Shadowing Practice: How to Explain Complex Accounting Problems to Anyone! - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Do you remember the last time you had to explain a complex accounting problem to someone?
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And then after about five seconds of trying to explain, you get lost.
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The person you're speaking to gets lost.
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You know I don't speak Spanish.
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In English, please.
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And then it just turns into a mess.
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In today's class, I'm going to give you a five step process to be
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able to explain complex accounting problems in a simple way so that everyone will understand.
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If you've been following the channel for a while, you know that I love structures and frameworks to help students communicate more efficiently.
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And in today's class, I'm going to give you one more.
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Generally when we have a problem, our first instinct is to try and share it with someone.
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We get really excited.
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Sometimes we get a little bit panicky.
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and in our rush to explain what the problem is We actually give them all the details, but we don't tell them what the actual problem is.
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I was watching this great interview the other day with Simon Sinek, and he was saying that when you're explaining something complex, You need to make it so simple
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that it's repeatable because if it's repeatable it's understandable
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and that's what your goal should be
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when you're trying to explain a complex accounting problem make it so simple and concise
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that the person listening can repeat it back to you.
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And that's exactly what our five step process aims to achieve.
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Okay, so let's look at the first step.
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What's the issue?
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We want to give one sentence that describes what the problem is.
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We want to prepare the listeners brain for the information that they're about to receive.
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So let's imagine it's a revenue recognition problem.
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If I was speaking to a finance person, they'll know what revenue recognition means.
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But if I'm talking to a non -finance person, they would have no idea what I'm talking about in most cases.
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So I want to be very careful with the words I choose.
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So I would say something like, we discovered
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that the revenue on one of our contracts was recorded in
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the wrong month you notice here the word i used was recorded
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because that's a word everyone's going to know step number two is what is the specific issue
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and what is the impact on the business.
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So I could say the revenue was recorded before the service was delivered
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and this caused our Q2 revenue to be overstated by $50 ,000.
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Here, over -stated means that the number was too high.
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If you want the opposite of that, you can say, understated.
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If I was speaking to someone outside of finance, I'd probably give them an extra sentence, just something that explains how this problem is going to affect their area.
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So for example, if I was speaking to someone in sales, I would say that means that the commissions we calculated in Q2 were incorrect
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or if I was speaking to someone in commercial, I might say that Our rebates have been calculated incorrectly or our revenue share was wrong in Q2.
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So we'll need to fix it.
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Just before I forget, there is a free PDF download of this class with all the vocabulary and structures.
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as well as some other complex accounting problems.
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The link to that PDF is in the description of this video.
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Step three is what is the cause?
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So I could say, We used the contract date instead of the delivery date.
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Step 4 is: How do we prevent it happening again?
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So you can say, we have set up a 30 minute training session with a data entry team to do a review of the input procedure.
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- And the last step is how do we fix it?
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What's the solution?
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so i would say we have corrected the overstatement in q2 and moved the revenue into Q3.
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If I put everything together, it should now look like this.
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We discovered that the revenue on one of our contracts was recorded in the wrong month.
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The revenue was recorded before the service was delivered and this caused our Q2 revenue to be overstated by $50 ,000.
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The issue occurred because we used the contract date instead of the delivery date.
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We've set up a 30 minute training session with the data entry team to do a review of the data input procedure.
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We've corrected the overstatement and moved the amount to Q3.
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You notice here with the example, I keep the language very simple and easy to understand.
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Thank you.
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I worked with a CFO once and he said, "You don't win any awards for using more words." And that's a problem I see with English learners.
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Their focus is on trying to show off, to use the most sophisticated words,
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But your focus should be trying to get your message across in the most efficient way using the least amount of words.
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The last piece of advice I would give you is always prepare
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and practice a few times before you go and speak to someone.
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Remember, keep it simple if the person wants more details they'll ask you
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if you like today's class let me know in the comment section below remember
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that there is a free pdf of everything we learned and you can find that in the description of this video
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Why This Video Is Great for English Speaking Practice

This clip is a goldmine for learning English with YouTube because it combines practical communication skills with real-world context. The speaker uses clear, conversational language to break down complex ideas—perfect for building fluency. Whether you’re prepping for IELTS speaking practice or just want to explain ideas better, the structured approach here helps you learn to organize thoughts in English. Plus, the focus on simplicity means you’ll pick up everyday vocabulary that’s easy to apply immediately.

Breaking Down Natural English Phrasing

Let’s look at why the dialogue sounds so natural. First, the speaker uses short, direct sentences like, “We discovered that the revenue on one of our contracts was recorded in the wrong month.” This avoids jargon, making it easy to follow—a key trait of effective English. Next, phrases like “overstated by $50,000” show how to quantify issues clearly, which is useful for both professional and daily conversations. Finally, the question “How do we prevent it happening again?” uses casual grammar (“happening” instead of “from happening”) that native speakers often use, teaching you to sound more natural, not just correct.

A Simple Shadow Speech Routine for This Video

Try this shadow speak practice to master the language: Step 1: Watch a 30-second clip, pausing to repeat each sentence out loud, mimicking the tone and speed. Step 2: Record yourself shadowing the same clip. Compare your recording to the video—note where your intonation or pace differs. Step 3: Focus on tricky phrases (like “revenue was overstated”) and repeat them until they flow smoothly. Do this daily for 10 minutes, and you’ll notice your English speaking becomes more confident. This routine works for IELTS speaking practice too, as it builds the ability to organize ideas and speak clearly under pressure. Shadowspeaks techniques like this turn passive listening into active learning, making you a better communicator in no time.

Grammar in this video

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

StructureIn the video
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its resultif the person wants more details they'll ask
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itwas recorded · be overstated · have been calculated
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowhave been calculated · have set · have corrected

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 →