Shadowing Practice: How To Read People Using Science - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Babies are way better at reading other people's emotions than adults.
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That means you had this ability once, but you lost it over time.
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Luckily for you, I've spent over 168 hours researching how to read a person using science.
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Basically, there's a thing called the Moravian Communication Formula, which explains how we communicate our emotions.
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Compared to us adults, babies don't know how to talk yet, so they pay more attention to nonverbal and paraverbal communication.
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That's exactly what you have to do in order to find out if someone likes you or not.
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Number 1.
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Nonverbal Communication Here, you have to focus on three areas.
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Legs, hands, and face.
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When it comes to the legs, you have to pay attention to...
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The distance between them.
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Usually, the bigger the distance, the more comfortable the person.
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Up to a certain limit, of course.
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The direction of their feet.
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We tend to point our feet towards someone or something we like.
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The position of the heels.
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If someone's heel is slightly lifted off the ground, it's a sign that they're feeling nervous.
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And after that, we have the hands.
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I'm not gonna bore you with the usual signs like crossed arms, cracking knuckles, or clenched fists.
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But there are a few aspects that you have to keep in mind.
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A. Check the direction of the palms.
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In evolutionary psychology, exposing the palms means that the person in front of you is comfortable and honest.
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B. Notice how their hands are in rapport with you.
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In poker, the players with the best cards tend to keep their hands on them, while the players with bad cards tend to keep their hands away.
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Why?
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Because when we like something we move our hands towards that thing, but when we don't we keep it away.
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See, notice what they do with their hands during the interaction.
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For example, if they touch their forehead It means that they feel anxious.
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On the other hand, if they touch their lips, it might mean they're attracted to you.
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There's no point in enumerating all the meanings behind some gestures now, so I'll just put them on screen.
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But the most important subject is the face.
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The chin being further out and a smooth forehead means that they like you and that they're comfortable.
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On the other hand, if they tuck their chin down and have a furrowed forehead, they feel uncomfortable or even stressed.
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These are the most obvious signs that you can spot.
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But there are also the eyes, the most important part of nonverbal communication.
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Also, they are the hardest to read.
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Before I tell you anything, I want you to look at a pair of eyes right here.
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What emotion are they giving off?
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If you said decisive, you are correct.
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What about this?
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It's desire.
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And finally this.
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It's concerned.
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If you didn't get them right, don't worry.
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I'm gonna give you some specific details that will help you read other people's eyes.
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First, look at their shape.
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If someone narrows their eyes similar to this, it can mean they are either angry, suspicious, or concerned.
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Yet in certain cases, it might just mean that a person is concentrating.
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On the other hand, if someone widens their eyes like this, it can mean that they are either surprised, alert, or even afraid.
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If the person in front of you gets these wrinkles around their eyes, it means that they're truly happy to see you around them.
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Now there's also a special eye shape called closed-set eyes.
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You've probably seen this type of eye shape in a lot of celebrities, but the best example is Marilyn Monroe.
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It happens when a girl has her eyes half-closed while still maintaining eye contact.
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It's usually a sign of desire and interest.
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Most girls do this unconsciously, yet some do it on purpose due to the seductive effect it has on men.
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But besides the shape, you can also read someone's eyes by the direction they're looking at.
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In 1970, Richard Bandlier and John Grinder called this phenomenon neuro-linguistic programming.
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This is actually more helpful when you're trying to figure out if someone is being honest with you.
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But, in 2021, a study that was highlighted in The Atlantic found out
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that people can detect lies better from audio alone than from video or text.
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What does this tell us?
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Although it represents a smaller part of our overall communication, we can't overlook.
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Number 2.
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Paraverbal Communication Here you have to pay attention to three things.
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A. Her Pitch
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A study published in Evolution and Human Behavior found
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that women tend to raise their voice pitch when they are attracted to someone, while men tend to lower their voice pitch.
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B. Elongated Words You see this especially in your interaction with girls.
