Shadowing Practice: How To Speak Like The Richest 1% - Learn English Speaking with Video
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When you speak, you are being judged.
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So if you want to be respected, you need to be in complete control of this and this and this.
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So today I'm going to show you real proof from business leaders,
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experts, celebrities, and myself after running a portfolio of dozens of businesses to command respect and attention.
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Because if you can't take control of any room when you walk in, how can you expect to take control of your income, your opportunities, and your future?
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By the way, if you don't know me, I'm Cody Sanchez and I run a nine -figure holding company called Contrarian Thinking.
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Let's get you in the CEO seat.
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Focusing on words.
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You know what separates people who command respect from those who don't?
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It's not their title, their bank account, or even their expertise.
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It's actually how they speak.
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And I'm not talking about having a fancy vocabulary or perfect grammar.
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I'm talking about simple shifts and how you use your voice that will make people lean in, listen up, and take you seriously.
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Let me show you this clip from jordan peterson
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so we can steal his homework let's say you've got a kid
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and you want the kid to improve you don't set them a bar that's
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so high that it's impossible for them to attain it you take a look at the kid
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and you think okay this kid's got this range of skill here's a challenge we can throw at him
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or her that exceeds their current level of skill
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but gives them a reasonable probability of success do you notice
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a few things about it his pace he's speaking at he doesn't rush his words, like he's apologizing, he speaks deliberately, like every word matters.
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In short, he slows way down.
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When we're defending an unpopular opinion, like he often does, or if we're trying to prove our worth, most of us speed up like we're afraid someone's going to cut us off.
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But here's the thing, rushing makes you sound anxious, not authoritative.
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When you slow down, you give yourself space to think, which means fewer ums and more confidence.
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A perfect place to slow down is in meetings.
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I remember explicitly the first time I had a big chance
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to talk to the CEOs at a company called Vanguard back in the day, I was probably 21 years old.
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When they said, do you have any questions?
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My hand shot up so fast.
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The problem is I really didn't think very much about what I was gonna say yet.
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So probably my series of questions came out like, well, you know, I've been thinking a lot about what we should do here at the company.
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And what I've realized is that there's a lot going on.
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And then I think what's happening is I probably said nothing
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really quickly for the first 30 seconds as opposed to my friend Jordan who is smooth as butter
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that guy and he was so perfect.
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I remember him taking down notes while I was yapping on
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and he looked at me because he's the nicest guy in the world and was like those are great points.
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Then proceeded to make actual great points.
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He said you know I was listening to what you said.
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Two things stood out to me.
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The first being we were never taught how to be leaders in school.
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We were taught how to do, not how to lead.
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So I really appreciate that part of this company.
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The second point would be, I would love to do more meetings like this.
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Just hearing the way that you communicate as the CEO makes me communicate differently as a leader.
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Shut up, Jordan.
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So it's not just you, lots of us are talking fast and not thinking too much.
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Be Jordan, not Cody 20 years ago.
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It also helps when you assume people want to know what you have to say.
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This is a mindset shift that changes everything.
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When you assume your audience is bored or disinterested, you become nervous.
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You start over -explaining.
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But when you assume they care about your message, you relax, you speak with purpose instead of apology.
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Jordan's a master of this.
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He treats every statement like it's valuable information his audience needs to hear, not like he's asking permission to speak.
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So if you want to make yourself articulate, it, which is a very good idea, then not only should you read,
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but you should write down what you think.
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If you're going to speak effectively, you have to know way more than you're talking about.
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Think about what he just said to you.
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He said, if you want to be smarter, you should not only read, but write.
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That's literally, that's what he said.
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But the way that he said it made you pause and think that maybe there was something more there.
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And notice how else Jordan talks.
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He changes his pitch strategically throughout his delivery.
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Most people speak in a boring, monotone way, which makes even the most important ideas sound forgettable.
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Jordan does the opposite.
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He raises his pitch to emphasize key points and lowers it to drive home conclusions, creating this rhythm that keeps you locked in, even if he's only talking about writing and reading.
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When you speak in a flat, unchanging tone, you're essentially telling your audience that nothing you're saying matters.
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You're making it easy for them to tune out.
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Next, notice how clean Jordan's speech is.
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You rarely hear him say, um, uh, like, or you know.
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That's because he's mastered the art of tossing his fillers.
