Shadowing Practice: How to Speak With Confidence: Crash Course Business - Soft Skills #4 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
129 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
You know that nightmare in all the TV shows, where you’re standing in front of a podium, you look down, and you’re not wearing any clothing?
2
That split second of terror when the audience is laughing at you and you feel unprepared, helpless, alone, and so cold, is excruciating.
3
We’re here to help you avoid that feeling in real life, whether you’re on a stage or in a one-on-one meeting with your boss.
4
So take a deep breath, and get ready to improve your public speaking skills to make sure your ideas stick.
5
I’m Evelyn from the Internets.
6
And this is Crash Course Business: Soft Skills.
7
We’ve all survived book reports and group projects in school, but public speaking isn’t always standing in front of a slide deck.
8
Depending on your job, you may need to sell an idea with a pitch or give a talk to a crowd But you’ll also need to contribute to meetings.
9
Or just chat with your coworkers.
10
And if you’re in your mid-twenties, you might be giving a speech at a wedding soon.
11
Every time I go on Facebook, I feel more single.
12
No matter how confident you think you are speaking in public, there are ways to improve and gain the trust of your audience.
13
A big part of this is how you speak.
14
Like, think about some of the most well-known speeches of all time.
15
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” would have been way less effective if he had stared straight down at the podium.
16
If you’re giving a presentation, this means you should avoid reading from the slides or straight off a page of notes.
17
This keeps your tone casual and makes sure that you avoid sounding like a robot.
18
If you have slides, they should be visual-heavy.
19
If your audience is reading a ton of information, you could have sent a memo instead.
20
Let’s say you were trying to convince someone that Lemonade was one of the most visually compelling albums of all time and propelled Beyoncé to new heights as an artist.
21
You could tell people that her song “Formation” won a Grammy for Best Music Video.
22
But it would be better to show a clip of Queen Bey in all her glory.
23
And since you’re confident in what you’re saying and not reading off your notes, put those eyes to good use!
24
Make eye contact with your audience.
25
Just like on a first date, it shows you care.
26
And it keeps you from fixating on that fake plant that’s in the back of every office meeting room.
27
If you’re uncomfortable making direct eye contact, looking at people’s foreheads can be a good way to fudge it.
28
Remember how we said content matters more than formatting in written communication?
29
Well, when you’re speaking, what you say is just as important as how you say it.
30
So, always remember to aim for SUCCES.
31
Two Cs. Two Ss.
32
It’s a 6-step framework that helps you deliver your points clearly and concisely.
33
First up, a Simple ‘S.’ Or, the K.I.S.S. method.
34
Keep it simple, silly.
35
Identify the one thing you want your audience to come away with, and stick to that core message.
36
You might even craft a memorable sound byte that summarizes your main points.
37
For example, if you were trying to convince someone to watch your favorite TV show, you might say that “Stranger Things is like Stand by Me, but with aliens.” or “Psych is like The Mentalist, but with shenanigans!” Next, use the Unexpected.
38
You know those YouTube videos where some screaming ghoul pops out of nowhere?
39
Yeah, I’m not gonna do that.
40
And neither should you.
41
But do something memorable!
42
Maybe crack a joke to make a mundane topic fun, like that one Southwest Airlines flight safety presentation.
43
Or highlight a knowledge gap.
44
Make the audience feel like they need to pay attention by creating a scenario where they have to know the answer.
45
How will this product help me save 15 minutes during my morning routine?
46
Why is 42 the meaning of life?
47
But be careful to avoid gimmicks or misleading people.
48
We’ve all been frustrated by clickbait articles that aren’t what they promised.
49
Your audience will feel the same way.
50
Third, anchor your work with something Concrete Founders of the SUCCES framework use an analogy called the Velcro Theory of Memory.
51
The more hooks you have, the more an idea is going to stick in your brain.
52
You want to explain your main point using examples your audience already knows or can understand, without confusing language.
53
For example, JFK didn’t say he wanted to ‘increase scientific funding for exploration of natural satellites in order to increase the reach of homosapiens.’ He said he wanted to put a man on the Moon.
