Shadowing Practice: Master program in Public Policy - Learn English Speaking with Video
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43 sentences
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My name is Robert Östling.
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I'm the program director for the new
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Masters of Public Policy program here at SSE.
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I'm also an economics professor at the school.
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The world faces enormous challenges.
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Climate change, geopolitical tensions, technological disruptions, just to mention a few.
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To navigate those problems we need people that can understand the complex issues
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that can design the right policies but that can also implement those policies in our societies.
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Our program is designed to equip students with those skills.
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We combine an interdisciplinary academic training in economics, public management, political science and law more.
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But the academic content will not be taught in isolation.
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You will learn not only from world class faculty, you will also engage with real world policy makers with decades of experience of policy making.
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The goal with the programme is to equip you with the knowledge, the skills and the tools you need to navigate the whole policy process.
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Why should you study
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Public Policy at SSE.
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Our programme is grounded in the Nordic experience where economic dynamism and social sustainability often go hand in hand.
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Stockholm is unique in that setting with close proximity to government ministers,
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public agencies and one of Europe's most dynamic business environments.
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The first year of a program will be intensive with eight core academic courses.
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In parallel to these courses
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you will work together with a real organization on a real world policy problem throughout the first year of your studies.
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The aim with the policy project is to confront the academic learnings with the experience from real world policy making.
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In addition, throughout the first year, you will also participate in a skills track where you will learn how to communicate effectively,
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how to use AI tools responsibly and effectively, as well as how to negotiate.
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In the programme, we will bring together a small group of ambitious
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and intellectually curious students the cohort size we aim for is about 50 students.
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The students will come from diverse academic backgrounds or from different countries.
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The idea is to create a learning environment where you learn
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not just from world -class faculty and real -world policy makers but also from others in class.
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The program will train you for essentially any job where important societal decisions are made.
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So this can be in the European Union institution, it can be in national government ministers, it can be in public agencies,
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international organizations, but it can also be working with public affairs in private companies.
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One thing that I've learned over the years is that policymaking is much more difficult,
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much more challenging in real life than it is in theory.
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What I look forward to most in this program is the chance to work together with you
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and see how the academic learnings in the textbooks work when confronted with real -world policymaking. For example,
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in the program we will go to Brussels on a study trip to see how real -world decisions are made and implemented.
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If you're curious how society works, if you like tackling difficult problems, and if you want to change the world for the better,
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this programme is for you.
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The Master of Public Policy programme at SSE is created for
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students who want to shape the future rather than just analyse and observe it.
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Together we are creating a community of students who want to improve society for the better.
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We would be delighted to welcome you on board that journey.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Master program in Public Policy”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: policy, program, academic, students, programme. This video has 43 sentences and 582 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:15. The speaker talks at a steady 137 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 86% 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. |
| curious adjective | /ˈkjʊɹ.i.əs/ | Tending to ask questions, or to want to explore or investigate; inquisitive; (with a negative connotation) nosy, prying. |
| economics noun | /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪks/ | The study of resource and wealth allocation, consumption, and distribution, of capital and investment, and of management of the factors of production. |
| faculty noun | /ˈfæk.əl.ti/ | The academic staff at schools, colleges, universities or not-for-profit research institutes, as opposed to the students or support staff. |
| maker noun | /ˈmeɪk.ɚ/ | Someone who makes; a person or thing that makes or produces something. |
| implement verb | /ˈɪmpləmənt/ | To bring about; to put into practice; to carry out. |
| confront verb | /kənˈfɹʌnt/ | To stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance; to come face to face with. |
| navigate verb | /ˈnæv.ɪ.ɡeɪt/ | To plan, control and record the position and course of a vehicle, ship, aircraft, etc., on a journey; to follow a planned course. |
| equip verb | /ɪˈkwɪp/ | To supply with something necessary in order to carry out a specific action or task; to provide with (e.g. weapons, provisions, munitions, rigging). |
| essentially adverb | /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/ | In essence: by nature. |
| participate verb | /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/ | To join in, to take part, to involve oneself (in something). |
| institution noun | /ˌɪn.stɪˈtʃuː.ʃən/ | A long-established organization or type of organization, particularly one involved with education, public service, or charity work. |
| engage verb | /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/ | To engross or hold the attention of; to keep busy or occupied. |
| dynamic adjective | /daɪˈnæm.ɪk/ | Changing; active; in motion. |
| affair noun | /əˈfɛɹ/ | Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bring together verb | To cause people to do something together; to bring about togetherness. |
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is designed · will not be taught · is grounded |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people that can · students who want |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, institution /ˌɪn.stɪˈtʃuː.ʃən/, tension /ˈtɛnʃən/, isolation /ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən/, negotiate /nəˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/
- Long words — get the stress right: economics /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪks/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, participate /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/, institution /ˌɪn.stɪˈtʃuː.ʃən/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like skill, curious, economics.
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.