Shadowing Practice: My 10 Step Shadowing Method - Learn English Speaking with Video

i think most learners start shadowing too early so here is the complete method i use and teach

instead it involves understanding analyzing noticing then practicing and performing okay let's go So,

step one is choose the right audio.

I recommend an audio clip around 30 seconds to 90 seconds.

You don't want it too long or too short.

Also, a monologue.

That means one person speaking,

especially at the beginning, because you don't want to be confused with different accents, different speakers.

Everyone has a different rhythm and tone and way of speaking.

Oh, and make sure you choose someone you would like to sound like.

I want you to be interested in this audio clip or video clip.

It's really important.

And make sure that they are a clear English speaker as well.

OK, here are some examples on the screen, but of course you can choose whoever you want.

OK, step two is listen for meaning.

So try to understand what the speaker is talking about.

OK, we're focusing on meaning, even the emotion behind what the speaker is talking about.

But I recommend you listen and you just write down the gist, right?

The overall meaning, the general meaning of the clip.

Now, step three, and yes, it's raining.

And yes, our camera is not waterproof, but we're out here in the countryside and there's nothing we can do.

But step three is dictation.

That means listening to the audio and writing down what you hear.

It's that simple.

And I'm calling it optional dictation because you don't have to do it.

Some people don't like it, but it is the most useful activity ever because you are, you're learning so many skills.

And when you do this, you will find out what your ears don't pick up and you will see where your gaps are.

So for example, maybe you're not hearing connected speech or reductions or full phrases even.

And this can be really useful for you.

Okay, now you have the transcript.

You've checked your dictation.

Step four is, excuse me, study the audio.

So I want you to look at useful expressions, collocations, right?

New words, vocabulary but also don't just ask yourself what does this mean

but how is the speaker expressing themselves

so listen to the stress the tone the rhythm right

and this is where the real learning happens you're training your

ear to listen for the details you might not get everything and that's okay.

If you have a teacher or an English friend, then they can definitely help you.

I actually have a video of me doing the full system.

I'll put a link up here, but it will also be at the end of the video.

So yeah, I think this is probably the most important stage

because you're building the awareness that will eventually make shadowing more effective.

Okay, step five is listen and repeat.

Now, not the whole audio clip.

I just want you to listen to one phrase or one sentence, pause, then repeat it.

Why are we doing this?

Well, I want you to focus on accuracy.

That's what it's about.

It's about being accurate.

It's not about being fast or, you know, yes, it's not about speed.

Okay.

So I want you to copy the speaker's rhythm,

tone, stress, their overall delivery.

So if you have the video, do the same hand gestures, right or their expression i want you to become

that speaker all right um and then when you've done it

and oh sorry just remember you don't have to do the

entire audio clip okay i'm not saying you have to do that

but do as much as you can until you think okay i'm ready to move on all right see you there So,

step six and step seven kind of go together because step six is record yourself speaking,

and step seven is compare and notice the differences.

So let's start with step six.

I want you to record a phrase or a sentence.

Again, you don't have to record the whole transcript.

practice a few sentences first, record yourself, listen back, and then we move to step seven.

Now compare yourself with the original speaker, the original audio clip.

What are the differences?

So it might be pronunciation, it might be your stress, it might be your rhythm,

it might be your your intonation, your accent.

So just try to notice the differences and then try it again and then compare again.

I think this is the first time where learners really hear themselves

because you don't really hear yourself until you record it and then listen back.

And many people say, oh, I didn't know I sounded like that.

And I say, yeah, now we can compare.

So it's really useful, guys.

So try those steps, please.

Step six and seven, and I'll see you for step eight.

Step eight is shadow with the transcript.

So this is more like the shadowing you might be used to.

So you have the transcript, you have all of your annotations, your notes showing the stress and the pronunciation.

And I just want you to listen and read the transcript and shadow at the same time.

That means you're listening and repeating almost simultaneously, almost at the same time,

but not at the same time.

OK?

You can if you want afterwards.

That's actually called chorus shadowing.

But I want you just below it.

OK?

So you're reading the transcript.

You're looking at your notes.

You're listening to the audio.

And you're repeating what you hear.

So why do I want you to do this?

Why with the transcript?

Well, we're slowly getting more and more difficult, aren't we?

At this point, you already understand the audio.

You've learnt maybe some new phrases, collocations.

You've analysed it.

So all the important pronunciation features, things like stress, intonation, rhythm.

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You've listened to a few phrases and repeated, recorded yourself, noticed the differences.

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So here it's more about practice now rather than discovery.

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Welcome to step nine, which is blind shadowing,

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which is just we remove the transcript and you just listen and repeat as fast as you can.

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We don't want you to be at the same time as the speaker

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because I know at this point you almost know what is going to be said.

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So make sure you're just behind the speaker.

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Okay.

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Do this many times.

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You can walk outside and do it.

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Do it while you're cooking, doing the dishes and do this a few times.

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Okay.

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This is going to really help you develop your fluency, speaking flow, listening ability, and processing speed.

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So this is actually a really important stage.

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All right, good luck and I'll see you in the last step.

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Okay, you made it.

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It's step 10 and step 10 is read aloud.

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So I want you to read the transcript out loud by yourself without the audio and try to recreate the speaker's rhythm,

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stress, intonation and speaking style from memory.

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So this is where you are transferring those pronunciation patterns into your own speech.

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Now, if you are still here, I actually have a bonus step just for you, which is

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when you finish these 10 steps try to speak I want

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you to speak to someone it could be AI by yourself a friend a teacher a speaking group

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and also try to talk about the topics that were in

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that audio clip so for example

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if my audio clip is about friendships maybe I will talk about what friendships mean with AI.

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So I'm a really big fan of every time you finish shadowing, practice actually speaking, okay?

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Actually speaking even just by yourself.

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All right, that's my system guys, that's my method.

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I don't have a name for it, I think I'm going to call it the one clip method

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because it as you know it's not just shadowing so this is my one clip method

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if you are still here let me know in the comments by adding

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that phrase in your comment one clip method good luck with

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your practice really try this please i promise you it will help you and I really hope you enjoy it.

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I have a video of me doing all 10 steps over here on the screen

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or I have another video about shadowing and what it means and my opinion on it over here.

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So if you're interested please check that out.

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All right I'll see you in the next video guys.

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Take care.

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Bye-bye.

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With mud on both his hands

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My mother named the seasons by the fruit on our land The river kept its moving past the roots and stone

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It never asked permission, it just carried us home And I was hard to hold

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.

Shadowing Practice: My 10 Step Shadowing Method - Learn English Speaking with Video

Why practice speaking with this video?

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Common Pronunciation Traps

What is the Shadowing Technique?