Shadowing Practice: How To Build Quiet Confidence That Holds Up Under Fire - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Tommy Shelby is stone -cold confident and seemingly fearless, so in this video
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we're going to break down what you can learn from him
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to be confident in those high -pressure situations in your own life.
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Also, the original version of this video was banned by YouTube, which is why you might recognize this re -uploaded updated version.
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Please don't ban us again, YouTube.
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Spoilers through season five to follow.
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First off, perhaps the most noticeable thing about Tommy is that he
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He rarely overreacts in situations of extreme pressure.
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Tommy's calm, non -reactive demeanor is extremely unsettling to his adversaries.
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But even more important, it's in this remaining calm
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that he's able to put into practice all of the other strategies that we're discussing in this video.
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So this piece is foundational.
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Now, Tommy wasn't born cool as a cucumber.
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None of us are.
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He developed this trait through repeated exposure to life -threatening situations,
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first in the war and then over and over and over again in the course of his rise as a gangster.
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The same principle applies in our lives.
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If we want to remain calm in certain situations, the most reliable way isn't simply by focusing on keeping a straight face or a deadpan stare.
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In fact, the more you think about your facial expressions when you're nervous, the more likely you are to actually blush.
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So even though people notice the unflinching face, the best way to get there is through what's called exposure therapy.
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Essentially, you put yourself into less challenging simulations of whatever difficult scenario you're about to face.
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So if you're going to interview, doing a mock interview with a friend or even touring the building
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that you'll be interviewing in can go a long way to calming your nerves on the big day.
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Or if you want to be more comfortable in social situations,
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saying a single extra sentence to a service person can challenge you without triggering total panic.
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But Tommy's experience also shows us what happens
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if you expose yourself to overwhelming situations rather than gradations of slightly more challenging ones.
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Now, outsmarting people requires more than just composure.
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Tommy often has to persuade people that have every reason to hate him
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and he exhibits three powerful tools that regularly keep him in control.
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The first is his use of state -breaking questions.
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Watch.
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So the odd fellows want you to know that any deviation from your instructions will have
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When we're under pressure, our natural response is to go with the flow
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and passively accept the conversational pace set by someone who's in a position of power over us.
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However, in doing so, we surrender our power during that conversation, which in a negotiation usually leads to an unfavorable deal.
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This state -breaking question is a seemingly out -of -place question that breaks the one -sided conversational flow.
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And from there, conversation is much easier to steer in a new direction.
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In this case, Tommy uses it to assert his power despite the fact that he is imprisoned.
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You visited your sister.
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Hey.
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What's your name, boy?
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Interestingly, when Tommy does have power, he doesn't allow others to divert it away with their own state -breaking questions.
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He simply continues down his original path rather than answering them.
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Furthermore, he has a criminal profile which will make his actions explicable to the police.
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In your life, you probably don't want to use this to introduce threats into a conversation, but it can be an incredibly persuasive tool,
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especially when someone's emotional state is preventing them from moving forward productively.
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For instance, if someone is feeling upset, asking a random lighthearted question can snap their state for long enough for them to consider more empowering possibilities.
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And we saw this in the video that we did on Tony Robbins getting people out of depression.
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What makes you hate yourself?
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Is it the red shoes?
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What?
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Is it the red shoes?
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No. Are you sure?
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You have the fucking red.
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Now, a simple question isn't going to instantly put someone on your side.
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In fact, other people can be counted on to continue to pursue their own agendas, which is why we often see
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Tommy get what he wants by finding a way to align his needs with the other persons.
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Watch here as Tommy tries to convince another faction to join him in a war against the Italians.
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He doesn't appeal to honor or to doing what's right, but to doing what's good for Alfie Solomon.
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Now, in order to do this effectively, you cannot imagine that other people want the same things as you.
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You must try to first view the world from their perspective.
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Now, I know this may sound obvious but so few people follow this advice.
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Instead, they offer others what they would want, never getting anywhere.
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So before offering help, you need to make sure you understand the other person's world, which is why
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Tommy comes to these meetings already understanding the position and temperament of the person that he's going to be speaking to.
