Shadowing Practice: How to Answer ANY Question (Even If You Don't Know The Answer!) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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I'm going to show you how to answer any high pressure question on the spot without going blank.
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I'm going to show you how to answer any high pressure question on the spot without going blank.
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I'm talking about when your boss puts you on the spot in front of your team,
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or when a client asks you something you don't know the answer to,
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or even when you get asked an interview question that catches you off guard.
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As long as you follow these exact three steps in this video,
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you'll never go blank again.
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I've tested this process in high stake meetings to stages of up to 10,000 people,
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and it works.
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So here's how to do it the first thing I would do is I would pause to collect my thoughts
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and I'll give myself as long as of a pause as I need
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so that I don't start to freak out the mental block happens
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when you're trying to come up with an answer in one
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second in half a second in a millisecond that's what causes the panic the anxiety
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which is then going to inevitably lead to a mental blank whereas when you pause,
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take a deep breath.
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As you pause and take a deep breath, that creates mental clarity.
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That helps you calm your nervous system down.
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And in that state, you are much more likely to give yourself the best chance to find a good response.
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People tend to think that answering a question quickly makes them look good,
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makes them look smart.
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When you answer a question really quickly, it doesn't do that.
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It makes it seem as if you didn't put any thought into the answer.
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Because if you asked me a question and you said,
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hey Vin, how do you answer a high pressure situation?
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Oh, I know how to do that.
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The first thing you're going to do is you're just going to pause.
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And then after you pause,
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you're going to use a framework.
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And after you use a framework,
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you can deliver it confidently.
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Most people just speak when they're just winging things and they think that's going to help them create a really good career.
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That's why.
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No, it doesn't.
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When you answer a question without taking a moment to think about what the person said,
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it looks as if you don't care.
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When you ask me this,
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if I paused, And then now I answer your question,
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that's a confident pause.
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That's a pause of me processing what you're saying,
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carefully considering what I'm going to say next,
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and then sharing my thoughts.
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Now, there's a few key things I want to say here.
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If you look to the side and you think,
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and you raise a hand up and you start to think about something like this,
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or you go into the thinker pose and you start to think,
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this is a powerful pose to move into because it shows people now I'm processing.
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Now that's a good pause.
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However if you pause and then you you slouch
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and then you look down
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and then you're you're fidgeting with your hands that's a negative pause
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because they'll perceive that pause as you being anxious and you not knowing the answer.
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So there's two different types of pauses.
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One where I'm freaking out and I don't know the answer and you caught me out.
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One where I'm being really composed and I'm I'm thinking about how to answer this in a way that
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adds the most value to you.
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So just notice that within body language cues alone plays a very important part in that.
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The second thing that I would say is if you pause for a good two to three seconds
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and you can't in that moment think about the optimal reply,
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then be straightforward with the person that's in front of you.
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Say they asked you a question about marketing,
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so I'm gonna create a mock scenario.
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Vin, how should I use marketing,
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organic marketing, to get more leads for the business that I'm running?
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Emily, I'd love to share with you a thoughtful answer.
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Let me ask you this,
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would it be helpful if I met with you later today
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and I'll give you a comprehensive answer
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because I've been through content creation for the last 15 years of my life
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and I want to give you the most meaningful answer so I want a little more time to think on that.
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Is that okay for me to take a bit more time to think on it
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and give you the most valuable answer possible later today?
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Fantastic, I'll set up a time.
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Why don't we set up a time
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so I can think about it over lunch and I'll share with you the experience that I have.
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Something like that is fine, it's totally fine.
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I think we panic
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because we think we have to prove ourselves by answering them in the moment off the cuff straight away.
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People don't want a rushed answer.
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They want an answer that adds the most value to their lives and people are willing to wait for that.
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The next thing I'm going to say is
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that what increases your chances of being able to answer on the spot is I would use a framework
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because when someone asks you,
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Vin, can you teach us how to create organic content that creates leads?
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Let's say that's the example.
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My brain now is freaking out because there is
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so many different things you can do for content creation that helps generate leads for example.
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My brain's going crazy because I'm thinking about all the different things that you can do
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whereas when you use the framework the one thing so I'll show you this in action someone asked you a question,
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hey Vin what's something that I can do when it comes to content creation to get more leads organically?
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Listen the one thing I would say about content creation whether it's for lead generation
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or views or building the number of followers,
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the one thing that I would say is consistency.
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Consistency is the most important thing.
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That's the most important strategy that I've discovered as the universal truth.
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To become better at generating more content and generating more leads,
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just keep creating content.
