Shadowing Practice: How to start a presentation - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
1
Music It always strikes me how people think about their presentations or how they prepare their presentations.
2
I'm actually talking about the first words, the first sentences of a presentation.
3
What most people do is they think of a presentation so automatically you think about a PowerPoint.
4
So you make your slides.
5
You look at your slides and you think about what will I say showing each slide.
6
But my question to you is this: What are your first words?
7
What are the first sentences?
8
Very few people think about that.
9
Just think a minute about the presentations that you have already seen in the past, maybe the presentations that you have done yourself.
10
There is a cliché sentence that most speakers use to introduce their topic.
11
They say something like, good morning, good afternoon.
12
"My name is" if they don't know you.
13
And then there is this typical sentence: "Today I'm going to talk to you about." Now you might say,
14
"So what's the problem?" The problem with this sentence is that you're actually answering the wrong question.
15
You're answering the "what" question.
16
"What are you going to do?
17
I'm going to talk about." If you think about it, most audiences know what you're going to talk about.
18
Either you are introduced, or there is a program, or there is a meeting, so there is an agenda, so people know what your topic is all about.
19
The most interesting question to answer is the "why" question.
20
Why are you there? to talk about this topic and even more important, why is it important for the audience to listen to you?
21
So, my advice for you is to focus on the "why" question.
22
Now, how can you do that?
23
I advise people to focus on a story to begin their presentation.
24
Now, if you think about stories, stories begin with a timeframe.
25
Just Look at fairy tales.
26
They start with once upon a time.
27
I'm not going to suggest that you start your professional presentation with once upon a time, but you can start with a time frame.
28
Something like yesterday, two weeks ago, last year, three months ago.
29
Now what's the kind of story that you can share then?
30
Use real stories.
31
It has to be something that happened to you.
32
It has to be something that you heard.
33
So you can refer to a conversation you had with a colleague.
34
You can say something like, day I had a conversation with, but then there has to be a reason why you refer to that conversation.
35
And there is this linking sentence that I use in lots of presentations.
36
I tell my story, and then I continue saying, now why do I tell you this?
37
Because my objective or my goal with this presentation is to.
38
So what you can do is be very conscious of the company's stories, I might say.
39
It can be something that happened with a customer.
40
It can be an article you you heard about, it can be a conversation you had.
41
So use these stories to begin your presentation, link them to your goal, and it will be so much more interesting for your audience
42
because it will be crystal clear for them from the very first minute why it is important to them.
43
So next time you prepare your presentation, focus on that why question and tell them a story.
✨ Recommend Video
How to Start a Professional Presentation in English | Real Business Meeting Listening & SpeakingB2
1
273 sentences

How to Start a Professional Presentation in English | Real Business Meeting Listening & Speaking

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
How to Tell Stories That Makes People Whisper ‘Damn, that’s good.’B2
2
398 sentences

How to Tell Stories That Makes People Whisper ‘Damn, that’s good.’

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
How to Start a Speech: The Best (and Worst) Speech OpenersB2
1
102 sentences

How to Start a Speech: The Best (and Worst) Speech Openers

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
You Know What You Should Do… So Why Aren't You Doing ItB2
1
380 sentences

You Know What You Should Do… So Why Aren't You Doing It

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Former Amazon Recruiter Explains the Perfect "Tell me about Yourself" Answer (2026)B2
2
125 sentences

Former Amazon Recruiter Explains the Perfect "Tell me about Yourself" Answer (2026)

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
4 Fundamentals to Smart Speaking | Matt Abrahams (Key Points Talk)B2
9
48 sentences

4 Fundamentals to Smart Speaking | Matt Abrahams (Key Points Talk)

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
How to Finish Speaking in English Without an Awkward SilenceB2
113 sentences

How to Finish Speaking in English Without an Awkward Silence

Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
How To Start A ConversationB2
2
235 sentences

How To Start A Conversation

Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
Data Presentation, Step-by-Step | Google Data Analytics CertificateC1
178 sentences

Data Presentation, Step-by-Step | Google Data Analytics Certificate

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Speak More Naturally: 100 Phrases Every Native Speaker UsesB2
413 sentences

Speak More Naturally: 100 Phrases Every Native Speaker Uses

Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
Presenting Your Graphic Design Portfolio: A Creative Director's Expert TipsB2
130 sentences

Presenting Your Graphic Design Portfolio: A Creative Director's Expert Tips

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
Stop introducing yourself like this.B2
635
38 sentences

Stop introducing yourself like this.

Business EnglishInterview EnglishDaily Conversation

Who Should Watch This Video?

This video is perfect for intermediate English learners ready to level up their presentation skills. Whether you’re prepping for a work meeting, school project, or public talk, it’s ideal if you want to move beyond boring openings and connect with your audience. It’s especially useful for those practicing shadow speak—you’ll pick up natural phrasing and rhythm to mimic.

Words & Idioms Worth Stealing

Here are standout phrases to add to your toolkit:

  • It strikes me how: A conversational way to say "I notice that" (e.g., "It strikes me how many people skip the intro").
  • Crystal clear: Extremely easy to understand (e.g., "Make your goal crystal clear from the start").
  • Linking sentence: A phrase that connects ideas (e.g., "Now why do I tell you this?").

How to Get the Accent Right

The speaker uses a natural, conversational tone—great for shadowing technique practice. Focus on:

  • Intonation in questions: Notice how "What are your first words?" rises at the end. Mimic this to sound engaging.
  • Pausing after stories: The speaker pauses before "Now why do I tell you this?" to build curiosity. Practice pausing to emphasize key points.
  • Reduced "you're": Listen for "you're" sounding like "yer" in "you're answering the wrong question." This casual reduction is common in real speech.

Use a shadowing app to replay short clips—repeat after the speaker, matching their pace and stress. This helps you internalize natural flow, making your own presentations sound more confident.

Key Takeaway for Practice

Next time you prep a presentation, skip the "Today I’m going to talk about..." start. Instead, use a short story (e.g., "Last week, I had a chat with a colleague...") and link it to why your audience should care. This not only makes you more memorable but also gives you great material for shadowspeak practice—you’ll master storytelling phrases that work in any setting.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →