Shadowing Practice: How to Talk to ANYONE (Once You Know Their Color!) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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There are four types of communicators that every single person can be categorized into.
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There are the reds, who are driven by power and results, the greens, who are driven by peace and stability, the blues, who are driven by logic and structure,
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and then the yellows, who are driven by fun and connection.
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Understanding these four colors
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and types of people has allowed me to form a strong connection with 95 % of the people
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that I've met as an international keynote speaker and if we have nothing in common.
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In this video, what you're gonna learn is, first of all, what color are you?
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The second thing the problem each color faces
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and then the third thing is well How do you talk to each of the different colors if you don't learn this?
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You'll keep wondering why talking to some people feels effortless
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while talking to others feels impossible but imagine being able to walk into any room
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and instantly get a read on someone to know what drives them what they are afraid of
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and how to speak their language so that you
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can connect with them
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and it starts with firstly knowing what color you are i
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learned how to do this with the color system created by
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thomas ericsson who wrote the book surrounded by idiots now this is an amazing book
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if you get the time definitely give it a read it's awesome now the book suggests
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that you fall into one of these four colors
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and of course we are all a mix of all of the colors
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but we all have a default color we tend to speak as i talk through these
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you are and then I want you to think of which friend comes to mind for the other colors.
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This makes remembering all the colors really easy and sticky.
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First we have red.
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Now reds are bold, decisive, competitive, results driven and they're a little bit impatient.
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Then next we have the yellows.
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They are social, enthusiastic, talkative, creative, optimistic.
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Then next we have the greens.
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They are calm, supportive, reliable, they don't like sudden changes and Extremely patient.
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Then finally, we've got the blues.
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The blues are precise, detail -oriented, they're cautious, they're critical thinkers, and they're perfectionists.
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Now, if you're still unsure at this point which color you are, then I want you to ask yourself these three questions to be able to help you identify which colour you are.
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Question number one, are you more introverted or extroverted?
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If you're introverted, that means you're either a blue or a green.
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And if you're extroverted, that means you're either a red or a yellow.
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Next question.
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Am I more logical or emotional?
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If you're more logical then that means you're either a green
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or a red and if you're more emotional that means you're either a blue or a yellow.
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With these two questions already, you should be able to know which color you are.
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But you can ask a third question just in case.
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And the third question is, do I speak more deliberately or quickly?
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Now, if you're more deliberate, that means you're either a green or a blue.
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And if you speak more quickly, then that means you're a red or a yellow.
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And through the process of elimination, these questions are going to better help you work out which color you are.
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Now use me as an example as you take these questions for a test run.
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Do I seem more introverted or extroverted?
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Ah, I'm extroverted.
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If you guessed that, you got it right.
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Which means I'm either a yellow or a red.
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Okay, so now we go to the next question.
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Now, do you think I'm a logical or am I an emotional person?
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If you guessed emotional, you're correct.
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Ding, ding, ding.
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Now, if I'm emotional, that means I'm either a blue or a yellow.
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So which colour am I?
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I'm a yellow!
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And no, that's not because I'm Asian.
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I'm yellow because of this color profile.
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And after these two questions alone, you should know what color you are too.
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But if you're still stuck and you're a little bit unsure, you can do one final check with that third question.
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So work out which one you are and then leave a comment below and tell me what your color is.
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Now, this is the core problem that we're addressing here.
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Most people communicate in their own color, assuming that everybody around them communicates the same way.
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When a red meets another red and they communicate with each other, they get along great.
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Whereas when a red speak into a green or a blue or a yellow, it feels frustrating.
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They clash, they disconnect, and then they don't respond the way they expect.
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Let's have a look at this situation here.
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You've got two reds about to connect.
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When you're a red, don't forget it means you're direct, decisive, no fluff or outcome.
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And when these two reds are about to connect, Watch what happens.
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So when are you handing in the project and what issues are you facing?
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I'm going to hand it in today at 5pm and I'm facing three specific problems.
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One, Peter's getting stuck in the weeds with the details.
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Two, Craig's being indecisive.
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And three, I love these skits.
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They're fantastic for YouTube engagement because it's what makes the viewer like. and subscribe.
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God, I love talking to you.
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God, I love talking to you too. Do you see that?
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When you communicate in a direct and decisive way, reds will love you because you're speaking their language.
