Shadowing Practice: Are you a Type A or Type B personality? What in the World podcast, BBC World Service - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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One test you can use is at lunchtime.
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One test you can use is at lunchtime.
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Would you rather go and get a sandwich with a colleague, or would you rather just have some time on your own?
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I don't think I'd want to be on my own. I'd always choose to be with other people.
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I'd always choose a colleague as well. We want some certainty, and particularly in a world that feels very uncertain, it's a nice thing to have.
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You can put yourself into this box and decide, you know, this is what I am.
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Hey, it's Hannah here, and this is What in the World, your podcast for the stories that get people talking from the BBC World Service.
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The other day I was filming some TikToks and I was being a little bit particular about the script and the angles, and I was working with a producer on the team, and he just stopped and he looked at me and he went, you are so type A! And honestly, I had to look it up.
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So types are competitive, ambitious, impatient and organised and that is me through and through.
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And I went on a little bit of a rabbit hole, obsessing over the strengths and the flaws of my personality type.
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And maybe that's you too. Or maybe you're more of a type B, maybe you are laid back, happy to go with the flow.
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Spontaneous, a bit chaotic. Right now the internet is obsessed with labels, personality types, birth charts, attachment styles, Myers-Briggs colour coding your aura.
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So where did all of this come from? And is it actually helpful to squeeze our personalities into neat little boxes?
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Let's find out more of this now from our personality expert, Claudia Hammond, who's a psychologist and a BBC presenter.
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Hi welcome to the podcast. Hi thanks for having me.
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So I want to go through some of the labels that I have seen online.
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Okay. Can you tell me where these labels came from and what they were originally meant to describe.
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And also kind of how they're used nowadays?
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So the first one is I've kind of explained it.
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Type A, type B. Yeah.
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So this was developed by some cardiologists in the 1950s.
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And it was supposed to measure heart attack risk.
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Basically they they found that the type A personalities, these these striving people who were very competitive had a higher risk of having a heart attack than the type B people.
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But, um, and so this is, you know, nearly 75 years old now.
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So it's really interesting that it's that it's around talked about so much at the moment. There was lots of controversy at the time because it was funded by the tobacco industry, and also it doesn't always seem to apply.
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So the so the type A people can be very conscientious and conscientious people can often be more healthy.
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So in terms of whether it makes us healthy or not, the jury is really out on that, on that.
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And also we're not we're not one type of personality all the time.
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We're very different in different situations.
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And this doesn't allow for that.
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What about introvert extrovert and ambivert?
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Yeah. So these ideas came from a psychologist called Hans Eysenck who was very interested in personality.
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And he used huge samples and then did what's known as factor analysis.
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So he looked at these huge samples to try to work out what can people be broken down into.
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And his was less of saying you're one type or another and more of a continuum.
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But one of those continuums that he looked at was introversion and extroversion.
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And a lot of people will recognise themselves in this.
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But then there are these ambiverts, or sometimes they're called socialised introverts who may want to be introverted but actually be quite good at socializing.
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So everyone else will think they're an extrovert.
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But if, say, I mean, one test you can use is, um, at lunchtime, would you rather go and get a sandwich with a colleague, or would you rather just have some time on your own, given the choice? I don't think I'd want to be on my own.
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I'd always choose to be with other people.
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I'd always choose a colleague as well. Yes, but a lot of people wouldn't.
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A lot of people would say, oh, you know, the one bit of the day when they can be on their own, they might like to do this.
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Um, and so it is interesting to note these differences between us, but again, it depends on the situation.
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So you might be more extrovert at a party, say, and less extrovert at work. Um, it might depend on how confident you are with the people that you're working with.
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And so we recognise that we all behave differently in different situations.
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But interestingly, we don't tend to recognise that as much in other people.
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We like giving other people labels and saying other people are like this, and we don't take into account the situations for them in the way we do for ourselves.
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The way I understand it is that extroverts get energy from other people, whereas introverts get energy from themselves, and ambiverts are a little bit of of both.
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And I definitely do get my energy from other people.
