Shadowing Practice: How to Feel Less Nervous When Speaking English | Slow and Simple English Podcast Ep. 02 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Slow and Simple English.
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Slow and Simple English.
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Hello everyone and welcome back to Slow and Simple English Podcast where every conversation helps you learn.
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I'm Alex.
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Hello Alex.
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Hello everyone.
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I'm Lisa.
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How are you today, Alex?
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I am doing very well today, Lisa.
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I had a fun experience this week.
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Oh, what happened?
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I met a new neighbor.
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He moved in next door.
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We had a long conversation.
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We talked for maybe 30 minutes outside.
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That sounds nice.
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Was he friendly?
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Very friendly.
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And he is also learning English.
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He told me he studies every day.
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But when he talks to real people, he freezes.
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Freezes?
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Like he cannot speak?
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Yes.
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He knows the words.
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He knows the grammar.
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But when he opens his mouth, everything disappears.
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Oh, I know this feeling very well.
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You do?
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Yes.
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One time I was at a coffee shop.
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A tourist asked me for directions.
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In English.
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My heart went very fast.
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I forgot every word.
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I just pointed.
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Just pointed.
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No words.
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No words.
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Only my finger.
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Lisa, that is actually a perfect introduction to our topic today.
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My pointing finger is the topic?
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Today we are talking about how to feel less nervous when speaking English.
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I really need this one.
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But first, before we start,
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we have a small request.
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Yes.
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If you like our podcast,
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please click the like button.
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And please subscribe to Slow and Simple English Podcast and share this episode with your friends and family who are learning English.
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Thank you so much.
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It helps us so much.
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We love our listeners.
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Okay, let's talk about speaking English without so much fear.
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Alex, can I ask you something first?
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Of course.
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Why do people feel nervous when they speak English?
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Even when they know the words?
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That is a great question.
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And the answer is simple.
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They are afraid of making mistakes.
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Yes, I am always afraid.
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What if I say the wrong word?
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What if people don't understand me?
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What if they laugh?
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Exactly.
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These fears feel very real.
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But here is the truth.
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Most people are not listening for your mistakes.
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They are listening for your meaning.
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My meaning?
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Yes.
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What you are trying to say,
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not how perfectly you say it.
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People want to understand you.
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That is all.
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So they don't care about perfect grammar?
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Most people, no. They just want to have a conversation.
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A connection.
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Connection.
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Two people understanding each other.
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Yes.
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And today I have five tips to help you feel less nervous.
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Less nervous when you speak English.
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Five tips.
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My neighbor with the pointing finger is also listening.
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I will learn together with her.
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Perfect.
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Let's start.
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Tip one.
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Remember that mistakes are normal.
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Just remember that?
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Yes.
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but really remember it.
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Put it in your heart, not just your head.
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What do you mean?
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Many learners know mistakes are normal,
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but when they make a mistake, they feel terrible.
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They stop.
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They go red.
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They want to disappear.
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Yes, this is me.
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My face goes red and I want to run away.
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I know, but think about this.
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When a child learns to walk, they fall down.
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many, many times.
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Yes.
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Every child falls.
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And do we laugh at the child?
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Do we say, you walked wrong, sit down?
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No. We clap.
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We say, good job, try again.
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Exactly.
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Learning English is the same.
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You will say the wrong word.
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You will use the wrong tense.
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You will mispronounce something.
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Mispronounce?
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What does that mean?
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Mispronounce means you say a word in the wrong way.
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For example, you say vegetable as veg table with four clear sounds.
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but native speakers usually say it fast, like vegetable.
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Oh, I definitely mispronounce many words.
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Everyone does, at every level.
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Even native speakers sometimes say words differently from each other.
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There is no one perfect way.
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So I don't need to be perfect.
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I just need to try.
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That is exactly right.
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Mistakes are not the opposite of learning.
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Mistakes are part of learning.
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Mistakes are part of learning.
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I like that.
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Tip one, mistakes are normal.
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Every single time.
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Tip two, practice with safe people first.
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Safe people?
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Yes.
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A safe person is someone who will not judge you.
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Someone who is patient.
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Someone who supports you.
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Like a friend?
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Yes, or a family member,
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or a classmate, someone you feel comfortable with.
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You don't need to practice with strangers first.
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Start with someone safe.
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This makes sense.
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With my friend Min, I can make mistakes and she just smiles.
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She helps me find the word.
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Yes, that is a safe person.
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With Min, you can try,
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you can fail, you can try again, no pressure.
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Pressure?
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That means stress?
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Like someone is pushing you?
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Exactly.
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Pressure means you feel forced.
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You must do well.
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You cannot fail.
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With a safe person, there is no pressure.
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And after I practice with safe people,
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does it get easier with strangers?
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Yes.
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Slowly.
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Think of it like swimming.
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You learn in a small, calm pool first.
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Not in the ocean.
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Not in the ocean.
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Start in the pool.
