Shadowing Practice: How to keep any conversation going #conversation #conversationstarters #socialskills - Learn English Speaking with Video
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16 sentences
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1
Stop killing your conversations.
2
The reason your conversations are dying is because you're not pivoting.
3
I used to hate small talk because I felt like I was always stuck in those what do you do, where you're from conversations.
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But then I started pivoting and it got so much more interesting.
5
Pivoting is when you take one part of the conversation and then you spin it into something else.
6
And it's a very natural way to change the subject and you never run out of things to talk about.
7
So say that you ask someone, what do you do for a living?
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And they say, yeah, I work as an investment banker then first before you pivot you want to give some recognition about it
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so you might say oh that's really cool do you like it yeah it's nice
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but it can be really stressful at times this is
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when you pivot
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so you say yeah i can imagine how do you deal
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with the stress like what do you do to unwind after a long day
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and now you're certainly talking about mindfulness watching movies going to
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the gym having out with friends going out drinking whatever they do to relax
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and whatever it is it's probably way more interesting to talk about than investment banking game.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 16 sentences and 219 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:54. The speaker talks fast, about 243 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 88% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| recognition noun | /ˌɹɛkəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/ | The act of recognizing or the condition of being recognized (matching a current observation with a memory of a prior observation of the same entity). |
| spin verb | /spɪn/ | To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction. |
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| distress noun | /dɪˈstɹɛs/ | Physical or emotional discomfort, suffering, or alarm, particularly of a more acute nature. |
| stressful adjective | /ˈstɹɛsfəl/ | Irritating; causing stress. |
| banker noun | /ˈbæŋkəː/ | One who conducts the business of banking; one who, individually, or as a member of a company, keeps an establishment for the deposit or loan of money, or for… |
| pivot noun | /ˈpɪv.ɪt/ | A thing on which something turns; specifically a metal pointed pin or short shaft in machinery, such as the end of an axle or spindle. |
| mindfulness noun | /ˈmaɪn(d)fʊlnəs/ | Awareness. |
| unwind verb | /ʌnˈwaɪnd/ | To separate (something that is wound up) |
| conversation noun | /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/ | Expression and exchange of individual ideas through talking with other people; also, a set instance or occasion of such talking. |
| investment noun | /ɪnˈvɛstmənt/ | The act of investing, or state of being invested. |
| certainly adverb | /ˈsɜː.tn̩.li/ | In a way which is certain; with certainty. |
| subject noun | /ˈsʌb.d͡ʒɛkt/ | The noun, pronoun or noun phrase about whom the statement is made. In active clauses with verbs denoting an action, the subject is the actor. In clauses in the… |
| imagine verb | /ɪˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪn/ | To form a mental image of something; to envision or create something in one's mind. |
| drink verb | /ˈdɹɪŋk/ | To consume (a liquid) through the mouth. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to hate |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: recognition /ˌɹɛkəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/, conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: recognition /ˌɹɛkəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/, conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.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 recognition, spin, relax.
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.