Shadowing Practice: Give me 9min, and I'll improve your storytelling skills by 176% - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hey there!
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Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools to hook your listeners and keep them glued to every word you say.
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But hey, a lot of the advice that is out there make it sound way too complicated.
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But the truth is storytelling is actually pretty simple if you know what really matters.
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If you just give me 9 minutes,
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you'll discover the 5 storytelling techniques to tell insanely good stories.
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But before we do that,
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let me show you a quick example by John Krasinski,
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whom you might know from The Office.
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It's a 20 second story,
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so really short, but it's so powerful.
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By the end of today,
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you'll know exactly how to tell stories just like him.
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And then I said, yeah,
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and he says, who are you visiting here?
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I said, my wife.
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And he says, is she an actress?
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And I said, yeah.
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He said, would I know her?
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And I, I don't know, man.
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Her name's Emily Blunt.
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And he goes, he goes, you?
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And I went, yeah.
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And he goes, you?
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You married Emily Blunt.
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And I go, yeah.
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And he goes, he goes, okay, go.
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Did you notice what he did there?
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He didn't just summarize the events.
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He didn't say, oh yeah,
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back then I was at customs and the agent asked me what I was doing
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and I responded I was an actor and he was very surprised.
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He doesn't do that.
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He doesn't summarize the events.
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Instead, he zoomed into the moment of the story.
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The best stories don't just summarize events.
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They don't stay at that helicopter level.
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They zoom into the moment.
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They take us into the trenches.
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They let us be part of that physical moment.
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The good thing is it's not that difficult.
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I'm now going to show you five techniques that you can use in all of your stories.
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First technique, location.
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Say where you are.
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The best stories start by stating the location.
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Where are you physically?
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Examples.
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Two weeks ago, I'm sitting on my couch in my living room,
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taking a deep breath.
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Or September 2019, I'm standing in front of the conference room,
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ready to walk inside.
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Now, why does it matter to state the location?
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Because the moment you say conference room or living room,
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your audience will start to visualize it.
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They're like, oh yes, I know a conference room.
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And they start to visualize their version of that conference room.
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Now, beginner storytellers, they often do the mistake that they give too many details.
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They're like, oh, in that conference room there was a big table,
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a television and a wooden floor.
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Don't do that.
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Don't do that.
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It doesn't matter.
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Just state the location as long as they can visualize it.
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It doesn't matter all the details.
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They have their own version of that location.
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Second technique, actions.
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What are you doing in that specific moment of the story?
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Instead of giving way too much context about all the random stuff that doesn't matter,
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matter, just say what are you doing in that specific moment.
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That can be walking, biking,
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shouting, reading, waiting, whatever it is.
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Just state the action, state the verbs.
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Examples, I'm in my office,
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I open my laptop and start reading a message by my manager.
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Or two weeks ago, I'm at the airport waiting in line at security.
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Why does it matter to state the actions?
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Because Because it brings in forward momentum.
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It takes the listener right into the moment.
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When you do that, your audience will immediately know that you won't waste their time.
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You're straight away taking them into the most important part of the story.
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Third technique, thoughts.
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What are you thinking?
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We as humans have thousands and thousands of thoughts every single day.
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A lot of those thoughts are hopes,
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dreams, plans, fears, worries, crazy thoughts.
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Now share some of those thoughts of that crucial moment of the story.
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Example, instead of saying, I was excited to meet my crush,
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say, I thought, ah, this would be so cool, right?
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Finally, I can see her after all that time.
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Or instead of saying, I was very disappointed about that presentation,
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say, I thought, oh man, this is bad, right?
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Everyone will think now I'm stupid.
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I can never go back there.
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Do you see the difference?
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It's a tiny tweak, but it makes any story more interesting.
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But hey, a common mistake is that people share thoughts that sound too professional, too intellectual.
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They say something like, I thought this represents a supreme opportunity.
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Would your thoughts actually sound like that?
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Probably not, right?
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And so what you want to do is when you share your thoughts,
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give us the raw, unfiltered thoughts.
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Give us those a little bit like ranchy,
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juicy, a little bit neurotic thoughts.
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Now that will make your story much more relatable.
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Fourth technique, emotions.
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What are you feeling?
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The best stories, they're emotional.
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They take the listeners on this emotional journey.
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And now with the thoughts with the previous technique,
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you know now one technique to make it more emotional.
