Shadowing Practice: Proposing a New Project: The Business Case for Warehouse Automation - Learn English Speaking with Video
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31 sentences
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1
Come in. You've got fifteen minutes, I'm afraid.
2
Great, that's plenty. Thanks for making the time.
3
Right, so... I'd like to put forward a proposal.
4
Essentially, it's a business case for automating the warehouse.
5
Ah, automation. I've heard that pitch before, you know.
6
I appreciate that. But hear me out.
7
The thing is, our picking errors have doubled in a year.
8
And overtime is really eating into our margins.
9
Fair enough. So what are we talking about, cost-wise?
10
Well... the capital expenditure would be around two million pounds.
11
Two million? That's hardly a rounding error!
12
Our risk appetite this year is pretty limited.
13
What's the payback period on something like that?
14
Just under three years, on conservative estimates.
15
Operating costs would drop by roughly a fifth.
16
And headcount? I won't sign off on mass redundancies.
17
None, actually. Staff would be retrained and redeployed.
18
Look, I take your point, but forecasts are notoriously optimistic.
19
That's why I've benchmarked it against two competitors.
20
Both saw a full return on investment within thirty months!
21
Really? I wasn't aware of that.
22
To be fair, that's more compelling than I expected.
23
What I'd suggest is a small pilot scheme first.
24
One section of the warehouse, six months, limited spend.
25
And if it works, it's fully scalable across every site!
26
Hmm... a pilot does lower the stakes considerably.
27
Mind you, you'd still need stakeholder buy-in from operations.
28
Ah, already sorted. Operations are fully on board.
29
Well! You've clearly done your homework.
30
Right. Send me the figures, and let's approve the pilot.
31
Brilliant! Thank you, you won't regret it!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Proposing a New Project: The Business Case for Warehouse Automation”. This video has 31 sentences and 264 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:15. The speaker talks at a steady 117 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 5 of its 31 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| warehouse noun | /ˈwɛə(ɹ)haʊs/ | A facility for storing large amounts of merchandise or products. |
| automate verb | /ˈɔ.təˌmeɪt/ | To replace or enhance human labor with machines. |
| compel verb | /kəmˈpɛl/ | To overpower; to subdue. |
| headcount noun | /ˈhɛdˌkaʊnt/ | The act of counting how many people are present in a group. |
| notoriously adverb | /nə(ʊ)ˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əs.li/ | In a notorious or notable manner; as is commonly known. |
| redeploy verb | /riːˈdɪˈplɔɪ/ | To deploy again. |
| redundancy noun | /ɹɪˈdʌndən(t)si/ | The state of being redundant. |
| retrain verb | /ɹiːˈtɹeɪn/ | To train again; especially, to train or study in a new subject or job |
| scalable adjective | /ˈskeɪ.lə.bl̩/ | Capable of being climbed. |
| stakeholder noun | /ˈsteɪkˌhəʊl.də/ | A person holding the stakes of bettors, with the responsibility of delivering the pot to the winner of the bet. |
| benchmark noun | /ˈbɛn(t)ʃmɑːk/ | A standard by which something is evaluated or measured. |
| expenditure noun | /ɛkˈspɛndɪt͡ʃə/ | Act of expending or paying out. |
| automation noun | /ˌɔ.təˈmeɪ.ʃən/ | The act or process of converting the controlling of a machine or device to a more automatic system, such as computer or electronic controls. |
| competitor noun | /kəmˈpɛt.ɪ.tɚ/ | A person or organization against whom one is competing. |
| optimistic adjective | /ˌɒptɪˈmɪstɪk/ | Expecting the best in all possible ways. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| put forward verb | To propose for consideration. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- You've got fifteen minutes, I'm afraid.
- I'd like to put forward a proposal.
- What's the payback period on something like that?
- I won't sign off on mass redundancies.
- That's why I've benchmarked it against two competitors.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 11 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'd, I've, won't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: benchmark /ˈbɛn(t)ʃmɑːk/, automation /ˌɔ.təˈmeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: notoriously /nə(ʊ)ˈtɔː.ɹɪ.əs.li/, redundancy /ɹɪˈdʌndən(t)si/, expenditure /ɛkˈspɛndɪt͡ʃə/, automation /ˌɔ.təˈmeɪ.ʃən/, competitor /kəmˈpɛt.ɪ.tɚ/
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 warehouse, automate, compel.
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.