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And as you create content,
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you'll get better and better and better through consistency
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and you'll learn how to get more views
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and then you'll learn how to get more leads but the underlying foundation is consistency.
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I'm able to deliver that and I use the sentence the one thing.
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Now the most beautiful thing about this is that I'm not saying that that that is everything to do with content creation.
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I'm saying that if there was one thing to focus on that's what I'll focus on
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and
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if you haven't been through a framework class with me I've
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put together a free two-hour crash course where I share three
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powerful communication frameworks to help you improve the way you speak
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while you're under pressure so that you can come across more clear,
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concise, and coherent in any situation.
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Just click the link in the description,
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or you can scan the QR code that's on screen.
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Again, it's completely free and thousands of people have been through it.
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So go check it out.
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And by doing this, I now have given myself time to think more on this topic,
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talk on the topic in a focused way.
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So I've talked about consistency.
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But what you've done there is you've brought yourself time to better answer their question in the most valuable way possible.
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The third thing you do at the end of you using the framework,
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the one thing, the third thing you do is you ask a question.
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And the question you ask right at the end is,
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once again, depending on the context is,
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did you want me to go deeper on that topic? you want to get more granular in terms of the strategy.
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I can look at their facial expressions if they're smiling
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and nodding that's what they're after and at the end I check in do you want more?
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Do you want me to go deeper on this?
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Do you want to go into pragmatic strategies on how to create hooks
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and bodies and CTAs call to actions etc. Do you want me to do that?
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And they might say yes and if they say yes then you go down deeper in the rabbit hole.
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The danger in not using frameworks and answering questions on the spot is you end up speaking out your thought process.
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This is scientifically how your thinking process looks yeah this is a scientific diagram
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that I'm drawing and when someone asks you something about content creation
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and you don't follow a framework your brain starts to go
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oh of course I can tell you about content creation
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and doing things organically you know the first thing you're gonna
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understand from a foundational level is you've got to be consistent the second thing I'd tell you about too is
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that you're gonna write a really good hook a lot of people have a really good body to their goals
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and then you're just blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
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blah blah no matter how valuable what you're saying is the value is lost in you rambling.
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So what a framework does,
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a framework distills your thinking.
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That's what it does.
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This distillation process here, that process right here, that's what frameworks do.
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Because it simply distills your thinking into something that is more concise,
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more coherent, and it's going to be more credible as you communicate to that point in that concise way.
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Pause.
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Once you learn the frameworks,
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pick a framework, share just one thought about that topic,
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ask a question, do you want to go deeper?
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That's the best way for you to navigate that situation.
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Why Practice Speaking with This Video?
Engaging with this video is an excellent way to enhance your speaking skills in high-pressure situations. By learning to respond effectively to unexpected questions, you can boost your confidence and improve your fluency. The techniques shared here are crucial for contexts such as job interviews, meetings, and everyday conversations, making this a versatile resource for any English learner. Practicing with this video allows you to implement the shadowing technique, which can significantly enhance your ability to think and respond clearly in English.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Throughout the video, the speaker employs several effective grammatical structures and expressions that are useful for position-taking and expressing thought. Here are some key examples:
- Imperative Sentences: The speaker often uses commands like "pause," "take a deep breath," and "use a framework." These imperative forms are effective for giving clear instructions and should be part of your active speaking repertoire, especially for guiding others in conversations.
- Present Simple Tense: Phrases such as "this creates mental clarity" illustrate the use of present simple, which is essential for expressing general truths. Mastering this tense can help you articulate thoughts more directly and confidently.
- Conditional Phrases: The speaker mentions, "if you pause," which introduces a conditional structure. Understanding how to use conditional clauses is crucial for discussing hypothetical situations and outcomes, important for persuasive speaking.
Common Pronunciation Traps
Understanding and practicing the pronunciation of certain words and phrases can help you avoid common pitfalls. Here are key expressions from the video that may present challenges:
- “Pause”: Ensure you pronounce the 'p' clearly and emphasize the vowel sound to convey a sense of calm. This word is pivotal as it communicates the need for reflection.
- “Confidence”: This word can be tricky; focus on the stress on the second syllable (con-FI-dence) to speak it effectively.
- “Framework”: Pay attention to the blending of sounds; articulate both syllables to ensure clarity when using this technical term.
By utilizing the shadow speak method with this video, you can significantly enhance your pronunciation and intonation, which are key components of effective speaking. Incorporating what you've learned here into your IELTS speaking practice or daily conversations will lead to noticeable improvements in your speaking ability.
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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