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But here's the trap.
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When you speak to other colors, the blues and the greens and the yellows, they won't connect with you as much.
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They might even think of you as someone who's cold, abrasive and maybe even a little scary.
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Now, here's what happens when a red speaks to a yellow, a blue and a green.
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I'm not sure.
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Have a look at these situations.
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All right, listen, I don't have that much time.
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I need to know what is our current return on ad spend?
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And what is our net profit after OPEX?
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I have to show you the ad before we get to any of that, because the ad we filmed was hilarious.
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You're going to love it.
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You know what?
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I'm not just going to show you.
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Guys!
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Guys, come in!
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Come in, let's all watch the ad together!
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We're all gonna watch the ad together, we'll laugh together, then we'll learn together, then we'll get to the data that you want.
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And that's the very important project.
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Hmm.
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Vin, shouldn't we get everyone else's opinion first?
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No need.
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I already decided we're doing it.
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But, uh, what if people don't like it?
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What if people don't like it?
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Then they'll get over it.
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Uh, that doesn't sound very harmonious.
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Are you serious?
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Harmony is great, but results are better.
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Morning Pete.
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Hey Vin, I heard you went to the zoo on the weekend.
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Tell me everything.
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Bye.
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Productive.
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Oh, okay.
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productive, how did the kids enjoy the zoo?
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Like I said, mission accomplished, animals were seen, snacks were consumed, tantrums neutralized.
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It was an efficient operation.
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Right.
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But did you enjoy it?
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Like how did it feel?
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It felt done.
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Just like this conversation.
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Do you see the problem?
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We tend to default to our own communication style and it works great, but only when you are speaking to people just like you.
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And everybody else, well they just tune out or worse they judge you wrongfully.
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Let me share with you how the other colors view you.
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So here we have Andy.
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He's my head of marketing and he's also a red.
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And filming this b -roll for because he just wants to get back to work and get shit done.
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So if you're like Andy and you are also a red, you tend to overwhelm others with your fast direct outcome driven style.
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You know the greens?
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They see you as someone who's being pretty pushy and the yellows?
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They look at you as being someone who's too serious and the blues?
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Well, they think you are reckless with details.
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Now next on screen we have a yellow who is me
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and this is also the person who came up with the idea for this b -roll and I love this.
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Look how much fun I'm having!
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This is such a great idea Vin.
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You're a genius.
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And if you're a yellow like me, you often lose credibility because of your high energy, your idea -filled communication style often feels unfocused to reds,
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chaotic to greens, a little too superficial for the blues who crave detail.
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Oh, look, look on screen.
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Oh, that's our green.
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Oh, that's Dan.
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Dan's our head of ops.
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And you see, Dan, he didn't want to do this, but he's so non -confrontational and he just loves to keep the peace that he's doing it.
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That's why he looks so awkward.
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I mean, look at him.
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Let's zoom in a little.
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Look at him.
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Look how awkward he looks right now.
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He does not want to be here.
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My goodness, let's zoom in a little further.
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Haha, see how awkward he is?
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He is so awkward!
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Now if you're like Dan, you tend to avoid and resist conflict, which makes you seem indecisive to reds, boring to yellows, who want more excitement,
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and frustratingly non -committal to blues, who want specifics.
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Oh, and here we have our beloved Smurf.
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Yep, that's the blue.
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Look at him.
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He is so detailed.
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He scripted out this entire video, wanted to get everything optimal.
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But you know what, Pete?
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I'm going to wing this next part, mate.
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I'm going to bloody wing the script.
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I don't even know what I'm going to say right now.
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That's why I'm going to now just talk.
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for no reason, huh?
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How do you like that algorithm, Blue Pete?
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How do you like that Pete?
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What's the algorithm gonna do now?
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Hey let's zoom in to Pete.
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Let's zoom into his nose.
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Closer.
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Closer.
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Look at his nose!
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Look at that little cute nose.
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Look at that.
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Let's zoom out a little bit.
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Let's zoom out on something else.
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Let's zoom out to his hands!
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See, he doesn't even know where to put his hands.
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He does no idea what he's gonna do with his hands.
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What are you doing with your hands feet?
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Alright, awkward now?
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You...
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Meticulously technical monster.
