Shadowing Practice: How to Adapt to Changing Times | Simon Sinek - Learn English Speaking with Video
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I think this profession is going, probably you have the great advantage that there are other professions
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that have gone through this before you and you can see what they've done in right and wrong.
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And you can see other industries as well, how they've screwed it up.
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So for example, and it's because they waited for the change to happen as opposed to grabbing the bulls by the horn.
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The bull by the horns.
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Right.
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It's just one S, no big deal.
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Right.
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And so, for example, why is it that Netflix invented Netflix and not the movie and television industry?
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It's because the movie and television industry were protecting their old business model
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and literally ignorant of the fact that the world was changing around them.
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Netflix had this new subscription model and it was a small company.
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Blockbuster, which was the 800 pound gorilla, you remember when we used to get DVDs in the mail?
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They knew streaming was coming, it just wasn't there yet.
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And so the CEO of Blockbuster went to the board
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and said I think we should explore subscription
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because this little thing called Netflix is onto something that's going to happen when the technology gets better.
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And the board wouldn't let him change the business model to subscription because they made 12% of their revenues from late fees. And look what happened.
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Blockbuster does not exist except for one store in northern Canada.
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And Netflix is the dominant force in television and movies.
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Why is it that a computer company invented iTunes and not the music industry?
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It's because they saw the change coming and the music industry was still trying to protect selling albums in stores.
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Cuz they saw their customer as Tower Records and HMV, whereas iTunes, Apple saw the customer as the person who actually buys and listens to the music.
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Why is it that Amazon invented Amazon and the e-reader and publishing industry did not even invent the Kindle?
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Like that is, it's because they're too busy protecting the old business model.
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So I think if you go down this route of protectionism, of protecting what we have and staving off change, you are signing your own death warrant.
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And if it's not your death warrant, your business is going to become way more difficult.
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And another firm that may be completely outside your profession,
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remember, iTunes, Netflix, all of these were companies completely outside their own industry.
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In other words, they couldn't even figure out
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which one of you it's going to be because it won't be any of you.
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It might be a software company that That'll completely eviscerate your profession.
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And so I think to be the one that says, okay, it won't be the way it was.
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We can't defend the way it was.
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And we're going to have to imagine, what if we were to invent our industry now, knowing nothing?
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What would we do?
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And again, this goes back to the question of why.
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Well, why did you get into the industry in the first place?
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Did you get into this profession because your parents told you to and you can make a good living?
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not going to be the innovator.
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Did you get in this industry because you love math?
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You're not going to be the innovator.
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Did you get into this industry and do you love this industry
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when you really get to help people re-understand and re-imagine how to build an organization?
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Because when you can understand the language of mathematics, when you can understand the language of a balance sheet, as clearly as you can understand the language of cultural change,
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it's kind of like that.
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It's the rational and the emotional.
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And we said it before, which is the numbers are only half a picture of the health of the business. And
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if you got into this industry to be of service to human beings who are trying to do bigger things for themselves, for their families, for society,
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for their customers, you You might be onto something.
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So the question is, what value do you offer to the people who buy your product?
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Now how would you do that in this new changing day and age?
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And literally ignore whatever was, because it's irrelevant, because it may or may not survive.
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The industry, the profession will do fine if you're the ones willing to blow up your own business.
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if you're going to protect your business, it'll get blown up for you.
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Real-Life Scenario: Adapting to Change in Business
The video explores a common challenge: how industries and professionals can survive and thrive amid change. Using examples like Netflix, Blockbuster, and iTunes, it argues that clinging to old models leads to failure, while embracing innovation—rooted in a clear "why"—drives success. This dialogue is perfect for practicing shadow speech because it blends conversational flow with impactful business vocabulary, making it easy to mimic rhythm and tone.
Useful Chunks & Collocations to Master
- "Grabbing the bull by the horns" – Taking direct action to solve a problem.
- "800 pound gorilla" – A dominant, powerful entity in a field.
- "Signing your own death warrant" – Making a decision that guarantees failure.
- "Staving off change" – Trying to delay or prevent change.
- "Be of service to human beings" – Focusing on helping people, not just profits.
These phrases are widely used in professional and casual conversations, so memorizing them will boost your fluency quickly.
Your Shadowing Challenge: Speak Like a Pro
Ready to practice shadow speak? Here's your task: Pick a 30-second clip from the video. Play it once, then hit pause and repeat it immediately, copying the speaker's pace, stress, and intonation. Do this 5 times. For extra practice, use a shadowing app to record yourself and compare it to the original. This is how you build natural speaking skills fast! Remember, shadowspeaks isn't just about words—it's about sounding confident and connected. By learning English with YouTube videos like this, you're training your brain to think and speak in real time. You've got this—start shadowing now and feel your progress in minutes!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | Blockbuster, which was · person who actually · before, which is |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have gone · they've screwed |
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.