Shadowing Practice: How to Start a Speech - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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What are the first words you should say in a speech?
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And what are the last words you should say in a speech?
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Now tomorrow, I don't know how many of you are speaking, but I guarantee if you go to conferences,
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19 out of 20 speakers will start in one of these ways.
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Number one, my name is Connor Neal, I'm from Tango, Tango and this talk is about the latest trend in monitoring strategies
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Now all of you are sitting with a piece of paper in front of you
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that says I'm Connor Neal I've come from Ireland, and I'm going to talk about tango 04 on this
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So by repeating what you already know I'm giving a signal that it's a time to get your Blackberry out
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I've just signaled that this talk is Opportunity to reconnect with Blackberry make sure the office is okay
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maybe get some plans together for the weekend.
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Another way to start.
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The lights, the mic's working.
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How much time have I got?
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Okay, right.
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Okay, is it plugged in?
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And you laugh, but I guarantee tomorrow there's going to be some moments They get a little bit of that And why
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because this is for some of you the first time you
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see this individual they're here as a leader in their industry and
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Your kid at school presenting on giraffes does a better job That's sad
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So I think there's only three ways of starting a speech.
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And it's the same if you went into a bar and there's a group of people, it's a networking event, much like you were at before you walked into this room.
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And maybe I came up to a group, there's a group of three people who are having a little conversation.
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I walk in and I say, Hi, I'm Connor.
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I'm Irish, 38 years old.
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I have an interest in sailing.
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I like running. And they've walked away.
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How do you get people to engage with you when you're networking?
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I say, in networking, the best thing you can do is walk up.
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I think we know someone in common.
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Try and walk away when someone comes up and says that to you.
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Hopefully you've done your research so you do know that you know someone in common.
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But with LinkedIn, you can find out who knows who on anyone you want.
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How to start a speech?
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First way, with a question that matters to the audience.
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how do you phrase a problem that the audience faces in a question
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so that'd be the third best way of starting a speech
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the second best way of starting a speech with a factoid that shocks there's more people alive today than have ever died.
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There's more people alive today than have ever died.
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There's a lot of speeches that can follow on from there.
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Every two minutes, the energy reaching the Earth from the Sun is equivalent to the whole annual usage of humanity.
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All the energy, all the cars, everything moving, all the lighting, all the air conditioning of the world,
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in one year is equivalent to two minutes of sun.
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Does that change how you think about energy?
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So, what's a fact that shocks the audience into rethinking?
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And Google has transformed your ability to get at these facts
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given two or three minutes you can find out one whether anything I said is true
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but you trust me because I looked the part and I'm from ESing those are in fact two true facts
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I usually get someone come up to me and, are you sure?
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How do they measure dead and alive? But it's true.
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And it's not even close.
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But the best way to start a speech, and the way that I hope all of you use from now forward,
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is the same way we start a story to a child.
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Now, how do we start a story to a child?
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Erase una vez.
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Once upon a time.
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And what happens when you say once upon a time?
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I can tell you what happens when I say once upon a time,
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my daughter leans forward, gets ready to hear, engages.
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And we were all trained as kids to know when a story is coming.
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We also know when a teacher is about to deliver a 40-minute boring lecture that has no impact on our lives.
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But in business, you don't hear Jack Welsh saying, once upon a time.
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Steve Jobs doesn't start his speeches, once upon a time.
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So there's a grown-up way of saying once upon a time.
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If you listen to the conversations that are interesting around you, at a dinner table, in a networking event, if you listen to the people that are gathering the group of eight that are listening to them,
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the way they're talking is different.
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The way they start is different.
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The way you tell stories as an adult is, in October, was the last time I was in this room, there were 120 people in the room,
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and I was having a little conversation with one of the world experts on public speaking And he said something to me.
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He said something to me That's had me thinking ever since
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He said something to me that changed What I think about what's important in speaking
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Now I can pause for about 30 seconds two or three minutes and you want to know what he said
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so in speaking in sales we assume self-interest
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so if you can tell a story from your own life
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that connects you to why this topic is important to you why you first joined the company
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when you first saw someone benefit and you saw how their life was changed
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And I think here exploring what quality of life means for you In your business,
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how do you affect quality of life for a customer?
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Because that's where the stories that will start to connect you to the audience will come from
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Because stories are about people They are not about objects, they are not about things.
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It's about the people behind the things.
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If you want to tell a good story about Tango, don't talk about the software.
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Talk about the people who built the software.
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What they do, how they are, what's important to them, what they sacrifice.
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And in your own life, what does quality of life mean?
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What sacrifices have you made to achieve something that was more important?
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And if you can tell stories and the audience connect with those stories, then they want to hear what you have to say.
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And all the reasons and all the benefits, they're all written in the document and in the PowerPoint.
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But they need to trust you.
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And they need to care about you as a person to engage with you and then decide that they will act.
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Mastering Speech Openings: A Guide for Confident English Speaking
Starting a speech can feel daunting, but the video shares simple, powerful strategies to grab attention—skills that also boost english speaking practice for everyday conversations or exams like IELTS. Whether you’re presenting in a meeting or prepping for IELTS speaking practice, the key is to engage listeners from the first word.
3 Winning Ways to Start a Speech (and Why They Work)
- Ask a question that matters: Phrase a problem your audience faces as a question. For example, “How do you balance work and quality of life?” This makes listeners think and connect immediately.
- Share a shocking factoid: “Every two minutes, the sun provides enough energy to power the world for a year.” Surprising truths jolt attention and make your message memorable—great for shadow speech practice to mimic tone and emphasis.
- Tell a story: Adults love stories too! Start with “In October, I sat with a public speaking expert who said something that changed everything…” Stories build trust and make you relatable, a must for shadow speak exercises to master natural flow.
Shadowing Guide: Practice Like a Pro
To nail these openings, try shadowspeaks techniques: 1. Watch the video and repeat short phrases (e.g., “Once upon a time” or the shocking fact) to mimic rhythm and intonation. 2. Pause and re-record yourself, comparing to the speaker’s tone—this sharpens clarity for IELTS or professional talks. 3. Focus on storytelling: Practice the “October” story, emphasizing pauses to build curiosity. With consistent practice, you’ll turn nervous starts into confident, engaging openings that leave a mark.
Remember: The goal is to connect, not perfection. Use these tips in english speaking practice sessions, and soon you’ll start speeches (and conversations!) with ease.
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 | I've come · I've just signaled · they've walked |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who are · people who built |
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.