54
And if you’re explaining tricky business concepts, like emotional influence, you might use pop culture references, like Harry Potter, to make analogies your audience will remember.
55
Fourth, to show you did your homework, keep it Credible.
56
Facts, figures, and experts will help people understand what you’re trying to say.
57
Your audience may want to hear from people with external credibility, like Ivy League professors or high-achieving professionals, like CEOs.
58
You also need to think about internal credibility, or the appeal of your argument.
59
You’ll have low internal credibility if your message conflicts with the way your audience sees the world.
60
So, if you’re a broke college student surviving on ramen but trying to convince your friends to eat healthy, you could cite a nutritionist to explain why the peppers on that Domino’s pizza do not count as vegetables.
61
Fifth, make it Emotional.
62
Make people care.
63
There’s a reason that those commercials with Sarah McLachlan are so effective.
64
To make your message memorable, use something that pulls on the heartstrings and makes people think about their own identities.
65
Are you a kind person who wants to help a dog in need?
66
Or, deep down, do you love cats enough to adopt another?
67
Finally, make your speech legen -- wait for it -- dary by telling a great Story.
68
Stories act like motivators.
69
Think about how inspired you might feel after watching a movie about a ragtag team of underdogs trying to make the playoffs.
70
And a well-crafted story can also show people how to act by providing a template or example.
71
So, for instance, if you were soliciting funding for the Li’l Sebastian scholarship, you could tell the story of a Pawnee student who overcame all odds thanks to the generous donations of community benefactors.
72
Now, SUCCES relies heavily on understanding who your audience is, so you can adjust what you’re saying to meet their needs.
73
Just like with writing, it’s helpful to conduct an audience analysis before you speak.
74
Understanding who they are will help you build trust and emotional influence.
75
And it’s also important that you listen to what your audience has to say.
76
Active listening can help you seem more competent in any conversation.
77
Focus on the person or people you’re talking to, whether they’re making a statement or asking a question.
78
Try to really understand them before mentally preparing your response.
79
Wait for them to finish their thought, no matter how strongly you feel about a thing.
80
Interruptions can also be a subtle form of discrimination, so it’s best to make sure you’re not accidentally #mansplaining or anything.
81
And don’t be afraid of short pauses or silence -- it can give you time to think.
82
To make sure you’ve understood someone, you can try circle speak and paraphrase them to double-check.
83
So, if your friend was debating with you about the best Shondaland show, you might say, “So, you’re saying you can’t get enough of the non-stop plot twists in How to Get Away with Murder?”” And they’ll either say, “exactly!” Or correct you, and say, “No, you missed my point.
84
I watched that show religiously until it was way too much drama.
85
My Twitter fingers couldn’t keep up!” So, now that we’ve covered basically everything there is to know about speaking publicly, what would it look like?
86
Let’s go to the Thought Bubble.
87
Let’s say you were a representative from Harvard Law School.
88
And you were giving a presentation to a room of third-year undergraduate women who are starting to think about what’s next after graduation.
89
Your job is to use your stellar speaking skills to persuade them to consider careers in law.
90
To be effective, you don’t have to use all 6 parts of SUCCES.
91
But using 3 or 4 will still help your words resonate.
92
Since you’re working with a diverse group of undergrads who may know very little about law, you would start with your thesis sentence: law is a fulfilling career and an incredible way to change people’s lives.
93
To show that there’s space in the job market, you could share some salary and job-growth projections.
94
To make your points more relatable, you could talk about issues affecting women’s rights.
95
You could reference cases that have personally impacted women’s lives, like U.S. v. Virginia, which eliminated VMI’s male-only admissions policy.
96
Then, you could share the inspirational story of Sonya Sotomayor, who grew up in a housing project in the Bronx and is now a supreme court justice.
97
Finally, you’d open it up for questions, or even debate.
98
Because you did an audience analysis, you’re ready for questions about the LSAT, the amount of school required to become a lawyer, the cost of education, or even work-life balance.
99
And you’ve practiced active listening, which will help you answer any tough questions thrown your way.
