Shadowing Practice: Body Language Do's & Don'ts | Good Manners - Learn English Speaking with Video

Hi, I'm Fede Moichant of Social Skills here to teach you about body language basics.

So many people say that your body speaks much more loudly than your words speak, and it's probably, it has quite a bit of truth.

It's really important that as you speak you exhibit great body language.

The most important aspects of your body language are number one, your shoulders, and where your shoulders are positioned as you speak to other people.

So, your shoulders could be like this or they could be like this.

And that slight change makes an enormous difference in what your body is saying about you.

This little change could make me seem like I'm insecure or don't have much confidence,

but moving my shoulders up changes the entire dynamic of how I'm coming across.

Also, a really important part of your body language is your hands and what you're doing with your hands.

Now, some people have a really hard time with what to do with their hands as they're speaking.

If you have a hard time with it, what I suggest is if you're sitting, just putting your hands in your lap,

or if you're standing, just making sure that they're at your sides or folded in front of you.

A lot of people have a hard time with playing with things, with playing with bracelets, with playing with hair, fumbling with their pockets.

So be aware as you speak next time of what your hands are doing.

Where are your hands?

Are they stationary?

Or you can ask someone else to make this assessment for you.

Have a conversation with them and ask them to keep an eye on where your hands are during the conversation.

Another important element of your body language is the fact that you need to be standing still.

So if you're moving during a conversation, that's going to give off the impression that you're nervous or that you're uncomfortable during the conversation.

So be sure that you're standing stationary and that you're not moving around as you're talking.

And your feet as you're talking.

You don't want to be moving your feet around or lifting up your knee or moving your feet around.

You want to make sure that those are stationary as well.

The whole idea is that you don't want to distract someone while they're speaking or while you're speaking.

Not only is it distracting, but it can make you come across as insecure, less than confident, or even uncomfortable during a conversation.

You definitely don't want to give off that impression.

So, your body language speaks a great deal.

You want to make sure that you have great body language as you're communicating and speaking with other people.

It's probably one of the most important elements to making a good first impression.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 30 sentences and 473 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:37. 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

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

impression /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/ (noun) — The indentation or depression made by the pressure of one object on or into another.
stationary /ˈsteɪʃəˌnɛɹi/ (adjective) — Not moving.
element /ˈɛləmənt/ (noun) — One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based.
uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/ (adjective) — Not comfortable; causing discomfort.
insecure /ɪnsəˈkjʊɹ/ (adjective) — Not secure.
distract /dɪˈstɹækt/ (verb) — To divert the attention of.
pocket /ˈpɑ.kɪt/ (noun) — A bag stitched to an item of clothing, used for carrying small items.
assessment /əˈsɛsmənt/ (noun) — The act of assessing or an amount (of tax, levy or duty etc) assessed.
aspect /ˈæspɛkt/ (noun) — Any specific feature, part, or element of something.
knee /ni/ (noun) — In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank.
dynamic /daɪˈnæm.ɪk/ (adjective) — Changing; active; in motion.
enormous /ɪˈnɔː.məs/ (adjective) — Extremely large; greatly exceeding the common size, extent, etc.
slight /slaɪt/ (adjective) — Minor; small in amount
communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/ (verb) — To impart or transmit (information or knowledge) to someone; to make known, to tell.
exhibit /ɪɡˈzɪbɪt/ (verb) — To display or show (something) for others to see, especially at an exhibition or contest.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

play with (verb) — To fiddle with; make small adjustments to, for example to something mechanical in order to improve its performance.
come across (verb) — To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition.
give off /ɡɪv ɒf/ (verb) — To emit; to produce and send forth; to come across in some manner.
do with (verb) — Only used in to do with
hand in (verb) — To give something to a responsible person.
lift up (verb) — To elevate to a higher position.
move around (verb) — To relocate to new homes repeatedly; to not live in any one place for long.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 22 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: impression /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/, stationary /ˈsteɪʃəˌnɛɹi/
Long words — get the stress right: stationary /ˈsteɪʃəˌnɛɹi/, uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/

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 impression, stationary, element.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group	The most important
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now	is saying · I'm coming · you're doing

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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