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Your safe person is the pool.
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The coffee shop tourist is the ocean.
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You work up to the ocean.
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So I should have practiced more in the pool before the tourist came.
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Yes.
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More pool time for Lisa.
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More pool time?
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I understand.
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Tip 2.
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Practice with safe people first.
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Start in the pool.
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Tip 3.
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Focus on the other person, not on yourself.
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What do you mean?
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When people are nervous, they think too much about themselves.
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They think, am I speaking correctly?
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Is my grammar right?
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Does my accent sound strange?
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How do I look?
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Yes, I do all of this,
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all at the same time.
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And when you think about all of those things, what happens?
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I forget what I want to say.
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Exactly.
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Your brain is too busy.
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It is watching yourself instead of having a conversation.
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Watching myself, like I am the audience and the speaker at the same time.
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That is a very good way to say it.
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So the solution is simple.
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Stop watching yourself.
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Look at the other person.
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Listen to them.
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Think about what they are saying.
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Think about their words, not my words.
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Yes.
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Focus on understanding them.
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Focus on what you want to say to them,
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not on how you sound.
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But what if I don't understand a word they say?
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Then you ask.
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Simply and politely, you say,
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sorry, can you say that again?
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Or what does that mean?
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These are normal phrases.
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Even native speakers ask for repetition?
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All the time.
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It is not embarrassing.
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It is good communication.
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Embarrassing means feeling ashamed, yes?
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Let my face goes red.
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Exactly.
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Embarrassing means you feel uncomfortable and ashamed.
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But asking again is never embarrassing.
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It shows you want to understand.
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Okay.
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Next time I will focus on the other person,
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not on my red face.
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Tip 3.
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Focus on the other person, not on yourself.
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Tip 4.
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Prepare some phrases before you speak.
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Phrases?
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You mean sentences?
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Yes.
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Small, useful sentences.
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You prepare them before the conversation,
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so when the moment comes,
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you already have the words ready.
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Like having tools in your pocket.
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I love that, yes.
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Exactly like tools in your pocket.
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You reach in and use them.
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What kind of phrases?
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Let me give you some examples.
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Phrases for when you don't understand.
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Sorry, can you repeat that?
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Or can you speak more slowly, please?
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Oh, I need that one.
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Can you speak more slowly, please?
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Yes.
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Phrases for buying time.
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When you need a moment to think.
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That's a good question.
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Or let me think for a second.
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Buying time?
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I like that.
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I am buying myself one more second to find the word.
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Exactly.
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And phrases for checking understanding.
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do you mean, or so you are saying.
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These are so useful.
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I never knew I could say,
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let me think for a second in English.
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You can.
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And it sounds very natural.
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Nobody thinks it is strange.
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Everyone needs a moment sometimes.
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So I can prepare maybe five or ten phrases and use them when I need them.
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Yes.
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You don't need to prepare a whole speech.
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Just a few key phrases.
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They give you confidence.
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Confidence?
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That means feeling sure about yourself?
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Yes.
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Confidence means you believe in yourself.
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You feel ready.
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You feel able.
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I want more confidence.
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These phrases give you a starting point.
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And once you start, the words usually come.
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Tip 4.
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Prepare phrases.
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Tools in my pocket.
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Perfect.
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And tip 5.
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My favorite.
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What is it?
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Celebrate every small win.
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Small win?
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What is a win?
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A win is when something goes right, something good happens.
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A small win is a very small good thing.
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Give me an example.
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You ordered a coffee in English and the person understood you.
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Small win.
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You asked someone for the time in English.
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Small win.
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You said excuse me to someone on the street.
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Small win.
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These are very small.
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Yes.
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But they are real.
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And they matter.
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Many learners only focus on what went wrong.
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They forget all the things that went right.
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I do this.
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I remember the moments I made mistakes.
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I forget the moments I did well.
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Exactly.
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So, the tip is this.
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At the end of every day,
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think of one English moment that was good, even tiny.
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Write it down if you can.
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Write it down like a wind diary.
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A wind diary.
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I love that name.
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Yes, your English wind diary.
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Monday.
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I said, thank you so much at the supermarket.
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The cashier smiled.
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Wind.
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That is a perfect win, Lisa.
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It is a real win.
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She understood me.
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It is absolutely a real win.
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Every single one counts.
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When you celebrate small wins, you build something important.
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What do you build?
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Courage.
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Courage means the strength to try,
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even when you are scared.
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Courage.
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So I am not trying to remove the nervous feeling completely.
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No, you cannot remove it completely.
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But you build enough courage to speak anyway.
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Speak anyway.
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Even with the nervous feeling.
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Yes, that is the real goal.
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Tip 5.
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Celebrate every small win.
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Build courage.
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Okay, everyone.
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Let's practice together.
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Before we review, I want to teach you some very useful phrases.
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Phrases for when you feel nervous or confused.
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Yes, I want to memorize these.
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First phrase.
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Sorry, could you say that again?