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If you're like Pete and you're a blue, sometimes you overcomplicate things in life, like a YouTube video and you forget to have fun.
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Right?
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You have such a deep need for precision and detail, which feels too slow for reds.
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It feels overly critical for yellows and it feels really nitpicky to greens who just want peace.
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That's why mastering this isn't just about you knowing your color.
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It's about you learning to speak all the colors.
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And this, what I just shared with you right now, this was a huge realization for me.
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I'm a yellow, so naturally I'm pretty expressive, loud and passionate.
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Whereas my wife, on the other hand, she's a red.
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She's strong, decisive and laser focused on the results.
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And she values clarity, efficiency and moving things forward.
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Not me pitching 12 brilliant ideas to her before she's even finished her morning coffee.
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Yeah.
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I can be a little much.
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Now here's where we used the clash a lot.
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I would communicate ideas fast, bouncing from idea to idea, expecting her to just get on board.
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But to her, it felt overwhelming.
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And she'd shut me down, not because she didn't care, not because she didn't love me, but because I wasn't speaking in a way that respected her direct,
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let's cut to the chase style.
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I basically didn't speak to her in her preferred communication style.
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which is red.
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And here's the lesson again.
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When you only speak in your own colour, You only truly connect with people who are like you and the same colour as you.
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But not everyone is you.
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Not everyone is the same color as you.
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Now, I'm not telling you to change the essence of who you are.
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I'm telling you that if you want to be a more effective communicator, you need to learn how to adjust your delivery
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and speak in their communication style so that you can connect better with them.
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Imagine for a second walking into work tomorrow and talking to your boss, quickly being able to identify what color he or she is,
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then adjusting your communication style to connect with them better.
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What would that mean for you?
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Does that mean you have to do it with everyone?
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No, no, you just do this with the people you truly want to connect with.
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Let me quickly remind you, when you meet somebody for the first time and you want to identify what color they are, you can ask yourself the same three questions I shared earlier.
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I'll pop them just over here for you too.
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It's such a cool, powerful little tool that I have on the corner of my computer screen.
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Any call I get onto, I immediately think of these three questions to myself, and I'm able to slightly shift the way I communicate.
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and it helps me connect with people.
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really fast.
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You know, I was asked this question at my recent workshop.
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How do you not judge people?
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I do I do, I do.
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I'm human, okay?
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But I do it as little as I can.
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Let's just piggyback off what I just said there.
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You see, I still do judge others and I'm human just like you.
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But the reason I'm more compassionate is because I now understand that there are four different colors.
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There are four different types of human beings in this life and they speak different languages.
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And by me understanding that now more and more, I'm able to be more empathetic.
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I'm able to be more understanding and I'm able to judge people less.
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And you know what's even cooler?
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I speak all four languages now.
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I can speak red, Yellow green, blue, So that means that when I meet you, regardless of what color you are, I'm going to be able to connect with you more instead of judging you.
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So now, the final step how to talk to each color.
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Think of this as your secret communication hack.
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Now, when it comes to the Reds, make sure you are direct, you're decisive, you're confident, and make sure you use frameworks while you're communicating.
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They love the frameworks because it will help you become more clear, concise and coherent.
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They respect speed, clarity and results.
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So skip the fluff and focus on the outcome.
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Don't say, let me walk you through all the background details before we decide what to do next.
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I want to show you all 147 slides.
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Instead, Say, "Listen, the report's finished.
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I've gone through all the data and summarized for you the top three points.
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And here's what I recommend the next steps be." Let me know if you have any questions.
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Why is this important?
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It's important because a lot of leaders in senior positions are really time poor and they love direct communication.
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And in the example that I just shared with you, I'm using a communication framework.
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So if you want to learn more about communication frameworks and how to speak in a concise,
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clear and coherent manner, I've recorded a free two hour training for you where we dive deeper into more frameworks
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so you can come across more clear and confident.
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Just click the link in the description to save your spot.
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Now, when you're talking to a yellow, be enthusiastic, be positive, be engaging.
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how to use this particular camera, and then give you a 40 page PDF on how to get the most out of this camera, instead of that, say, hey,
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Just hit the record button.
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Go have some fun.
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Go work it out as you go.
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You're going to love it.
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Why do this?
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Well, because they thrive on energy, ideas and stories.
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Keep it light.
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Keep it fun.