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What about Myers-Briggs personality types.
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Yeah. So this is also sometimes known as the MBTI.
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And it categorises you into various things introversion or extroversion, sensing or intuition, thinking or feeling and judging or perceiving.
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So it asks you lots and lots of questions about your preferences for different situations.
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And this gives you a four letter result.
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So you may be you could say I'm an INTJ person or an ESFP.
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They have all these letters for them. And there are 16 possible types they feel tailor made to you, which makes it quite popular.
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It is popular with companies, but a big review of lots of studies done on it found that between a third and two thirds of people are put into different categories if they fill it in again on a different day.
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That's interesting.
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So but when you look at the box, you look at the box describing it, and it's almost like looking at, um, you know, astrological signs and it will say you're like this or like this.
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It's very tempting to then look at that box and think and recognis e some things about yourself in there. I've done it twice.
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I've always got the same result, and I've been like, that's me.
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But then I was like that when I saw the type A type B thing too.
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So maybe it doesn't say that much about me. Don't show me a horoscope.
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We are seeing these labels ever so much online.
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You know some of the videos that you mentioned.
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How did they become such a big part of online culture, especially for younger people, for Gen Z?
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Well, I think in one way we like them because we want some certainty, and particularly in a world that feels very uncertain, it's a nice thing to have.
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You can put yourself into this box and decide, you know, this is what I am and this can, you know, help you to understand your own identity and to understand yourself, which I think is fine if you think of it as fun and not something that's going to limit you into thinking, oh, well, I must be introverted, therefore I can't do this job or that job, that might not be the case.
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You might be brilliant at doing a particular job.
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Claudia, when it comes to knowing our personality traits, how useful can it be for us in terms of knowing and understanding how we think and how other people think, and how we can relate to each other?
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I mean, where it might be useful is to remind us that everyone's different and that different things are going on for other people and not to expect, say, friends or colleagues, to react in the same way that you would to things.
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And this is where I think it can be useful is appreciating that everyone comes with their own baggage. Everyone has.
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You never know what's going on for people in their minds.
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So someone's, you know, rude to you at work.
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You could assume that this is because they hate you, or it could be that something else is going on at home in their lives, and you've got no idea what that is. So I think where it can be useful is to help us to be a little more tolerant of the differences between us.
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Do you think that everyone should know their personality types and styles and all of this stuff, or do you think it's also absolutely fine not to care and not to hop on the trend?
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I think it's fine not to.
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And I think if you're going to, then why use the things from 50 to 75 years ago when there are newer tools now?
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So for example, one of the most used tools now in psychological studies, um, looks at how high you score on things like conscientiousness and openness to new experience.
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And it's called the big. They have the big five.
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Um, and you look at where you score on each of those traits and look for a mixture of those.
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It hasn't, but it hasn't got those black and white answers.
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So in one way, it's not as appealing.
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And it's, you know, harder to make into a quick TikTok.
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Um, because it's a bit more complicated than that, but that's why it's more useful. And I think that can be really, you know, that can be really interesting to fill in.
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What are the big five?
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So they are openness to experience.
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Um, that's a new experiences conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism, which is kind of how worried you are if you like.
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So and they're all each of those is a continuum.
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So you can score high or low on each of those and have a combination.
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But it doesn't then give you one type at the end, but it can tell you quite a bit about all sorts of different things about your personality.
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So I think that something like that is interesting to, to help you know, a little bit more about yourself.
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Um, and then to maybe think, uh, well, perhaps, I don't know if you score not very high on openness to new experiences. Maybe you want to change that.
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Maybe you want to deliberately seek out some new experiences and see what see what that's like. Out your comfort zone.
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Exactly. Yeah, well thank you, Claudia, I've learned so much about myself today.
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Thanks for having me on.
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As Claudia said, these labels are not new, and they're not just online trends.
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And we've been hearing from some BBC reporters around the world about the different labels that are popular where they are.
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I'll say MBTI has definitely been a mega trend in South Korea that you cannot miss.