100
You’ll be calm and concise, even if you’re mentally scrambling for an answer.
101
But you know your stuff!
102
So you can confidently tell them that a secondary degree is long but rewarding, there’s financial aid, and women can successfully balance whatever they want.
103
Thanks, Thought Bubble!
104
All these tips are a lot to digest, and the best way to make sure you’re prepared for public speaking is practice.
105
Practice will help you become more comfortable in low-stakes situations before that important meeting or thesis defense.
106
You can even check yourself before you wreck yourself.
107
And by that, I mean record yourself practicing.
108
Now, I get it.
109
Unless you’re a YouTuber or a screen actor or something, you probably don’t like seeing yourself on camera.
110
And to be honest, it’s still weird for me.
111
But it can help you catch things you may be doing wrong and help you practice what you’re already doing right.
112
With a recording it’s really easy to watch how you’re speaking.
113
Maybe you didn’t realize that you’re pacing back and forth a lot, staying glued to one spot, or gesticulating so much that it’s almost interpretive dance.
114
You can also watch for rambling.
115
I get it. Nerves are real.
116
But shaking them off and keeping an even pace will make sure people understand you.
117
And since what you say is as important as how you say it, practicing frequently or with different people will help you make sure that none of your main points are confusing.
118
With that, we’re done talking about talking.
119
So, if nothing else, remember these key takeaways: Practice will help you foster good habits, from how you speak to how you stand.
120
Aim for SUCCES to make your speech more impactful.
121
Use active listening to understand your audience’s questions and ideas, so you can answer competently.
122
That wraps up our fundamentals.
123
Next time, we’ll talk about how to apply your new business knowledge to navigate the job search.
124
If you’re fresh out of college and on the hunt for that dream job or just looking for something new, you’re in luck!
125
Crash Course Business is sponsored by Google, and it’s made with the help of all these nice people and Thought Cafe is our amazing animation team.
126
Crash Course is a Complexly production.
127
If you wanna keep imagining the world complexly with us, you can check out some of our other channels like The Art Assignment, where host Sarah Urist Green explores art and art history through the lens of things happening today.
128
Also, if you’d like to keep Crash Course free for everybody, forever, you can support the series at Patreon; a crowdfunding platform that allows you to support the content you love.
129
Thank you to all of our patrons for making Crash Course possible with their continued support.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
B21
The Bicameral Congress: Crash Course Government and Politics #2
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B21
Crash Course US History Preview
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
C1What's all the Yellen About? Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Crash Course Economics #10
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
C12
How Water Shapes the Land: Crash Course Geology #9
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
B24
How Often do Asteroids Hit the Earth?: Crash Course Geology #20
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B210
Crash Course Sex Ed Preview
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
Derivatives: Crash Course Physics #2
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
C13
Indus Valley Civilization: Crash Course World History #2
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
B22
Ancient Egypt: Crash Course World History #4
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
C12
What is Engineering?: Crash Course Engineering #1
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B22
The Persians & Greeks: Crash Course World History #5
Cambridge Exam PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
C13
The Secret to Business Writing: Crash Course Business - Soft Skills #3
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
Supervised Learning: Crash Course AI #2
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C1Why Are US Politics Today So Divisive?: Crash Course US Government #1
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
C13
The Periodic Table: Crash Course Chemistry #4
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
B22
Where Do Diamonds Come From?: Crash Course Geology #8
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
C11
Tissues, Part 1: Crash Course Anatomy & Physiology #2
Cambridge Exam PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C13
Where Did Democracy Come From, and Does It Still Work?
