Shadowing Practice: How to make better decisions - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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How to make good decisions,
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How to make good decisions,
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more informed decisions, more profitable decisions,
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whatever you call it, fast.
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You are your decisions and your life is the reflections of your decisions, conscious or unconscious.
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You guys been living this book,
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The Decision Book, from one of my previous videos.
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So let's dive into it and let me share with you five models
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that I personally think are more practical when it comes to making day-to-day decisions.
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If you've been struggling with making bad decisions and you want to change that,
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this is the one you should save and watch now.
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Number one, the Eisenhower Matrix.
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This one's about urgent versus important and most people don't know the difference.
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Think about your day right now.
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You wake up, you check your phone,
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you reply messages and by the end of the day you're exhausted but nothing actually moved forward.
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That's because you spent your whole day on things that felt urgent but not actually important.
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The matrix is simple.
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If it's urgent and important, do it now.
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If it's important but not urgent, schedule it.
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If it's urgent but not important, delegate it.
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And if it's neither, cut it out of your life.
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Most people are living on the urgent box their whole lives just reacting.
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But the people who actually build something to protect the important not urgent box like it's sacred.
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That's where your health, your skills, your long-term wealth leaves.
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Number two, the 10-10-10 rule.
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This one's your emotion decision killer.
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You know the moment you're about to send that text you shouldn't send?
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Before you do anything, ask yourself three questions.
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How will I feel about this in 10 minutes, 10 months, 10 years?
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I've saved myself from so many stupid decisions by just running through this filter.
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Because emotions are real but they're not always right.
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And this model forces you to zoom out before you act on something you'll cringe at later.
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Number three, the regret minimization framework.
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This is for the big ones.
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Career moves, starting a business,
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taking a risk that scares you.
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Jeff Bezos used this exact framework when he was deciding whether to leave his Wall Street job to start Amazon.
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And the question is simple.
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When I'm 80 years old sitting in my chair looking back at my life,
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which choice will I regret not taking?
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Which one would haunt me if I didn't try?
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Number four, opportunity cost thinking.
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Everyone's heard of this concept but almost nobody uses this.
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Opportunity cost isn't just an economics term.
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It's a life-filled term
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because every single time you're saying yes to something you're saying no to something else whether you realize it
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or not every yes to a night out
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when you should be working hard is a no to the version of you
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that could have been so further ahead people don't fail
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because they made one terrible decision they fail
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because they made too many averages once
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and those average yeses quietly ate up all the space where
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something great could have lived before you say yes to anything
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ask yourself what am i saying no to by saying yes to this one
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if the answer is something better then you have your answer number Number five, the 40-70 rule.
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Colin Powell came up with this and it changed how I look at speed.
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The rule is simple.
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If you have less than 40% of the information you need,
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it's too early to decide.
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You're just guessing.
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But here's the part that gets people.
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If you have more than 70% of the information, you've waited too long.
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Someone else already moved.
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The sweet spot is somewhere between 40% and 70%.
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That's where you pull your trigger and this is the motto I wanted to end on because it ties everything together.
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You don't have five frameworks in your head,
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but the biggest decision mistake isn't picking the wrong option.
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It's not picking at all.
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The person who decides at 60% and adjust will always beat the person still thinking about it at 90.
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So here's what I want you to take from this.
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Your life's not waiting for you to be ready.
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So make the decision.
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Make it fast.
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Make it with whatever information you have.
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And trust yourself to figure out the rest on the other side.
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You learn something?
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Follow for more.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice making better decisions based on effective decision-making models discussed in the video "How to make better decisions." You’ll learn how to distinguish between urgent and important tasks, evaluate your emotional responses, and consider long-term consequences of your choices. This encourages you to refine your decision-making process and enhance your English language skills simultaneously. By using these practical frameworks, you will also improve your ability to articulate your thoughts clearly and confidently in English.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Decisions - Choices made after considering options.
  • Eisenhower Matrix - A tool for prioritizing tasks based on urgency and importance.
  • 10-10-10 Rule - A decision-making model that evaluates the emotional consequences over time.
  • Regret Minimization Framework - A strategy to minimize future regret and evaluate significant life decisions.
  • Opportunity Cost - The potential loss when choosing one option over another.
  • Urgent vs. Important - A distinction that helps prioritize tasks effectively.
  • Delegate - To assign responsibility to someone else.

Practice Tips

To get the most out of your shadowing practice with this video, focus on the following tips:

  • Start with comprehension: Before shadowing, watch the video once to understand the concepts. This foundational knowledge will make it easier to imitate the speaker's tone and speed.
  • Break down segments: Replay the video in short sections—especially the introductions of each decision-making model. Pausing after each segment will give you time to repeat what you've heard.
  • Focus on pronunciation: Pay attention to the speaker's pronunciation and intonation. This is crucial for enhancing your shadow speech capabilities and helps you sound more natural in your spoken English.
  • Use the shadowspeak technique: While listening, repeat phrases in real-time. This helps develop fluency and mimics natural conversation during the shadowing process.
  • Record yourself: After shadowing, compare your pronunciation and pacing with the original. This feedback is invaluable in refining your speaking skills and helps you identify areas for improvement.

By using these strategies on our shadowspeaks practice page, you’ll become more proficient in both English language skills and effective decision-making.

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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