Shadowing Practice: Intro to Project Management | Google Project Management Certificate - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Hi, we're so excited that you're here.
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I'm Emilio, and I'm a program manager on the Responsible Innovation team here at Google.
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And I'd like to officially welcome you to Google's certificate program in project management.
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Let's start with a simple exercise.
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Take a moment and think about some of the different tasks that you've completed in your life.
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Maybe you planned your wedding or a birthday party or you filed your annual tax returns.
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Maybe you moved from one state to another
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or maybe you're the family member who somehow every year is tasked with organizing the annual family reunion.
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Believe it or not, you've been developing all kinds of skills through these tasks
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that will help you become a successful project manager for any organization or your own business.
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With this program in Project Management by Google, we've put together a set of courses,
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activities, quizzes, and exercises that'll teach you the fundamentals of project management.
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And of course, help you get a job or advance in your career.
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Wondering how I started my own career in Project Management?
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Well, in college, I always gravitated towards things that were more hands -on and action -oriented and less theoretical.
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I wanted to make an impact in whichever career I took on.
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So my first job out of college was as a Spanish and leadership teacher in Los Angeles, California.
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My main objective in guiding the student leadership team at the school was to identify, mobilize, and inspire the student leaders.
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After two years of teaching, I realized that the moments when I felt the most energized were
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when I was building a vision for how to get a big project done, or when I was working to bring different groups together around a common goal.
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That's when I realized I had a lot of core project management skills, and I could focus on growing and developing them in the business world.
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I'm grateful that I get to be here for the start of your journey.
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When I was first starting to think about my career, project management wasn't even on my radar.
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It was one of those professions
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that I didn't even know existed until I entered the business world
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and experienced how great of a need there is for folks who are organized, action -oriented, diligent, and strategic.
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I hope that by the end of this program, you'll be as excited as I am about the prospects of a career in project management.
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Okay, let's get into it.
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We'll start with an important question.
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What exactly is project management?
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Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to meet the project requirements and achieve the desired outcome.
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It's possible that you've been project managing every day on some level without even knowing it.
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In this course, you'll learn how to hone those skills to become a truly great project manager.
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And the awesome thing about project management is that it spans a lot of industries and company types, and it doesn't require deep technical knowledge.
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This means that any job or life experience you've gained
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so far will help you in building those skills to become successful in a project management career.
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There are a lot of people around the world like you
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who are hoping to learn the skills to get a project management role.
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Whatever your reason for being here, we're glad you've joined us.
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This program is rooted in a belief
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that a strong foundation in project management can help anyone start a great career as a project manager.
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This program includes six industry relevant courses that focus on topics like project management fundamentals,
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goals, objectives, and deliverables, risk management, team dynamics, project management methodologies,
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data -driven decision making, and more.
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Each course is made up of personal anecdotes, reading materials, quizzes, and case studies and you can go through the program at your own pace,
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skip the sections that you might already know, and review the videos again if you need a refresher.
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You'll be doing a lot of hands -on learning.
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You'll build project plans and timelines.
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You'll learn how to manage budgets and meet the needs of the people involved in the project.
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And you'll learn different project methodologies like Agile, Scrum, and Waterfall.
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You'll use tools like Kanban and learn about project management software like Asana.
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You'll also develop your soft skills, some of which you likely already have.
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Don't worry, even if you aren't quite sure how to tap into them yet, we'll explore which skills are transferable to a project management role.
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Above all, this program will help get you ready for a new job.
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But we're taking it one step further.
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When you complete this program, you'll have the opportunity to share your work with Google and other top employers aiming to hire project management professionals.
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And the best part is, you'll have professional work examples you can share with them to showcase what you've learned.
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Along the way, you'll hear from Google employees like me.
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We'll share personal stories about how we became project managers and how our foundations in project management launched our careers.
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We'll also share what we do at work every day and give you tips for job interviews.
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We've got a truly amazing group of course instructors for you to learn from.
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Ready to meet them?
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Hi, I'm Joanne, a Senior Program Manager on Cloud Security Programs.
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I'm your instructor for Course 2, where we'll learn more about what's needed to set the stage for a successful project.
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Hey there, my name's Rowena, a Senior Program Manager in Google Cloud.
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I'm your instructor for Course 3, Project Planning, Putting It All Together, where we'll learn about the importance of thorough project planning,
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identifying key milestones and dependencies, documenting project plans, scheduling, budgeting, and risk management.
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I'm Elita, a Senior Engineering Program Manager at Google, and I'm your instructor for Course 4,
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Project Execution, Running a project where we'll learn about communicating effectively, managing risks, understanding team dynamics,
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using data to inform decision making, and tracking progress.
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Hi, I'm Sue.
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I'm a technical program manager for Google's support platform.
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I'm your instructor for course five, Agile Project Management, where we'll gain a deeper understanding of Agile project management,
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including principles and practices, the benefits and costs of Agile transformations, the dynamics of agile teams, and the process of running sprints and releases.
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And I'm Dan, a program manager in Google Research.
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I'm really excited to be your instructor for Course 6, Applying Project Management in the Real World, where we'll take all the knowledge,
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skills, and understanding you've built up throughout this certificate and apply it to an advanced project scenario.
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Ready to get started?
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Let's go.
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Congratulations on finishing this video in the Google Project Management Certificate.
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Access the full learning experience including job search help and start to earn your official certificate by clicking on the icon.
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To view the next course in this video, click here and subscribe to our channel to learn more from Google Career Certificates.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 82 sentences and 1176 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:29. The speaker talks at a natural 157 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| instructor noun | /ɪnˈstɹʌktɚ/ | One who instructs; a teacher. |
| certificate noun | /səˈtɪf.ɪ.kɪt/ | A document containing a certified statement. |
| dynamics noun | /dɑɪˈnæm.ɪks/ | The branch of mechanics that is concerned with the effects of forces on the motion of objects. |
| objective noun | /ɒbˈd͡ʒɛk.tɪv/ | A material object that physically exists. |
| fundamental adjective | /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/ | Related to a foundation, base, or basis; serving as a foundation. |
| organize verb | /ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/ | To arrange in working order. |
| methodology noun | /ˌmɛθ.əˈdɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/ | The study of methods used in a field. |
| quiz noun | /kwɪz/ | A competition in the answering of questions. |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| earn verb | /ɝn/ | To gain (success, reward, recognition) through applied effort or work. |
| technique noun | /tɛkˈniːk/ | The practical aspects of a given art, occupation etc.; formal requirements. |
| belief noun | /bɪˈliːf/ | Mental acceptance of a claim as true. |
| strategic adjective | /stɹəˈti.dʒɪk/ | Of or pertaining to strategy. |
| congratulations | /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/ | Expressing praise and approval, expressing approbation. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| build up verb | To erect; to construct. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
| put together verb | To assemble, construct, build, or formulate. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 54 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you'll, we'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: methodology /ˌmɛθ.əˈdɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, theoretical /ˌθi.əˈɹɛt.ɪ.kəl/, thorough /ˈθʌɹoʊ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/, transformation /ˌtɹæns.fɔɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/, profession /pɹəˈfɛʃ.ən/, showcase /ˈʃoʊˌkeɪs/, refresher /ɹɪˈfɹɛʃɚ/
- Long words — get the stress right: certificate /səˈtɪf.ɪ.kɪt/, fundamental /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/, methodology /ˌmɛθ.əˈdɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/, transformation /ˌtɹæns.fɔɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/
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 skill, instructor, certificate.
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 completed · we've put · you've been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is tasked · are organized · is rooted |
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.