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
C12
The Nucleus: Crash Course Chemistry #1
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B21
Defense Against the Dark Arts of Influence: Crash Course Business Soft Skills #2
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B26
76 sentences
Be a More Confident Public Speaker
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B23
65 sentences
How to Establish Connection: Use Stories to Make your Presence Authentic
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B28
85 sentences
this will change how you make YouTube videos FOREVER
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B212
419 sentences
Stop Rambling: The 3-2-1 Speaking Trick That Makes You Sound Like A CEO
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B24
121 sentences
Communication Skills at Work: 4 Key Tips | Indeed Career Tips
Business EnglishInterview EnglishDaily Conversation
B22
74 sentences
Improve Your Speaking
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B22
389 sentences
How to Sound Instantly Confident in English
Business EnglishInterview EnglishDaily Conversation
B21
66 sentences
Want to Lead? Be Well Spoken and Well Dressed | Sylvia Ann Hewlett | Big Think
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B27
512 sentences
become ARTICULATE and SPEAK SMARTLY - effective communication 101
Business EnglishInterview EnglishDaily Conversation
B23
49 sentences
How to Introduce Yourself SO WELL Everybody Wants to Work with You (Rebecca Okamoto)
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B21
248 sentences
How to Talk to Anyone with Ease and Confidence
Business EnglishInterview EnglishDaily Conversation
B212
48 sentences
4 Fundamentals to Smart Speaking | Matt Abrahams (Key Points Talk)
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “How to Speak With Confidence: Crash Course Business - Soft Skills”. This video has 129 sentences and 2079 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:05. The speaker talks fast, about 188 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 84% 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| credibility noun | /kɹɛd.əˈbɪ.ɫɪ.ti/ | A reputation impacting one's ability to be believed. |
| memorable adjective | /ˈmɛm.(ə)ɹə.bl̩/ | Worthy to be remembered; very important or remarkable. |
| complexly adverb | In a complex manner. | |
| podium noun | /ˈpəʊ.di.əm/ | A platform on which to stand, as when conducting an orchestra or preaching at a pulpit; any low platform or dais. |
| confuse verb | /kənˈfjuːz/ | to puzzle, perplex, baffle, bewilder (somebody); to afflict by being complicated, contradictory, or otherwise difficult to understand |
| analogy noun | /əˈnæləd͡ʒi/ | A relationship of resemblance or equivalence between two situations, people, or objects, especially when used as a basis for explanation or extrapolation. |
| thesis noun | /ˈθisɪs/ | A proposition or statement supported by arguments. |
| mentally adverb | /ˈmɛntəli/ | In a mental manner; an idea thought out in one's mind, as opposed to an idea spoken orally. |
| benefactor noun | /ˈbɛnəˌfæktɚ/ | Somebody who gives a gift, often money to a charity. |
| compel verb | /kəmˈpɛl/ | To overpower; to subdue. |
| competently adverb | In a competent manner. | |
| concise adjective | /kənˈsaɪs/ | Brief, yet including all important information. |
| concisely adverb | In a concise manner, briefly, without excessive length. | |
| confidently adverb | /ˈkɑnfɪdəntli/ | In a confident manner; with confidence; with strong assurance; positively. |
| crowdfunding noun | Funding by many individuals pooling their money together for a common goal, usually via the Internet. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
| get away with verb | To get away, or escape, taking (something) with one. |
| keep up verb | To maintain; to preserve; to prevent from deteriorating or falling. |
| look down verb | To lower one's eyes; to direct one's look downwards. |
| read off verb | To dictate from a list, especially in a way focused on sequential processing. |
| wrap up verb | To cover or enclose (something) by folding and securing a covering entirely around it. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've understood · we've covered · have personally impacted |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | person who wants · student who overcame · women who are |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | been frustrated · is sponsored |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 54 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, we've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: excruciating /ɪkˈskɹuʃi.eɪtɪŋ/, interruption /ˌɪntəˈɹʌpʃən/, nutritionist /njuːˈtɹɪʃ.ənɪst/, shenanigans /ʃɪˈnæn.ɪ.ɡənz/, inspirational /ˌɪnspəˈɹeɪʃənəl/
- Long words — get the stress right: credibility /kɹɛd.əˈbɪ.ɫɪ.ti/, analogy /əˈnæləd͡ʒi/, benefactor /ˈbɛnəˌfæktɚ/, confidently /ˈkɑnfɪdəntli/, excruciating /ɪkˈskɹuʃi.eɪtɪŋ/
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 credibility, memorable, complexly.
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.