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Here's what clear speech sounds like.
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See, I think the biggest challenge I had in my generation was negotiating the years between 13 and 15, something like that.
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But my sense is now the biggest challenge.
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to young people is negotiating the transition into adulthood into adulthood identity
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and i think that's partly why we have this terrible war
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in our culture about what constitutes identity you see that's what clean speech sounds like
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and here's what fumbling over your words sounds like um
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and uh you know people people say that well you you want to be able to make the
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you want to be able to make a call with those specifications all right i'm a huge elon fan
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but I think he's leveled up since then.
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Maybe he's even watching this video because those little verbal crutches sneak in when you're buying time to think.
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Elon can get away with it.
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He's a genius.
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You can't.
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Every filler word is you essentially saying, I'm not sure about this, but I'm talking about it anyway.
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Jordan replaces thinking time with strategic pauses, which actually makes him sound more thoughtful and in control, although it may take him longer than even it took Elon.
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So in this clip, watch how Jordan does it.
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I don't think there's any difference between free speech and thought.
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And it has to be free because if it's not free, it's not thought.
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When you have a problem, you have to think.
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And if you have a problem, the thinking is going to be troublesome because you're going to think things that upset yourself and upset other people.
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Do you see how Jordan pauses instead of using filler words to plug the spaces in his speech?
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And if you listen to his voice itself, he's naturally tuned in to project authority.
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His pitch is deliberately lower, his volume is controlled, he varies his tone to emphasize key points.
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This is what we call tuning your voice, using it as an instrument to guide attention and create emphasis.
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Let me tell you how you can really mess up the tuning your voice and speaking too slow.
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Have you ever been in a meeting and you're like, dear God, for the love of all that's holy, please get it out.
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Get it out.
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Get whatever you're going to say out.
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I don't want you to slow down so much in meetings
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that you get in the way of people instead i want you to think
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and i want you to prep and then i want you to speak
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when you speak i want you to think about an exclamation point at the end of almost every word
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and not a loud exclamation point but a definitive one
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sounds something like this i love the points that you just made becky i actually feel the exact same way.
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See the exclamation, exclamation, exclamation?
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One small difference.
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Using a number again, also showing that I have an area of expertise she doesn't.
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One small difference.
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I believe our problem is sales, not LTV.
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See how punchy each line is?
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That little exclamation point will take you very far.
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These five shifts are respected multipliers.
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And here's why that matters for your bank account.
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Every raise you negotiate, every client you close, they're all judging how speak before they decide whether to give you more money get your voice right
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and you'll literally talk your way into more money
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but you could master every single one of these techniques
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and still get completely ignored if you're making critical mistakes with your body
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so let's focus on
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that next listen to this quote from kevin o 'leary on body language i'm sitting right in front of them
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when they walk out on the carpet
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when they step out the floor director says okay stand right
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there i do this thing where i just look at
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and i watch their body language
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and i can tell after about 90 seconds winner loser pretty crazy isn't it your body language says
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so much while your mouth says nothing at all
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and on television the body language in front of a shark well that's going to command attention
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or not that is what we call claiming your territory most people especially
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when nervous make themselves smaller they kind of cross their legs they hug their arms their body they lean away
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but watch what the rock does as opposed to this other
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guy how does it feel to sit across from him it's very humbling i was thinking
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that when we started the interview no thank you thank you uh really though
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so the first guy we're gonna show you sits like this
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foot sort of weirdly to the side slouching a little bit casual spread legs
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but still kind of looks diminutive right now let's look at
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the rock feet firmly planted on the ground hands in front
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of him chest out stands up straight he's claiming his space
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because in his mind he does own the building now it's
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fascinating in this next clip i want to show you guys i want you to see a move
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that will happen without you saying a thing if you're not really thoughtful about what's on your face.
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Managed with the idea of being very private in a very public job.
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Jamie, I'll go with you first.
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I think it's incredibly easy. Do you?
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I think you can court all that nonsense.
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You guys could probably guess that he didn't love that question regardless by the look on his face.
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It was so good it's become an internet meme.
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You don't have to really say anything in order to be heard.
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There are so many things you can do that become power moves.
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Place your fingers together in front of your chest like Kevin did that's called steepling.
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And it's one of the most powerful confidence signals you can send.