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Distillery provides one -tenth of your income.
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Protection is another 10 % of the rest you make from the rice trucks.
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I know you keep a gun in the drawer.
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I know you keep it beside the whiskey.
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I know.
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You offer a deal of death.
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And if after all of your research on someone, you're still unclear on what they want,
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you can always just ask them in the course of conversation.
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I want to know what you want.
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One concrete area
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that you can put this to use in your own life is in connecting with someone
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that you might like as a mentor, or say a CEO, an influencer, whoever.
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The internet makes it easier than ever to get in touch with these people,
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but it also means that they get more of these requests than ever before.
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So rather than the typical let's chat over coffee,
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research a particular problem they may have and then offer to meet to discuss how specifically you can help.
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This is a much, much more effective way to start that relationship.
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But even beyond this particular scenario, the point is
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that one of the best ways to get what you want
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is to seriously consider how you can get other people what they want.
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Now, this brings us to the next point.
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When Tommy really needs something done, he doesn't just solve someone's problem.
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He gives both the carrot and the stick, which is a much stronger motivation when you're trying to affect large changes.
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Watch.
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The nature of the deal is explained in my proposal.
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I've booked you a suite at the Midland Hotel.
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If you need anything in this city, just mention my name.
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So you want to impress me, Mr. Shelby?
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Also in the envelope is a check for £500 for your wife.
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She can use it to buy a black dress
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and a black horse with black feathers to pull a black
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carriage with your body in it should you break the terms of the white flag.
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Some people are motivated more by the prospect of gaining something, others by the fear of losing something.
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And all of us are motivated when there is a particular path that assuages both of those desires, which is why
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Tommy makes sure to hit on both whenever he needs someone to be all in on one of his plans.
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You can see it again here.
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This time, he does it in reverse order.
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If those guns reach Belfast, your life in the force is over.
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When I've achieved what I've set out to achieve, I will let you know where to find the guns.
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You'll be a hero.
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You'll probably get a medal.
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This is a far superior persuasive strategy than simply commanding or threatening people, and it's incredibly helpful when you're trying to inspire any group of people.
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So whether it's in school or work, when there's a team of people that you're trying to move towards a common goal,
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or if it's in business, when you're trying to explain the value of a product that you're selling,
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don't just talk about what someone can gain if they follow your vision, but instead on what they might miss out if they don't.
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Now this takes us to the last piece, which is truly what makes
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Tommy Shelby so unique and probably why so many people love him.
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And it's his ability to turn trash into resources, lemons into lemonades, as the phrase commonly says.
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But I wouldn't actually use that phrase because it's most often used to describe making the best of a bad situation.
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In Tommy's case, he makes a bad situation better than if it had never happened in the first place.
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For example, when there's a failed assassination attempt on his brother's life, he doesn't just look at the bright side of things,
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that his brother is alive.
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He uses that attempt to spread disinformation, telling everyone that Arthur, his brother,
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is dead, which buys him time to recuperate and then eventually surprise and kill that season's big baddie, Luca Cangretta.
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Similarly, Tommy is told that he needs to kill his friend Danny Wizbing to avoid all -out war with the Italian gangsters.
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Clearly a bad situation.
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But he makes it work out better than
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if he didn't have to by using it as an opportunity to fake Danny's death,
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which gets him a man who can operate in London without anyone even looking for him.
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And it also gets him a hiding place for the guns that he stole at the beginning of the season, the supposed grave of his friend,
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a place that no one would even think of looking.
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Now, this might seem like it could only work in scripted dramas,
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but this strategy of turning trash into resources is how some of the most elegant
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and brilliant solutions are created in the real world.
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The point is, the bad things in your life may only appear bad in a particular context.
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If you could put those things into a completely new and different context, you can turn something that everyone else overlooked into a valuable resource.
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So an extremely powerful question to ask when you're frustrated
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or you wish a circumstance wasn't the case is how can the thing
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that I least want become valuable towards another goal of mine?