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Keep it creative.
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Let them roam free.
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Leave the details to the blues.
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Now, when you're talking to a Green, Be calm.
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Be patient and supportive.
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Don't say, "We need to make this change right now, now, now, now, now, now !" Say instead, "Hey, listen, I know this is a shift, but we'll move at a pace that feels comfortable for you.
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and I'm going to support you all the way through.
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Do you notice the difference when speaking to Greens?
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They value harmony and reliability.
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So slow down.
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Listen and avoid pushing too hard too fast.
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Now when you're talking to a blue, be precise.
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structured and factual.
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Don't say, "Don't worry about the details, just trust me." Instead say, "Here's all the data, And here's the step -by -step plan
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that I've created from the data and I want to give it to you
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so you can do a quick double check if you want.
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Do you notice the subtle change there for the blue?
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They care about accuracy and process.
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So come prepared.
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Respect the details and avoid exaggeration.
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Oh, they hate that.
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As you learn how to do this, you'll be able to connect with 95 % of the people that you meet.
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And remember, this doesn't mean you're changing who you are.
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It means you're just learning how to adapt your communication style to their communication style.
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Masterful communicators meet people where they are and make the connection
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effortless we often hear the phrase be yourself and yes look that is true to a certain extent
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But if you want to truly connect with others, you also have to learn to be dynamic like water.
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you adapt to the shape of the vessel that you're poured into.
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Be formless, shapeless.
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Like water.
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See?
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See?
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Even Bruce Lee says so.
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So thanks for that, Uncle.
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I appreciate that.
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At the end of the day, we are all the colors.
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There's a version of you that's fun and playful, yellow.
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There's a version of you that seeks connection and depth and detail, Blue.
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There's a version of you that's conflict avoidant and always seeks peace green
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and then there's a version of you that just gets shit done Red.
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We are all of them.
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We just tend to default towards one.
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It doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't speak the other colors.
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It means you should learn them all.
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This is what I teach in my programs.
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The ability to be multilingual without losing your identity.
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To walk into any room and meet people where they are while still bringing the most powerful version of you.
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That's a superpower.
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So which color are you?
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If you haven't, let me know what color are you?
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Communication is the tide that lifts all boats.
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And when you master this skill, your entire life rises with it.
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Yes.
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Let's keep learning together.
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If you want to dive deeper down the rabbit hole, hit this video right here.
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Thank you.
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Master Communication & English Speaking with the Color System
Ever wondered why some conversations flow effortlessly while others feel like a puzzle? The video introduces a fun, practical way to connect with anyone: identifying their "color" communication style. Whether you’re prepping for IELTS speaking practice or just want to chat more confidently, this system helps you adapt your speech—making it a great tool for english speaking practice.
Top 5 Phrases to Use with Each Color (Perfect for Daily Chats!)
- For Reds (results-driven): “Let’s focus on the goal—what’s the fastest way to get there?”
- For Yellows (fun-loving): “This idea sounds exciting—how can we make it even more engaging?”
- For Greens (calm stabilizers): “I value your input—what do you think about keeping things steady?”
- For Blues (detail-oriented): “I’ve got the data here—let’s go through it step by step.”
- Universal icebreaker: “What’s something that makes your day feel meaningful?” (works for all colors!)
Shadowing Guide: Practice Like a Pro
Want to nail the rhythm and tone of these phrases? Try shadowing—the best way to improve english pronunciation and fluency. Here’s how to use the video for shadowing practice:
- Watch & listen: First, play the video and focus on the speaker’s pace (Reds/Yellows speak quickly; Blues/Greens are deliberate). Note how they stress key words (e.g., “results” for Reds, “connection” for Yellows).
- Pause & repeat: Use a shadowing app or simply pause after each sentence. Mimic the intonation—raise your voice for excitement (Yellows) or keep it steady (Greens). This trains your mouth to form natural sounds.
- Role-play: Pick a color and practice responding to the phrases above. Record yourself and compare it to the video—you’ll notice improvements in clarity and confidence fast!
With this system, you’ll not only speak better English but also build stronger connections. Ready to start? Press play, grab your shadowspeak tools, and let the colors guide you!
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 | has allowed · I've met · I've gone |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | can be categorized · are driven · were seen |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | person who came · conflict, which makes · people who are |
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.