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Now, if you raise your eyebrows, look to the left or right, that's saying, I'm not actually listening to you.
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Disrespect.
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Steepling works because it keeps your hands visible.
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So it signals honesty.
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It's the body language equivalent of saying, I'm confident enough to be still and to keep my hands right here where you can see them.
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But I want you to notice how people in power moves gesture when you're making important points.
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This is telling you, pay attention to me.
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This is saying, it's a very tiny opportunity.
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This is saying, huge, but I don't have to say anything.
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Vanessa Van Edwards, my friend, likes to call this the truth plane.
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When you're nervous, your hands gravitate towards your chest or neck.
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When you're confident, they settle lower.
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And if you pay attention to eye contact, it's not just direct, the rock was calculated.
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He holds it slightly longer than most people are comfortable with.
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This is a subtle power dynamic.
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He's not staring aggressively.
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He's demonstrated he's completely present
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and unintimidated unconfident people break eye contact they look too quickly especially
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when delivering important information but sustained eye contact three to four seconds before glancing away
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that creates connection that helps you bond these aren't just posture tips they're power signals
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that change how people respond to you before you even speak
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but knowing what not to do is just as important
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so let me show you exactly what kills your credibility instantly let's flip the script
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and look at someone who despite being one of the most
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successful entrepreneurs on the planet shows you what not to do with your body language.
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On Facebook's social media privacy and the use and abuse of data, although not unprecedented.
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Notice how he's nodding awkwardly like a dashboard bobblehead on a bumpy road?
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That's not engagement.
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It's submission signaling.
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Excessive nodding makes you look like you're desperately seeking approval or agreement, even when you should be projecting authority.
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Real engagement means nodding only when you generally agree, or when you want to encourage someone to continue.
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Now watch his smile in this next clip.
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See how it looks like he was programmed maybe by his own algorithm?
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Nice.
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What else is coming?
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I love Beat Saber.
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Lay it on us.
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I'm excited.
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All right, thanks, Deb.
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This is going to be amazing.
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I think it's time for my workout.
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But enough with the fun and games.
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Love the guy, but wow, this is awkward.
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Genuine smiles involve the eyes.
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This is what we call the dutching smile.
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While forced smiles, they stop right here, right?
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His mechanical grin actually undermines his credibility because people instinctively recognize inauthentic facial expressions.
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A neutral, thoughtful expression, infinitely better than a fake smile.
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Another thing to be careful about, self -touching.
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These are gestures that make you feel calm, but they signal you're uncomfortable in your own skin.
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So every time you adjust your hair, your collar, you mess around with the pin, you're essentially saying, I'm not very comfortable here.
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If you think you're alone, you're not.
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I have a member of my team who I love.
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She's very competent, but one of the other leaders in our business actually pointed something out to her.
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When she would communicate, she would be intensely listening
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and automatically her hands would kind of go to her face right in front of her lips.
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This is a huge problem for two reasons.
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One, what the fuck are you talking about?
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I can't see what she's saying.
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She's got her fingers in front of her face on a Zoom meeting, total nightmare second is this is actually a trigger for lying
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when you touch your face there is a signal in our brain
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that tells us they're hiding something why because you're actually hiding your face
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and it's almost like you don't trust the words
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that are coming out of your mouth you may be the most trustworthy person in the planet
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but if you're signaling you're not think about it like
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then people are probably going to believe you another thing some
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people like to do is called prop blocking essentially it's creating a physical barrier between you
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and who you're speaking with It makes you appear closed off, untrustworthy.
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So try not to do it.
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Instead, confident people don't keep their body closed or things in front of them.
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They don't hide behind objects or create barriers.
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They're open, accessible.
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If you have to have something in your hand, you keep it to the left, you keep it to the right, but you don't keep it in front.
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Now, notice Mark's posture during this video call.
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How unnaturally straight is this?
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I have to say, when you're building products to try to connect everyone in the world, um connecting folks who are out in space um is about as extreme
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and cool as it gets
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so it's it's awesome to have the opportunity to okay again an incredible guy
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but it looks like he's following a manual on like how
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humans should sit this posture makes him look uncomfortable inauthentic robotic with real confidence it's easy you're alert
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but not rigid present but not performing The most damaging aspect of poor body language isn't that it makes you look bad, it's that it makes people question your authenticity.