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And if you're looking for more guidance on building social power quickly, you might like to check out our course, Charisma University.
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It is a step -by -step program for making huge strides in your confidence and charisma in less than 30 days guaranteed.
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Over 15 ,000 viewers like you have joined, and here's what just a few of them have to say.
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My biggest breakthrough has been gaining more confidence.
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If you knew me a year ago, you'd see a socially awkward guy,
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but that same guy had hidden confidence and charisma that has now been unleashed.
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If you're reading this or listening right now, think about who you want to be in a year.
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This course will teach you how to be that person.
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Another young man used it in a school and says, the YouTube videos are great, but the courses are amazing.
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Ever since I first started, I've gotten to know so many other people and their friends.
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So many opportunities have opened up to me.
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I've been invited to so many hangouts and it has been amazing. And finally, your course has been life -changing to the point where I
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wake up in the mornings feeling like I've been transferred to a new person's body.
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The person I kept dreaming about becoming before I found Charisma on Command.
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It is incredible.
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I found myself and I found what makes me happy.
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And you can see more comments like those if you decide to join the course in the comments underneath the videos.
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If you do so, you have a full 60 -day money -back guarantee for any reason,
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which means you have plenty of time to go through the course, get all the value, see a transformation in your life,
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and then decide if it was worth it.
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Otherwise, you can get a refund.
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So if you want to join, click the link on screen right now or in the description below.
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We've had thousands of people, men, women, introverts, extroverts, get a ton of value from this course,
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and I would love for you to do the same.
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I hope you decide to join.
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But either way, I hope that you've enjoyed this video, and I look forward to seeing you in the next one.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “How To Build Quiet Confidence That Holds Up Under Fire”. This video has 161 sentences and 2125 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:01. The speaker talks fast, about 193 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 85% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| exposure noun | /ɪkˈspəʊ.ʒə(ɹ)/ | The condition of being exposed, uncovered, or unprotected. |
| guarantee noun | /ˌɡæɹ.ənˈtiː/ | Anything that assures a certain outcome. |
| trash noun | /tɹæʃ/ | Useless physical things to be discarded; rubbish; refuse. |
| incredibly adverb | /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/ | In an incredible manner; not to be believed. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| shoe noun | /ˈʃu/ | A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of… |
| scenario noun | /sɪˈnɛəɹioʊ/ | An outline or model of an expected or supposed sequence of events. |
| seemingly adverb | /ˈsiːmɪŋli/ | As it appears; apparently. |
| threaten verb | /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/ | To make a threat against someone; to use threats. |
| motivate verb | /ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/ | To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage; to actuate. |
| gangster noun | /ˈɡæŋ.stəː/ | A member of a criminal or street gang. |
| proposal noun | /pɹəˈpoʊzəl/ | A scheme or design. |
| superior adjective | /sʊˈpɪɹ.i.ɚ/ | Higher in rank, status, or quality. |
| concrete adjective | /ˌkɑnˈkɹit/ | Real, actual, tangible. |
| helpful adjective | /ˈhɛlp.fl̩/ | Furnishing help; giving aid; useful. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| break down verb | To stop functioning. | |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. | |
| miss out verb | To miss an experience or lose an opportunity, etc. that should not be missed. | |
| move forward verb | To cause to make progress. | |
| work out verb | /ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/ | To calculate. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What's your name, boy?
- What makes you hate yourself?
- You'll probably get a medal.
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 | I've booked · I've achieved · have joined |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was banned · wasn't born · is imprisoned |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | YouTube, which is · people that have · profile which will |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 41 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I've, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/, furthermore /ˈfɜː(ɹ).ðə(ɹ)ˌmɔː(ɹ)/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/, tenth /tɛnθ/, breakthrough /ˈbɹeɪk.θɹuː/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: exposure /ɪkˈspəʊ.ʒə(ɹ)/, trash /tɹæʃ/, shoe /ˈʃu/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, superior /sʊˈpɪɹ.i.ɚ/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, similarly /ˈsɪm.ə.lə.li/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/
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 exposure, guarantee, trash.
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.