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At this point, asking someone's MBTI in Korea is just starting another small conversation, like asking some casual questions such as what's your major and where you come from.
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Companies are all over it too.
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You'll easily see marketing campaigns promoting and recommending products tailored to each MBTI type.
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But now there is a new personality trend on the rise, which is called Teto or Egen.
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These are short for testosterone and estrogen.
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The Sex hormones and similar to MBTI, you answer a short quiz to figure out which one you are.
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Um, if you come out as more Teto type person, it basically means you have traits traditionally labeled as masculine, such as, uh, like being assertive, independent, or logical.
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If you're more Egen type person, it means you have these traits traditionally seen as feminine, such as being sensitive, caring or artistic.
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Nigeria has lots of ethnicities and tribes.
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One of them is the Igbo tribe, one of the major tribes.
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I am Igbo. in Igbo culture, we do not have seven days a week. We have four market days now.
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These market days are governed by different deities and they are also.
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sort of signified by different elements. If you're born on a specific market day, it is seen that it affects how you're going to behave.
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And I'm going to break it down for you now.
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Eke, is the first market day seen as the most important.
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And this is, um, represented by the element of fire.
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People born on these days are seen to be more fierce, hot tempered, great leaders, very strong and very brave, um, risk takers.
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Now, people born on Orie, the Orie market day is seen as water.
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These people are a lot more calm, easy going, simple people just flowing like water.
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Non-problematic most times non-confrontational, but very good friends, good listeners.
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The third market day is Afor.
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Therefore market day is signified by Earth.
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These people are seen to be very strong on the ground, very reliable, very, um, trustworthy.
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Just like the Earth is very strong and sturdy.
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These people also seem to be that way in character and or in behaviour.
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And lastly, it is the Nkwo, Nkwo is signified by the Air.
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These people are a lot more free spirited, talkative, outgoing, just out there living their life very freely.
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People born on this day are seen to be a lot more out there, and probably working in industries like entertainment or other front facing, um, industries.
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Well, that's it from me.
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But if you enjoyed this episode, please do like, share, subscribe.
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You can find plenty more right here on the BBC World Service YouTube channel or wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
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And while you're here, please drop us a comment below because I want to know are you a type A?
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Are you a type B, or do you just feel that none of this applies to you?
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Please let us know your thoughts. We love hearing from you guys.
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I'm Hannah. This is What in the World from the BBC World Service and we'll see you next time.
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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice English speaking through the lens of personality types, specifically examining Type A and Type B personalities. You will enhance your listening and speaking skills by engaging with conversational scenarios that highlight differences in personality traits. This content will help you understand how to articulate opinions and experiences regarding personality classifications, enabling you to express your thoughts more clearly in both casual and professional contexts.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Type A personality: A classification for individuals who are ambitious, competitive, and often impatient.
  • Type B personality: A classification for individuals who are laid-back, spontaneous, and more relaxed in their approach to life.
  • Introvert: A person who tends to recharge by spending time alone rather than with others.
  • Extrovert: A person who gains energy from social interactions and often enjoys being around others.
  • Ambivert: A person who displays traits of both introversion and extroversion, adapting to different social situations.
  • Conscientious: Characterized by being thorough, careful, and diligent.
  • Rabbit hole: A deep dive into a subject, often leading to extensive exploration or obsession.
  • Socialized introvert: An individual who can socialize effectively but may prefer solitude in certain scenarios.

Practice Tips

To effectively practice your speaking skills, consider using shadowspeak techniques while listening to the transcript. Here are some practical tips:

  • Choose a Quiet Space: Find a calm environment to minimize distractions while you practice your pronunciation and tone.
  • Listen for Tone and Rhythm: Pay attention to the speaker's intonation and pacing. The conversation has a natural flow that you can emulate.
  • Repeat Short Segments: Start by shadowing short phrases or sentences. Pause the video after each sentence, repeat, and then continue. This will help you capture the essence of the speaker's style.
  • Practice with Emotion: Psychology topics can be very engaging. Try to reflect the speaker's enthusiasm or curiosity as you practice your speaking.
  • Use Online Tools: Consider using a shadowing site to practice alongside the video. You can find resources that are specifically designed for english speaking practice.
  • Engage with Others: After practicing on your own, discuss the topics with friends or study partners. This will deepen your understanding and enhance your speaking confidence.

Remember, consistent practice is key to developing fluency, so make the most of your shadow speak sessions to refine your English skills.

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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