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When your words say one thing but your body says another, people trust what they see more than what they hear.
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So Mark's disconnect between his verbal confidence and his physical discomfort has caused the internet to call him a cyborg, which I don't know, maybe and the irony is
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that his success proves that good ideas and execution can overcome poor presence
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but imagine how much more influential he could be
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if his body language matched his brain
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so the way you move can kill your credibility but
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if you just pay more attention to your body movements you can command respect without saying anything
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and when you do that you make more money have bigger opportunities
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and better deals think about it people don't invest in ideas they invest in the person presenting them
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so your body language either costing you money
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or making it there's one more element that ties everything together your overall presence
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and how you show up authentically in any situation
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so you've mastered your voice you fixed your body language
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but there's still something missing you can speak with perfect authority
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and stand with complete confidence but
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if you're boring people will still tune out it doesn't matter
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so the difference between someone who commands attention for 30 seconds
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and who gets it for 30 minutes is
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that they've mastered the art of being genuinely interesting you have
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to fight the lazy someone asks you what you've been up to you should have an answer
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that makes them lean in not check for their phone
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or see who else is behind them a simple compliment can
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go a long way to getting someone to be more interested in you people love to be complimented
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and if you genuinely point out something
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that you like about them i do this almost every time
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i meet somebody their style their humor nice bracelets i like
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the hair what are those earrings this gives you an opportunity to continue the conversation
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and if continuing the conversation is tough for you practice yes and.
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This is a technique they use in improv school.
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Keeps conversations flowing, more open -minded, and fun.
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Basically, when someone shares an idea, acknowledge it or build on it.
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Don't shut it down.
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Don't change the subject.
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Don't jump to what you care about.
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You're going to turn the ordinary exchange into collaboration.
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So for example, stop.
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I've got a gun.
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The gun?
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The gun I gave you for our wedding anniversary, Eric?
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How could you? we're not married.
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Aha, we're not married is a denial.
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We've learned our first improv lesson.
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This is actually a really good lesson for life because think about it.
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What she's saying is follow along with me.
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Don't shut me down.
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If you can do that in exchange, you can turn it into an adventure.
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If you want allies in your job and in your life, it's really good to be a yes and -er, not a no thanks -er.
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We want to think about how to build on things as opposed to tear somebody else's down now
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that is really hard to do when you know maybe
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that their idea is bad you've already tried it it's not going to work why would i listen to them
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but instead i want you to take a pause and think about
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if i wasn't allowed to shut somebody down do you think they would feel better not getting shut down
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or worse after getting shut down probably going to feel better
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if you don't shut them down so try this in the beginning especially
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when you're not in charge this is a power move
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when you're not the ceo and that is to go yes
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that idea is super interesting i like it What if we also did, or what if we did this?
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Or have you thought about that?
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It allows you to take their stance and you're going to add your spin to it.
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You even might actually be saying, no, this instead.
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But the way that you say things matters.
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Try that and tell me what works.
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Next, just have an opinion.
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Interesting people take thoughtful stances, sometimes contrarian ones.
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It doesn't always mean you have to be rude.
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You could say, I actually hate breakfast.
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I know people think it's the most important meal of the day, I think they're wrong.
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You could also say, huh, everybody today is talking about how there's a X, Y, Z happening.
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I think it's a Y.
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What is a closely held belief that you have
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that would at least get somebody else to disagree with you or maybe agree with you?
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This allows you to have a disrespectful or respectful conversation, but at least a memorable one.
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Next, let's talk about the way you look.
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If you're going to be in a business meeting and you wanna make more money, what should you probably do?
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I don't know, dress in business clothes, right?
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Actually, before I came in here, I was in my jean dress only because we're going to film something else that's pretty chill after this.
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I was like, we're going to talk about confidence and we're going to talk about presenting.
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I should probably put on a blazer.
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This isn't rocket science.
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It has nothing to do with your waistline.
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You could be nice and round.
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You could be really skinny and either way you could present yourself well.
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Let's also think about what presentation you might have that's abnormal.
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Let's say that you are a lumberjack.
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You're looking for lumberjack activities.
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Does Does it make a lot of sense for you to show up in a suit clean -shaven?
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No, it doesn't.
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So whatever you are trying to accomplish, sometimes it's just easier to look the part.
