Shadowing Practice: Associa: The Value of a Story - Learn English Speaking with Video
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42 sentences
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I first started working when I was 12 years old.
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I'd go out in the morning at 7 a .m before the grass was even dry
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and I would mow all day long barely pushing that lawnmower back through the door at 7 p .m at night.
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It gave me a good taste for a serious work ethic and what it was to be responsible and dependable.
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One of the things you learn
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when you start a business really at any age is how
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important it is to take care of the customer you know
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when you build any organization you have to have family spirit it's one of those critical building blocks especially
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when you're in the service business people have to come together work as a team enjoy what they're doing
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and enjoy serving the client customer service is one of those
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things you never really quit working on you're always trying to improve your operation
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or at least you should be and And that's really what we're involved in now, is a journey through all departments of the company to become better next year than we were this past year.
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You can't be successful in anything in life, whether it's personal or professional, without having integrity.
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People need to know that when you say something, you mean it, that you follow through, that your word is good.
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But you also have to be willing to be held accountable.
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We are accountable to our clients our employees are accountable to
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the leadership of an associate there's something special about a working relationship with others
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when you know
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that individual is looking out for you just as you're trying
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to look out for them we count on people to come give their best each
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and every day
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and of course to be loyal to the company as they
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should expect us to be to them as we mature
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and as we grow older as a company you see more
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and more successful initiatives to address the technological needs of our employees to make the work day easier
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and better and more efficient for them but also to improve the relationship with our clients.
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When you look at the values of a company you have to ask what does that really mean to the client?
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Sustainability among other things is making sure that we are enhancing property values, that the work we do is actually meaningful, it's improving lives, it makes our communities more desirable to live in,
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and in the end, it makes the properties within these communities that much more valuable.
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These many associations have all sorts of complex security challenges, but it's our job to bring in the right professionals,
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to analyze the situation, and to propose a solution that assures that these homes are safe, that the families, the people within these communities are safe,
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and that people know the community by reputation as a safe place to be.
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We don't want people to merely live behind the closed gates of these communities.
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We want them to be involved.
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We want them to know their neighbors, participate in their self -governance through their association.
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We're not just there to do the accounting and the book work, but we actually want to be part of building community because that is what creates lasting value.
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We constantly have to look for better technology, better ways to do things in a more efficient and a more cost -effective manner.
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We owe that to ourselves as a business, but of course we also owe it to our clients.
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As founder and CEO of Asocio, my promise to you, our clients, is that we will always uphold these values, that we believe in these values,
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we run our company according to these values each and every day, and these are the same values
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that will be in place for years to come as we continue our success for the benefit of you, the client.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Associa: The Value of a Story”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: client, value, communities, accountable, safe. This video has 42 sentences and 662 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:39. The speaker talks fast, about 181 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 89% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| accountable adjective | /əˈkaʊntəbl̩/ | Obliged, when called upon, to answer (for one’s deeds); answerable. |
| dependable adjective | [dɪˈpɛndəbəɫ] | Able, or easily able to be depended on. |
| lawnmower noun | /ˈlɔn.moʊ.ɚ/ | A device used for cutting grass to a chosen height, typically of landscaped lawns of residences or institutions. |
| uphold verb | /ˌʌpˈhəʊld/ | To hold up; to lift on high; to elevate. |
| ethic noun | /ˈɛθ.ɪk/ | A set of principles of right and wrong behaviour guiding, or representative of, a specific culture, society, group, or individual. |
| sustainability noun | /səˌsteɪnəˈbɪlɪti/ | A means of configuring civilization and human activity so that society, its members and its economies are able to meet their needs and express their greatest… |
| analyze verb | /ˈæn.əˌlaɪz/ | To subject to analysis. |
| desirable adjective | /dɪˈzaɪəɹəbəl/ | Worthy to be desired; pleasing; agreeable. |
| propose verb | /pɹəˈpəʊz/ | To suggest a plan, course of action, etc. |
| enhance verb | /ɪnˈhæns/ | To augment or make something greater. |
| technological adjective | /ˌtɛk.nəˈlɑ.dʒɪ.kəl/ | Of, relating to, or involving technology, especially modern scientific technology. |
| assure verb | /əˈʃʊɹ/ | To make sure and secure; ensure. |
| governance noun | /ˈɡʌvəɹnəns/ | The process, or the power, of governing; government or administration. |
| meaningful adjective | /ˈmiː.nɪŋ.fl̩/ | Having meaning, significant. |
| loyal adjective | /ˈlɔɪəl/ | Having or demonstrating undivided and constant support for someone or something. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come together verb | /ˈkʌm tʊˈɡɛðɚ/ | To assemble; to congregate; to combine. |
| follow through verb | To execute or complete a commitment. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 9 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, we're, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: dependable [dɪˈpɛndəbəɫ], sustainability /səˌsteɪnəˈbɪlɪti/, desirable /dɪˈzaɪəɹəbəl/, technological /ˌtɛk.nəˈlɑ.dʒɪ.kəl/
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 accountable, dependable, lawnmower.
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.