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And they aren't able to adjust the way that they speak so that the person listening to them can understand better.
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And this isn't just for talking to people who don't speak your language well.
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We talk differently to adults,
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to kids, teenagers, people who are a lot older than us,
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people who we need to show a lot of respect towards.
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There are different ways to talk to different people
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and we need to use the appropriate language and tone and formality depending on our audience.
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So this is an important soft skill to have
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because it will allow you to communicate in the proper way to different people.
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And that is something that we want to be able to do.
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Another soft skill related to communication is being able to read other people meaning you can see the other person
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and feel how they are feeling and you can imagine how they might be thinking how comfortable they are,
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things like that.
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You want to be able to tell when a person is uncomfortable,
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when they're uneasy, like they don't feel very good,
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or maybe if they're uninterested in what you're saying,
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or if if they're not understanding what you're saying.
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It's important to be able to identify this so that you can adjust the way that you're talking
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so that the other person responds better, right?
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I think that's an important soft skill to have.
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It can help you keep the other person engaged and comfortable with the conversation, right?
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Another soft skill that's really important is being able to listen well.
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Be a good listener, right?
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We want to listen to other people with interest.
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We want to be genuinely interested what other people are saying.
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When you show a genuine interest, people can feel that.
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People see that and it makes them feel more comfortable around you.
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It makes them want to talk to you.
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So that's good and it's good to show
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that you're listening right you nod you use some affirmations like yes uh-huh you show the other person
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that you're listening that's important uh it's good to react to what the other person is saying it shows
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that you're listening when you have a genuine reaction
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when they say different things um it's good to ask questions about things that they say.
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All of these things are part of being a good listener and they will help you have better interactions with people.
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It's also a good thing to be able to create a comfortable atmosphere.
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That's a good soft skill.
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Smile and laugh.
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That's important.
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Add humor when it's appropriate.
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People like to laugh.
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They like humor.
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If you can add this naturally to the interaction, that can really help.
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It makes the other person feel better when talking to you.
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They're more interested in talking to you, probably.
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And you want to make the other person feel comfortable sharing their opinions,
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talking about their feelings, sharing stories with you.
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You want to create a comfortable atmosphere so that the other person feels comfortable to do those things.
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And one other soft skill that is important to have is to be concise,
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meaning you can communicate something effectively without using too many words.
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It's okay to talk and use a lot of words.
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That's not bad.
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when we're trying to communicate important ideas,
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it's important to be able to do so in a concise way to really help them understand the point.
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I've had this experience before where I'm in a group of people
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and one person starts telling a story and they're not being concise
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and it's hard to understand what the point of the story
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is until the very end after they've talked for a long time
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and I can see that the other people are kind of losing interest
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and they don't get the point of what is being said because the other person who's telling the story isn't being concise.
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They aren't able to effectively communicate the message in a concise way,
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and that causes other people to lose interest,
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or they stop paying attention,
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or they just wonder, hmm,
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why is he telling this story?
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So being concise is an important soft skill to have.
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There are many other soft skills that are important,
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but those are the ones I wanted to talk about today.
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Hopefully, this video got you thinking about how you can improve in these areas
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so that you can have better interactions in English or in your native language.
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So, I hope you enjoyed this video.
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remember to check out my listening practice seminars by becoming a Listening Time family member
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so you can train your listening with me and start to understand better when people speak fast.
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And check out my U.S.
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Conversations podcast so you can practice listening to my conversations that I have with other English teachers.
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So that's a great resource for your listening
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and you can also use it to find an English teacher to take classes online with.
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So those links are down below.
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Thank you all for listening to this A2 English Listening Practice video,
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and I'll talk to you in the next one.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

This A2 English listening practice video focuses on soft skills essential for effective communication. As you learn English with YouTube, you will discover how these skills can enhance your speaking abilities. Understanding soft skills, particularly in communication, can greatly influence how well you express yourself in English and interact with others.

When practicing speaking, it's vital to have the ability to adjust your language use based on your audience. This video emphasizes the importance of being mindful of who you are speaking to, which is a critical aspect of communication. By applying the principles shared here, you can boost your confidence in conversations, whether in a casual setting or during IELTS speaking practice. Ultimately, this will help you convey your ideas more clearly and effectively.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

  • Adjusting your speech: The phrase "adjusting your speech to different audiences" highlights the need to modify your language. This structure emphasizes the importance of audience awareness and can be applied to improve your conversational skills.
  • Technical vs. soft skills: The distinction made between "hard skills" and "soft skills" is fundamental. Understanding this difference allows learners to appreciate various competencies in both professional and personal interactions.
  • Communicating well: The expression "communicating well" is a direct reflection of your ability to convey messages effectively. It's crucial to practice using this phrase in different contexts, enhancing your overall fluency.
  • Speak fast: The term "speak fast" can create barriers to understanding. Working on this structure can help you articulate your thoughts better, making it easier for others to grasp what you are saying.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Pronunciation plays a significant role in communication, and this video presents a few challenges that learners might face:

  • Complicated phrases: Often, native speakers use idiomatic expressions that can confuse non-native listeners. Practice repeating these phrases to familiarize yourself with their sounds and meanings.
  • Adjust vs. Adapt: The words "adjust" and "adapt" might be easily confused. Focus on the subtle differences in pronunciation and practice them in sentences, using the shadowing technique to improve your skills.
  • Fast speech: When watching the video, pay attention to how rapidly the speaker talks. This can be challenging for learners, but utilizing the shadow speak method will allow you to mimic the speaker's pace and enhance your listening comprehension.

By addressing these pronunciation traps and utilizing the techniques mentioned, you'll be well on your way to enriching your English-speaking abilities. So, dive into this video and take advantage of the valuable insights it offers for your language learning journey!

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.

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