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This is for when you don't hear or understand.
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Sorry, could you say that again?
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That feels polite.
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Very polite.
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Second phrase, I'm sorry my English is not perfect.
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This is an honest, friendly thing to say.
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Most people will immediately become more patient.
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Oh, I can say this,
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and then I don't have to pretend I understand everything.
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Exactly.
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Third phrase.
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How do you say this in English?
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When you know what you want to say, but not the word.
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I need this one every day.
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How do you say this in English?
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And the last one.
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Let me think for a moment.
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This is for buying time.
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You are not lost.
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You just need one second.
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Let me think for a moment.
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That sounds so calm, so natural.
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Practice these four phrases.
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Say them out loud, everyone, right now.
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Pause the podcast and say them.
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Yes, say them now.
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We will wait.
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These phrases are your tools.
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Keep them in your pocket.
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Use them whenever you need.
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Okay, let's review what we talked about today.
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Yes, review time.
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I love review time.
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Today we talked about how to feel less nervous when speaking English.
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Lisa, tip one.
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Tip one.
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Mistakes are normal.
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Mistakes are part of learning.
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Like a child who falls when learning to walk.
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Good.
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Tip two.
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Tip two.
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Practice with safe people first.
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Start in the pool, not the ocean.
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Excellent.
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Tip three.
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Tip three.
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Focus on the other person, not on yourself.
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Stop watching yourself speak.
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Tip four.
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Tip four.
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Prepare some phrases, tools in my pocket,
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like, Sorry, can you repeat that?
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And let me think for a second.
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And tip five?
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Tip five.
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Celebrate every small win.
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Write them in your win diary.
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Build courage.
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You remembered everything perfectly.
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These tips feel real.
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I can actually use them.
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That is the whole idea.
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They are simple, but they work.
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And remember, everyone, the nervous feeling does not mean you are bad at English.
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It means you care.
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And caring is the first step to getting better.
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The nervous feeling means you care.
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I never thought about it that way.
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Now you do.
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Well, that's all the time we have for today.
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Thank you so much for listening to Slow and Simple English Podcast.
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Yes, thank you everyone.
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This was such an important topic today.
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Please subscribe to Slow and Simple English Podcast.
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And give this episode a like.
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It really helps us so much.
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And share it with a friend who is learning English,
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especially a friend who feels nervous when speaking.
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Yes, share it with them.
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They need these tips too.
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And we have a question for you today.
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Yes.
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Please leave a comment below.
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Tell us about a time you spoke English.
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Use this sentence.
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One time I spoke English and...
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Was it scary?
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Was it good?
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We want to hear your story.
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We would love to read your answers.
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See you next time.
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Bye, everyone.
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Keep practicing your English.
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Thank you.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
Speaking English can often be a daunting task, especially for learners who know the grammar and vocabulary but still feel a rush of nerves when it comes time to communicate. In this podcast episode, the hosts, Alex and Lisa, share their personal experiences of encountering such nervousness, reminding listeners that they are not alone in their struggles. By engaging with this video, you can practice speaking English in a low-pressure environment. The candid conversations help create a comfortable atmosphere that encourages you to express yourself without fear of judgment.
Moreover, this video serves as a perfect illustration of real-life dialogue. The natural pace and clear articulation of English will allow you to practice shadow speech, where you mimic the speakers' phrases and intonation. This technique will not only improve your fluency but also boost your confidence when speaking with others. So, make sure to learn English with YouTube by engaging with this podcast and incorporating its lessons into your daily practice!
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Throughout the video, several key grammatical structures and expressions are used that are particularly useful for English learners:
- Past simple tense: Alex and Lisa talk about their experiences in the past, such as, "I met a new neighbor" and "I was at a coffee shop." This structure helps convey completed actions and is essential for storytelling.
- Conditional phrases: The phrase "if you like our podcast" is an example of conditional grammar. This can help express hypothetical situations, making your English sound more sophisticated.
- Present continuous tense: Alex describes his neighbor as "learning English," illustrating an ongoing process. This form is useful for discussing current actions or trends.
- Direct speech: They use quotes to relay what others have said, as in, "He told me he studies every day." This is a great way to incorporate dialogue into your speaking practice.
Common Pronunciation Traps
When practicing with this video, you may encounter a few pronunciation challenges. Pay attention to the following:
- Word stress: The word "freeze" can sometimes be pronounced with varying stress levels. Ensure you say it with the correct emphasis to convey the right emotion.
- Connected speech: Listen closely to how Alex and Lisa connect their words. For example, "new neighbor" may sound more like "newnayber" in natural conversation. Imitating this can enhance your fluency.
- Intonation: The tonal variation in their speech adds a friendly touch and can significantly impact how your speech is perceived. Practicing this kind of shadowspeak can make your conversations sound more natural.
By focusing on these elements, you'll find it easier to express yourself confidently and clearly when speaking English. So grab your headphones and start practicing today!
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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