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And lastly, here's something most people never think about, mirroring.
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The most charismatic people unconsciously mirror the body language and speaking patterns of the people they're talking to.
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They match energy levels, speaking pace, and even posture.
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Instant rapport creation because people feel understood and connected.
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Perfect example, if I came into a room full of engineers and I was like, hey guys, what's going on? i think we're going to do this this is going to be
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so fun you guys want to go get beers after work
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it's going to be amazing i'm having the best day ever
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go team go what are the engineers going to do you're
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like this psychopath first of all we're not talking to each
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other everybody's got their oculus on we've got our sweatshirts over our heads don't talk to me we talk like this
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simultaneously if i'm an engineer and i walk into a room full of salespeople
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and i'm wearing said oculus i'm going to have a difficult time communicating with the meat -eating salespeople
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so you want to mirror the person
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that you're talking to don't be a creep don't be mark
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zuckerberg trying to perfectly pattern what a human is like
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but instead think about huh this person's a little soft -spoken
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so just calm down cody don't come so hard at them this person's pretty intense, amazing.
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I might speak faster, louder with my hands more.
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This instant connection makes them feel seen without you having to say anything.
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Super fast case study.
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So back in the day, I was a rather confident little rascal.
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And I sat in on a business meeting at a very large financial firm where I was working.
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In that meeting, there was a series of leaders in there who are all very confident.
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And one of them has what I would only describe as BDE, you know, sort of that big dick energy in meetings
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and as we're sitting around this big conference table he's kind of like slouching you know
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and like really just he's taking up space he's doing something
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like this you know kind of laying back really think about it everybody's leaned into him
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and i think
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because i don't understand body language cues to hierarchy yet i
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think that's why they're listening to him do you see how he's i'm gonna do the exact same thing
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so super embarrassing little 22 year old cody walks into the next meeting to give a presentation to my managers
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and as i'm presenting i sit back i'm like clicking through
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the slides like this you know talking like we're all buddies
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i remember horrified i thought i killed it by the way
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at the end of the meeting i remember one of my bosses coming up to me
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because corporate life i had like 52 bosses comes up to me
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and was like literally what are you doing i was like
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oh no were the numbers wrong she's like no why did you do
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that weird thing where you leaned back and slouched everywhere
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and i had to embarrassingly say i heard this thing called mirroring
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and i was doing it because somebody else was doing it
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so be careful there is a hierarchy to mirroring meaning you can't come in
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and you know do a huge man spread on somebody who's
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a way higher hierarchy than you i want you to mirror
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but within your own frame
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so now you have my tricks you can try to apply to your day -to -day conversations
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and make more money let me show you exactly how this works in practice
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and what good and bad looks like live now i'm going to take this all together
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and teach you how to ask for a raise the right way
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and the wrong way let's start by going back 20 years ago to cody before i ran all these companies
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and show you how i would ask
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if i absolutely did not want to get a raise
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or make any money uh hey boss um do you just have a few minutes to talk about something
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that I've been thinking about recently.
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Oh, okay, great.
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So I have been working really hard at the company.
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I think you probably noticed like other people have been talking about it.
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And I know that like the company has been doing really well.
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And so I think that I deserve a raise and I deserve a raise because I do work really hard.
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And so anyway, other people in the industry get raises and make more money than I do.
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And so I think that I should.
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not going to make any money let me show you the
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right way to do it uh first of all ditch the props it's okay
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if you have glasses ditch the blocker in front of you
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the next thing you're going to do instead of having a
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small position like this you're going to be wide instead of
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having a constricted position you're going to be open instead of
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having a closed leg position you're going to stand steady on
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both feet your legs aren't going to be up here they're
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not going be by your your throat they're instead going to
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be right around the middle you're going to knock on the door
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and make eye contact remember three to four seconds hey boss do you have a few minutes
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slower no ums said the exact same thing i wanted to talk to you little pause you're making sure that
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that person has your attention you have their attention they're making eye contact with you they're going to look up
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and say okay I wanted to talk to you about my
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job here at this company over the last couple of months
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I've worked incredibly hard hopefully you've noticed you're very busy
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so I understand
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if you haven't what's good about this I'm using you language
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I'm pausing I'm using inflection I'm also using my hands to mimic the motion
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but not moving too much you may have noticed or you haven't, I know you're quite busy.