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If she says something like, Really?
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Instead of really?
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Or, No way?
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Instead of, No way?
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There are a lot of chances that she's into you.
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You probably spotted this kind of behavior through text, and it's one of the biggest signs that she's into you.
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C. Micro-pauses.
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When people pause mid-sentence and suddenly change their pacing, it means that they're either thinking, lying, or emotionally conflicted.
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This usually happens when someone starts to open up about something, but then pulls back because they're afraid of being judged.
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If you spot that, encourage them to continue.
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This alone will build up a better connection.
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Once you get good at the basics of paraverbal communication, you can start analyzing every emotion behind someone's voice by searching for these cues right here.
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Yet, sometimes the key difference between really understanding someone, or completely missing the point is...
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Number 3.
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Verbal Communication What is your gender?
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My gender?
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I'm a mechanic.
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A big sign that a person likes you is that they use tag questions.
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These are questions like, isn't it, or right, at the end of a sentence.
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Why?
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If a person likes you, they'll want to make sure that you two share the same values.
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A similar sign is the fight for airtime phenomenon.
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Basically, they start finishing off your sentences or jump in with stuff like, yeah, exactly.
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But in order for them to finish off your sentences, you have to know how to avoid awkward silence first.
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Fortunately for you, I know the video that shows you how to talk to anyone, anything, Anywhere!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 93 sentences and 1070 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:13. The speaker talks at a natural 172 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 86% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| emotion noun | /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/ | A person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data. |
| pitch noun | /pɪt͡ʃ/ | A throw; a toss; a cast, as of something from the hand. |
| forehead noun | /ˈfɔɹ.hɛd/ | The part of the face above the eyebrows and below the hairline. |
| interaction noun | /ˌɪn.təˈɹæk.ʃən/ | The situation or occurrence in which two or more things act upon one another to produce an effect; the effect resulting from such a situation or occurrence. |
| palm noun | /pɑm/ | The inner and somewhat concave part of the human hand or other primate hand that extends from the wrist to the bases of the fingers. |
| attract verb | /əˈtɹækt/ | To pull toward without touching. |
| phenomenon noun | /fəˈnɒm.ɪ.nən/ | A thing or being, event or process, perceptible through senses; or a fact or occurrence thereof. |
| chin noun | /ˈt͡ʃɪn/ | The bottom of a face, (specifically) the typically jutting jawline below the mouth. |
| pause noun | /pɔːz/ | A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation. |
| heel noun | /hil/ | The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg. |
| audio adjective | /ˈɔ.di.oʊ/ | Focused on audible sound, as opposed to sight. |
| silence noun | /ˈsaɪ̯ləns/ | The absence of any sound. |
| compare verb | /kəmˈpɛɚ/ | To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it… |
| encourage verb | /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/ | To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit. |
| helpful adjective | /ˈhɛlp.fl̩/ | Furnishing help; giving aid; useful. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| finish off verb | To finish completely. | |
| build up verb | To erect; to construct. | |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. | |
| give off verb | /ɡɪv ɒf/ | To emit; to produce and send forth; to come across in some manner. |
| hand away verb | To give up or give away for a price that is too low; to squander. | |
| lift off verb | Synonym of take off (leave the ground and begin flight). | |
| pull back verb | To retreat. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was highlighted · are attracted · being judged |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've spent · You've probably seen |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 23 contractions and reduced forms, such as they're, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, interaction /ˌɪn.təˈɹæk.ʃən/, anxious /ˈæŋkʃəs/, suspicious /səˈspɪʃ.əs/, emotionally /ɪˈməʊʃənəli/
- Long words — get the stress right: interaction /ˌɪn.təˈɹæk.ʃən/, phenomenon /fəˈnɒm.ɪ.nən/, psychology /saɪˈkɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, celebrity /səˈlɛb.ɹɪ.ɾi/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/
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 emotion, pitch, forehead.
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.