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But there's another one.
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The simplest way is to just state an emotion.
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So you say something like, I was disappointed.
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I was relieved.
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I was happy.
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Now that is pretty standard, right?
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That is what most people do.
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But it's not ideal because it is not really visual, right?
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When you hear someone saying I was disappointed,
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well you cannot visualize it.
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And so the better way is to show the emotion,
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show how it looks on the body,
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on the face when you experience that emotion.
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Let me give you some examples.
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Instead of saying I was relieved,
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say in that moment I leaned backward and let out this
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big or instead of saying he was anxious say he kept tapping his pen on the on this table
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and he kept glancing up to the clock every few seconds
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do you see the difference showing the emotion makes it much
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more visual it takes us into the specific moment of the
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story technique number five dialogue what are you hearing many of
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your stories will have more than one character maybe a manager your friend,
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a co-worker, your dog, whoever it is.
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Now, what did the character say in that crucial moment of the story?
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What were the exact words?
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Examples.
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Instead of saying, my friend was very disappointed.
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Say, in that moment, my friend looked at me and said,
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Philip, what on earth was that?
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Or instead of saying, my manager was very happy with my work.
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Say, in that moment, my manager looked at me and said,
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wow, that was really the best presentation you've ever given.
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Now, do you see the difference?
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Dialogue is such a simple tool to make any story much more interesting.
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It is actually the tool that I use the most.
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But I guess there's just one thing to keep in mind.
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Similar as with the thoughts,
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share the dialogue that is a little bit more interesting,
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a little bit more juicy.
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If you say something like,
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in this moment, my manager said,
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well, I'm very dissatisfied with the inadequate execution of that project.
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Well, that would sound super boring, right?
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Instead, pick much more juicy,
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much more concise and catchy dollar.
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Alright, now that you know the five most important elements in storytelling,
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let's watch a quick one-minute video to see those elements in action.
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That story is by Sarah Willingham,
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who's a British entrepreneur, investor and CEO of Nightcap when you watch the story see how she zooms into the moment.
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Can you spot when she shares the location,
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the actions, the thoughts, the dialogue and the feelings?
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So in my mid-20s I was running acquisitions for Pizza Express and walked into a meeting room.
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I was two minutes late for the meeting and the person on the opposite side of the table,
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the lawyer, looked up and said oh thank goodness for that.
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Mine's white with one sugar please.
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So I I thought, okay, this is a moment.
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Walked round to the coffee,
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made him his coffee, put the coffee in front of him and said,
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would anybody else like a coffee?
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And nobody said anything.
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Nobody wanted one.
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I made myself a coffee and then sat back down again opposite him.
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And as he looked up,
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I watched the colour drain from his face as he realised this enormous assumption that he'd made.
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And it was such a beautiful moment in my career,
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really empowering, when I sat there and realized that actually this moment where I'd had imposter syndrome anyway,
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running a meeting like this,
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but I'd been completely misjudged by the people on the opposite side of the table,
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was actually this incredible superpower.
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Because guess who walked out with the deal?
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What an incredible storyteller, right?
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Today, you learned the foundations.
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You learned how to tell insanely good stories.
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But hey, there are also a few more advanced storytelling techniques out there.
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In case you want to go deeper on this journey,
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I would suggest to check out this next video in
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which you'll learn how to be a better storyteller than 99% of the people.
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See you there.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice storytelling techniques that will significantly enhance your ability to engage listeners while speaking in English. Drawing inspiration from a captivating example, you will learn how to create immersive narratives that not only convey events but also resonate emotionally with your audience. This is an excellent opportunity for you to improve your English pronunciation and storytelling skills simultaneously. By mastering these five storytelling techniques, you’ll be able to captivate your listeners and elevate your English speaking practice to new heights.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Location: Where the story takes place. E.g., "I'm sitting on my couch."
  • Zoom into the moment: To focus on specific details rather than generalize.
  • Customs agent: An official who checks travelers at the border.
  • Immersive narrative: A storytelling style that fully engages the audience's senses.
  • Physical moment: A significant point in time that is rich in detail.
  • Summarize: To briefly recount the main points or events.
  • Engage listeners: To capture the attention and interest of the audience.
  • Insanely good stories: Engaging and memorable narratives that leave a lasting impression.

Practice Tips

To effectively utilize these storytelling techniques, consider the following tips while you practice shadow speaking:

  • Listen carefully: As you watch the video, focus on how the speaker uses tone and rhythm. Pay attention to the emphasis on specific words that enhance the storytelling experience.
  • Shadow Speak: Immediately repeat what you hear. This will help you mimic the speaker's cadence, allowing you to improve English pronunciation and fluency.
  • Record yourself: After you practice shadowing, record your storytelling attempts. Listen back to identify areas for improvement in your narrative delivery.
  • Start with a location: As you craft your own stories, always begin by stating your location. This sets the scene and draws your listeners in, making your English speaking practice feel more authentic.
  • Zoom into details: Practice telling short anecdotes where you describe specific moments. This will help you learn to make your stories more vivid and engaging.
  • Engage with others: Share your stories with friends or language partners. Engaging in conversations will not only help solidify what you've learned but also provide real-time feedback.

By continuously practicing these techniques and utilizing video content to learn English with YouTube, you’ll find yourself not only improving your storytelling but also enhancing your overall communication skills in English.

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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