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I researched and found that my position is really a market rate of X.
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Right now, I'm being paid Y.
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Because of that, I'd like to make sure that we remedy that between the two.
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What are you doing now?
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Rational.
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You're showing left versus right.
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You're giving numbers to back it up.
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Numbers and statistics help your case immensely
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when trying to communicate authority then you're going to say now
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i understand what are you doing you back up for a second
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because you're trying to make them not feel threatened you put
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your hands out okay we're on the same page we're trying to get to the same thing
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and then you say i understand that just
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because a market makes x doesn't mean that i should be paid y
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so what i'd like to talk to you about is what
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i need to do to have my position be worth this to you is there something else
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that i can do today at
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which point you turn the raise conversation into an open negotiation
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that is how you get a raise now you might actually
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get a raise the other way your likelihood will be a lot less
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and there will be disrespect by the way that you asked
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so i hope if you use the second way and you watch this video
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you can comment on this video
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and tell me how much more money you actually got by asking your boss last little tip film yourself
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because i think what you're going to find is you might think you're projecting authority
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and all of a sudden you're the one sitting weirdly on your foot leaning to the left
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or the right you have something in front of you that is your prop block.
431
You have ums and ahs in your sentence.
432
Instead, take a deep breath, refilm again until it's so cool, calm, and collected.
433
You know when you go into your boss's office, it won't be a problem.
434
Commanding Respect isn't about being the loudest person in the room or having the most impressive title.
435
It's about mastering the fundamentals of how you speak, how you act, and how you show up authentically in every conversation.
436
But the way you carry yourself is just the beginning.
437
The real game changer is how you think.
438
And if you want to learn how to think like the wealthy instead of just looking competent, I got you.
439
Watch this next video.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 439 sentences and 5243 words to shadow. The speech runs for 26:28. The speaker talks fast, about 198 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 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 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/ (adverb) — In essence: by nature.
- tune /tjuːn/ (noun) — A melody.
- clip /klɪp/ (noun) — Something which clips or grasps; a device for attaching one object to another.
- communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/ (verb) — To impart or transmit (information or knowledge) to someone; to make known, to tell.
- thoughtful /ˈθɔːtfəl/ (adjective) — Demonstrating thought or careful consideration.
- posture /ˈpɑst͡ʃɚ/ (noun) — The way a person holds and positions their body.
- mirror /ˈmiɹɚ/ (noun) — A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it.
- pitch /pɪt͡ʃ/ (noun) — A throw; a toss; a cast, as of something from the hand.
- lean /ˈliːn/ (verb) — To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating.
- pause /pɔːz/ (noun) — A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation.
- negotiate /nəˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/ (verb) — To confer with others in order to come to terms or reach an agreement.
- bore /boɹ/ (verb) — To inspire boredom in somebody.
- credibility /kɹɛd.əˈbɪ.ɫɪ.ti/ (noun) — A reputation impacting one's ability to be believed.
- hierarchy /ˈhaɪ.ə.ɹɑː(ɹ).ki/ (noun) — A body of authoritative officials organized in nested ranks.
- tone /ˈtəʊn/ (noun) — A specific pitch.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
- think about /ˈθɪŋk əˌbaʊt/ (verb) — To ponder.
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
- slow down (verb) — To decelerate.
- back in (verb) — To reverse a vehicle into a space.
- build on /bɪldɑn/ (verb) — To add additional elements or components to (a framework, a concept, a device, etc.) in order to extend it.
- come in /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/ (verb) — To enter.
- come up to (verb) — To approach.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 167 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thoughtful /ˈθɔːtfəl/, smooth /smuːð/, throat /ˈθɹoʊt/, wealthy /ˈwɛl.θi/, rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, negotiate /nəˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/, presentation /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/, rush /ɹʌʃ/, transition /tɹænˈzɪʃ.ən/
- Long words — get the stress right: essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, negotiate /nəˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/, credibility /kɹɛd.əˈbɪ.ɫɪ.ti/, hierarchy /ˈhaɪ.ə.ɹɑː(ɹ).ki/
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 essentially, tune, clip.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been thinking · have been working · have been talking |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've realized · Have you ever been · has caused |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | being judged · be respected · were never taught |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who command · think, which means · way, which makes |
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.