Shadowing Practice: GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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The National Speech and Debate Association, NSDA, is the largest speech and debate organization in the United States,

supporting interscholastic tournaments, schools, coaches, and students since 1925.

Students compete in more than 10 speech, public speaking, and acting events,

and five debate events across the country and around the world through our growing network of international schools.

This course explores the crucial role coaches play in the speech

and debate community and the unique benefits of a speech and debate education for students.

It describes typical coaching responsibilities, team structures, and examples of what a typical day, weekend, and year looks like for coaches.

This course is for early career coaches who would like a broad overview of the coaching experience.

Instructions?

This is a self -paced, asynchronous course that includes text, interactive images, media, and knowledge check questions.

There is no need to complete this course in one sitting.

Your progress will be saved.

Once you complete a section, select Next Topic on the bottom right to proceed.

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Back to Course button at any time to return to this page.

Simply select the first header to begin.

One day, you wake up and the world is different.

Everyone is respectful.

People share well -reasoned opinions and listen to others with care.

They are interested and knowledgeable on important issues.

They explain ideas clearly and compellingly.

They appreciate good literature and share compelling stories.

Welcome to the Speech and Debate Community!

As a new coach, you might be thinking about what it's like to travel to tournaments

and how you can help your students win rounds.

But educating people to speak well, feel confident, and become strong advocates are the true goals of speech and debate.

Competitive success is secondary.

All students, no matter their competitive records, gain a wide set of skills by simply participating in speech and debate.

As they win and lose, they'll learn how to make persuasive arguments, listen, take notes, research, perform, think critically, and work as a team.

Your role is essential.

You don't have to be an expert in all speech and debate events or skills.

Your presence creates the opportunities for students to participate and learn.

As a speech and debate coach, you are joining a community dedicated to building a more interesting, vibrant, and healthy culture.

This course will provide an overview of speech and debate and its role in students' educations, what your experience as a coach might be like,

and how to create a positive impression with your new team.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: debate, speech, students, coaches, select. This video has 35 sentences and 424 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:24. The speaker talks at a natural 176 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 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

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
select verb	/sɪˈlɛkt/	To choose one or more elements of a set, especially a set of options.
participate verb	/pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/	To join in, to take part, to involve oneself (in something).
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.
overview noun	/ˈoʊ.vɚˌvjuː/	A brief summary, as of a book or a presentation.
compete verb	/kəmˈpiːt/	To be in battle or in a rivalry with another for the same thing, position, or reward; to contend.
pace noun	/peɪs/	A step taken with the foot.
impression noun	/ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/	The indentation or depression made by the pressure of one object on or into another.
explore verb	/ɪkˈsploɹ/	To examine or investigate something systematically.
crucial adjective	/ˈkɹuː.ʃəl/	Essential or decisive for determining the outcome or future of something; extremely important; vital.
advocate noun	/ˈæd.və.kət/	Someone whose job is to speak for someone's case in a court of law; a counsel.
proceed verb	/pɹəˈsid/	To move, pass, or go forward or onward; to advance; to carry on.
instruction noun	/ɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/	The act of instructing, teaching, or providing with information or knowledge.
interactive adjective	/ˌɪn.tɚˈæk.tɪv/	Interacting with or communicating with and reacting to each other; influencing or having an effect on each other; acting or capable of acting on each other or…
educate verb	/ˈɛd͡ʒ.əˌkeɪt/	To instruct or train.
critically adverb	/ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kə.li/	In a critical manner; with, or in terms of, criticism.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
wake up verb	/ˌweɪk ˈʌp/	To stop sleeping; to awake.

Pronunciation to watch

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: impression /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/, crucial /ˈkɹuː.ʃəl/, instruction /ɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: participate /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/, interactive /ˌɪn.tɚˈæk.tɪv/, critically /ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kə.li/, knowledgeable /ˈnɑ.lɪ.d͡ʒə.bəl/, asynchronous /eɪˈsɪŋ.kɹə.nəs/

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 select, participate, skill.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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