Shadowing Practice: How to become someone everyone loves talking to - Learn English Speaking with Video

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If you've ever wanted to talk to someone you like

but had absolutely no idea what to say I need to say something funny, I need to impress them Then first use the context rule

One of the biggest approaching mistakes people make is thinking that they need the perfect opening line Excuse me,

if you're a fruit you'd be a fine apple But for most people it just feels unnatural So instead, use what's actually happening around you

And base the conversation on the reason why you want to approach

and talk to them for example

if they're looking at books in a bookstore excuse me sorry

i'm trying to find something good to read have you read this one yet

if you're both waiting for a coffee excuse me have you had the matcha here before i've never been

so i don't know what to get what would you recommend

if you're in a new town excuse me i'm on a solo trip

so i've never been to this town before do you know any restaurants

that would be a nice place to try for lunch

or even if the context is

that you genuinely notice something about them hey sorry i just

wanted to come over to say um i really love your

t -shirts cold play right have you seen them live notice how none of these are trying to be clever

and the reason why these work so well is because they're natural

and it doesn't leave the other person thinking what do they want from me

or why are they coming to talk to me however now you've done the hardest part

and introduce yourself you need to remember this number two you have two ears

and one mouth for a reason now there's an old saying

that says that we were given two ears and one mouth

because we should listen twice as much as we speak and

while you don't need to take that literally it's actually a nice rule to follow

because when we're nervous we tend to make the conversation all about ourselves we over explain

so yeah I was I was going over there and try

and fill every awkward silence I know maybe I wasn't going over there

because we constantly feel like we need to keep the conversation interesting

so you see yeah anyway yeah so that was

that was what I was doing but

but that's what actually makes the conversation feel exhausting instead I

want you to really listen to what the other person is saying and ask better questions by number three.

Always giving people something to respond to.

How was your day today?

You see conversations don't die because we listen or talk too much.

Yeah it was good thanks.

They die because we or the other person gives you absolutely nothing to respond to.

Nice.

Now here you might have thought it was his fault for ending the conversation

because he just said nice but in reality it was my fault

because I said yeah that was good thanks

and I didn't give him anything else to work with

so he couldn't really respond to anything now i want you

to start thinking of conversations like a game of tennis

because the only way for you to play that game is

when both players hit the ball over the net

and just like conversations if one person doesn't give you a very good question

or response then the tennis rally or the conversation will just die

so try and do your best when people ask you

so how was your day today to set the other person

up with something that's easy to respond to yeah it was

really good thank you actually I've just launched my brand new social confidence challenge

that I need to tell you about there's 21 videos in

there 21 lessons from me personally with 21 challenges to help you stay accountable

and improve your social confidence in 21 days every day there'll be one video

and one challenge for you to complete and you can track

that every single day by logging on your progress

and marking it as complete once you've watched the video learned a lesson

and used it in real life practice i've tried to put this together for as low price as possible

if you enjoy if you want to improve your social skills go ahead

and purchase it let me know when you have

and i've got a little surprise in there for you as well for those who do purchase

so thank you

so much i'm excited for this one number four always look

out for the quieter person in the group we've all been there

when we're in a group of people we want to talk

but there's so much going on and maybe there's people we haven't met before

so you just sit there in silence but then

that one bro notices you hey man are you all good yeah man thank you

and one of the most memorable things you can do in a conversation is genuinely make people feel included

and wanted now i've actually been going through this exact thing myself right now as

when i go to my girlfriend's home country lithuania i find

myself sat around a table with everyone speaking a different language

and although i'm learning i'm so shy to talk but

when somebody actually comes over to have a little chat to me notice as i'm quiet

and make sure i'm included in the conversation it means

so much so always look out for others who might be quiet

because sometimes it just takes one conversation starter to get them

to open up number five don't be embarrassed to ask for somebody's name again it can feel really embarrassing

when you first meet someone hi how are you doing i'm tom it's really nice to meet you i'm darren

and then midway through the conversation you think what was his name again Oh no, I forgot his name.

