Shadowing Practice: Finding Your Voice in the Boardroom - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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When I first joined the board, I think I was very nervous about voicing my questions
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or concerns or opinions because I was the newest person and everyone else around the table was more senior and more experienced.
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And so I discounted what I might want to say.
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The time frame between joining a board and becoming a more active member that's giving back has shortened.
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Maybe we feel like we don't belong in that room when you're getting on some of those first boards, but you do.
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I think the surprising thing is how everybody was very welcoming and also that not everyone knows everything.
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You're not supposed to know everything.
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Now that I've seen how Board Evolution works and I've seen how thoughtful we are about new members that we bring in,
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I see that it's a very intentional process to pick people from different backgrounds, from different career paths, from different areas of expertise.
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The companies that are looking for you are going to look for the skill sets
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that you bring and it doesn't mean that you need to know everything.
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It means you need to know what you know and bring that to the board.
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If you're going to be on a board, we need your voice.
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We need you to be active.
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And so when I catch people sitting back, I try to catch that moment and try to pivot it as quickly as possible
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so that the board can benefit and the organization can benefit.
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You don't speak up and contribute your voice.
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You're really depriving the whole company and the whole board of your contributions.
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I would recommend new board members do is to be thoughtful, obviously be good listeners, but also be comfortable speaking up and asking questions
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so that you can be an active participant and contributor from day one.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Finding Your Voice in the Boardroom”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: board, active, member. This video has 20 sentences and 310 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:31. The speaker talks fast, about 205 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 14 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| thoughtful adjective | /ˈθɔːtfəl/ | Demonstrating thought or careful consideration. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| belong verb | /bɪˈlɒŋ/ | To have its proper place. |
| discount noun | /ˈdɪskaʊnt/ | A reduction in price. |
| contribute verb | /kənˈtɹɪb.jut/ | To give something that is or becomes part of a larger whole. |
| contribution noun | /ˌkɑntɹɪˈbjuʃən/ | Something given or offered that adds to a larger whole. |
| expertise noun | /ˌɛkspɜːˈtiːz/ | Great skill or knowledge in a particular field or hobby. |
| participant noun | /pɑːɹˈtɪsəpənt/ | One who participates. |
| contributor noun | /kənˈtɹɪb.jə.tɚ/ | A benefactor; someone who donates to charity or some cause. |
| intentional adjective | /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/ | Intended or planned; done deliberately or voluntarily. |
| listener noun | /ˈlɪs(ə)nɚ/ | Someone who listens, especially to a speech or a broadcast. |
| deprive verb | /dɪˈpɹaɪv/ | Used with “of”, to take something away from (someone) and keep it away; to deny someone something. |
| pivot noun | /ˈpɪv.ɪt/ | A thing on which something turns; specifically a metal pointed pin or short shaft in machinery, such as the end of an axle or spindle. |
| shorten verb | /ˈʃɔɹtn̩/ | To make shorter; to abbreviate. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| speak up verb | /ˌspik ˈʌp/ | To talk more loudly or clearly. |
| give back verb | To return, restore (a thing to its original owner or location etc.). | |
| sit back verb | To recline while still in a seated position, with one's back on the frame of the seat. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 9 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: contribution /ˌkɑntɹɪˈbjuʃən/, intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/, shorten /ˈʃɔɹtn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: contribution /ˌkɑntɹɪˈbjuʃən/, participant /pɑːɹˈtɪsəpənt/, contributor /kənˈtɹɪb.jə.tɚ/, intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/
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 thoughtful, skill, belong.
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.