Shadowing Practice: Keep your goals to yourself | Derek Sivers - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

C1
Everyone, please think of your biggest personal goal.
⏸ Paused
31 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Everyone, please think of your biggest personal goal.
2
For real -- you can take a second. You've got to feel this to learn it.
3
Take a few seconds and think of your personal biggest goal, okay?
4
Imagine deciding right now that you're going to do it.
5
Imagine telling someone that you meet today what you're going to do.
6
Imagine their congratulations, and their high image of you.
7
Doesn't it feel good to say it out loud?
8
Don't you feel one step closer already, like it's already becoming part of your identity?
9
Well, bad news: you should have kept your mouth shut, because that good feeling now will make you less likely to do it.
10
The repeated psychology tests have proven that telling someone your goal makes it less likely to happen.
11
Any time you have a goal, there are some steps that need to be done, some work that needs to be done in order to achieve it.
12
Ideally you would not be satisfied until you'd actually done the work.
13
But when you tell someone your goal and they acknowledge it, psychologists have found that it's called a "social reality." The mind is kind of tricked into feeling that it's already done.
14
And then because you've felt that satisfaction, you're less motivated to do the actual hard work necessary.
15
(Laughter) So this goes against conventional wisdom that we should tell our friends our goals, right?
16
So they hold us to it.
17
So, let's look at the proof.
18
1926: Kurt Lewin, founder of social psychology, called this "substitution." 1933: Wera Mahler found when it was acknowledged by others, it felt real in the mind.
19
1982, Peter Gollwitzer wrote a whole book about this, and in 2009, he did some new tests that were published.
20
It goes like this: 163 people across four separate tests.
21
Everyone wrote down their personal goal.
22
Then half of them announced their commitment to this goal to the room, and half didn't.
23
Then everyone was given 45 minutes of work that would directly lead them towards their goal, but they were told that they could stop at any time.
24
Now, those who kept their mouths shut worked the entire 45 minutes on average, and when asked afterward, said that they felt that they had a long way to go still to achieve their goal.
25
But those who had announced it quit after only 33 minutes, on average, and when asked afterward, said that they felt much closer to achieving their goal.
26
So if this is true, what can we do?
27
Well, you could resist the temptation to announce your goal.
28
You can delay the gratification that the social acknowledgment brings, and you can understand that your mind mistakes the talking for the doing.
29
But if you do need to talk about something, you can state it in a way that gives you no satisfaction, such as, "I really want to run this marathon, so I need to train five times a week and kick my ass if I don't, okay?" So audience, next time you're tempted to tell someone your goal, what will you say?
30
(Silence) Exactly! Well done.
31
(Laughter) (Applause)

Download App

AI scoring for every sentence you speak

Scan To Download
Scan To Download
Download on theApp Store
Get it onGoogle Play
TRENDING

Popular

Why practice speaking with this video?

This video by Derek Sivers presents an intriguing exploration of goal-setting psychology, making it a great resource for English learners looking to enhance their speaking skills. By engaging with the content, you can practice your listening and speaking abilities in a motivating context. Paradoxically, Sivers suggests that sharing your goals might lead to less motivation, which can trigger conversations about motivation, personal ambition, and psychological effects of goal-setting. These discussions can provide a rich environment for practicing English. Using a shadowing app to repeat Sivers' words allows you to improve your English pronunciation while internalizing the concepts he presents.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Throughout the video, Sivers employs several key structures and phrases that are beneficial for learners:

  • Imperative sentences: Phrases like "Think of your biggest personal goal" demonstrate how commands can guide the listener. Mastering the use of imperatives can make your spoken English more direct and engaging.
  • Conditional phrases: Sivers often suggests hypothetical situations, such as "If you do need to talk about something, you can state it…" This structure helps in discussing potential outcomes and planning, critical for conversation skills.
  • Descriptive verbs: Words like "imagine" and "acknowledged" not only enrich vocabulary but also invite the listener to visualize scenarios, enhancing both comprehension and speaking fluency.
  • Present perfect tense: By referencing studies and findings, Sivers uses the present perfect tense to discuss results, which is essential for discussing experiences and research in conversation.

Common Pronunciation Traps

English pronunciation can be tricky, and Sivers' speech reveals some potential challenges:

  • Acknowledged: The way this word is articulated can confuse learners. Focusing on the distinct sounds can help you pronounce it clearly.
  • Motivated: The "v" and "t" sounds in this word can be challenging. Shadowing his pronunciation can boost your confidence in using the term correctly.
  • Substitution: This term's complexity lies in its syllables. Listening closely will help you grasp the nuances of pronunciation.

By utilizing a shadow speech approach, you can practice these tricky words effectively. Challenge yourself to repeat segments of the video, paying special attention to pronunciation. This practice will help you improve English pronunciation and gain fluency, making your spoken English more natural.

Utilize the insights from this video to enhance your English speaking skills. Don't forget to incorporate what you've learned into everyday conversations, and soon enough, you'll find yourself more fluent and comfortable in expressing your thoughts and goals!

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.

☕ Buy us a coffee