But no, that's really awesome, Tom.

Nice one.

How the hell does he remember my name?

But honestly, I found it's always okay to just ask.

I'm so sorry.

I'm really terrible at names.

Can you remind me of your name again?

No worries, man.

It's all good.

My name's Darren.

Because this does two things.

First, it actually shares a small fault about you in a conversation.

Most people try and be perfect, share a small fault, something you're not great at, and it makes them feel more comfortable. And second...

People won't actually be so focused on the fact that you forgot their name.

Right, Darren, don't worry, I promise you I'm going to remember it next time.

They'll remember that you actually cared enough to relearn it and ask again.

Now this can actually be one of the most powerful things that you do.

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Yo Darren, how are you doing man?

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I told you I'd remember the name.

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And this instantly makes them feel good.

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And finally, number six, finish on a high note.

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Now most people wait until the conversation is dead

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or there's nothing else to say before leaving

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but honestly the final parts of a conversation are what people remember the most

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so don't just think

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if i leave now they're not going to notice are they where are you going i gotta go sorry bye

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instead try and leave a conversation intentionally

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and confidently well it was really good catching up with you

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or i really enjoyed that conversation i'm

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so sorry i've got to go i've got to get back

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to my girlfriend she's gonna be pissed otherwise really good to see you okay take care

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or even better leave the conversation when you've just shared a good moment

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or a laugh a lot of people just think

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that they can't leave a conversation because it sounds rude

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or they're going to think it's rude but it's not

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when you genuinely have a reason to leave the conversation that's absolutely okay it's

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when you leave without warmth that the problem occurs thank you

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so much for watching subscribe for more and i'll see you on the 21 day social confidence challenge

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16 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “How to become someone everyone loves talking to”. This video has 120 sentences and 1382 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:22. The speaker talks fast, about 217 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 89% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
genuinely adverb	/ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/	In a genuine manner; truthfully, truly.
lesson noun	/ˈlɛs.ən/	A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
silence noun	/ˈsaɪ̯ləns/	The absence of any sound.
ear noun	/ˈɪə̯/	The organ of hearing, consisting of the pinna or auricle, auditory canal, eardrum, malleus, incus, stapes and cochlea.
tennis noun	/ˈtɛnɪs/	A sport played by two players (or four in doubles), who alternately strike the ball over a net using racquets.
rude adjective	/ɹuːd/	Lacking in refinement or civility; bad-mannered; discourteous.
occur verb	/əˈkɜː/	To happen or take place.
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.
introduce verb	/ˌɪntɹəˈdus/	To cause (someone) to be acquainted (with someone else).
log noun	/lɔɡ/	The trunk of a dead tree, cleared of branches.
remind verb	/ɹəˈmaɪnd/	To cause one to experience a memory (of someone or something); to bring to the notice or consideration (of a person).
rally noun	/ˈɹæli/	A public gathering or mass meeting that is not mainly a protest and is organized to inspire enthusiasm for a cause.
awkward adjective	/ˈɔk.wɚd/	Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments.
instantly adverb	/ˈɪnstəntli/	At once; without delay.
clever adjective	/ˈklɛv.ɚ/	Nimble with hands or body; dexterous; skillful; adept.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
going over noun		An inspection, examination, review, or investigation.
get back verb		Return to where one came from.
go ahead verb	/ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/	To proceed with; to begin.
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
open up verb		To open.
sit around verb		To spend time sitting idly, not doing anything important.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

How was your day today?
I'm really terrible at names.
Can you remind me of your name again?
I told you I'd remember the name.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	you've ever wanted · i've never been · you've done
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	were given · be pissed
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group	the biggest · the hardest · your best
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	was going · wasn't going · was doing

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 57 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

Long words — get the stress right: genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, intentionally /ɪnˈtɛn(t)ʃənəli/, confidently /ˈkɑnfɪdəntli/

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 genuinely, lesson, silence.

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: How to become someone everyone loves talking to - Learn English Speaking with Video

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