Shadowing Practice: 'Self-Regulatory focus theory' and leadership | IELTS LISTENING TEST | SECTION-4 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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You will hear part of a lecture about leadership introducing a theory called self -regulatory focus theory.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
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Today, I want to talk about self -regulatory focus theory.
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and how the actions of leaders can affect the way followers approach different situations.
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Self -regulatory focus theory is a theory developed by Torrey Higgins.
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He says that a person's focus at any given time is to either approach pleasure or avoid pain.
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These are two basic motivations that each and every one of us has
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and they cause us to have different kinds of goals.
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Promotion goals in different life situations emphasize achievement.
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Prevention goals are oriented towards the avoidance of punishment.
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In a specific situation, our thoughts might focus more on promotion goals or more on prevention goals.
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The theory suggests that two factors affect which goals we are focusing on.
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First, there is a chronic factor.
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This factor is connected to a person's personality and says
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that each person has a basic tendency to either focus more on promotion goals
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or focus more on prevention goals as part of his or her personality.
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Second, there is a situational factor, which means that the context we are in,
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can make us more likely to focus on one set of goals or the other.
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For example, we are more likely to be thinking about pleasure
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and to have promotion goals when we are spending time with a friend.
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In contrast, if we are working on an important project for our boss, we are more likely to try to avoid making mistakes.
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and therefore have more prevention goals in our mind.
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Research has shown that the goals we are focusing on at a given time affect the way we think.
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For example, when focusing on promotion goals,
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people consider their ideal self their aspirations and gains they don't think about what they can lose.
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So they think in a happier mode, they feel more inspired to change.
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When people are focusing on prevention goals, They think about their "ought" self.
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what are they supposed to be What are people expecting from them?
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They consider their obligations to others.
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As a result, they experience more anxiety and try to avoid situations where they could lose.
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Now that I have talked about the two focuses and how they affect people, I want to look at the idea that the way leaders behave,
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or their style of leading, can affect the focus that followers adopt in a specific situation.
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In talking about leadership, we often mention transformational leaders and transactional leaders.
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Transformational leaders, when interacting with their followers,
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focus on their development In their words and actions, transformational leaders highlight change.
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Their speech is passionate and conveys a definitive vision.
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All of these things can encourage followers to think about what could be.
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In other words, they inspire a promotion focus in their followers.
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In contrast, transactional leaders focus on developing clear structures that tell their followers exactly what is expected of them.
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While they do explain the rewards people will get for following orders,
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They emphasize more how a follower will be punished or that a follower won't get rewarded
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if his or her behavior doesn't change.
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In short, they emphasize the consequences of making a mistake.
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This emphasis will clearly lead followers to focus on avoiding punishment and problems.
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This is clearly a prevention focus.
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In conclusion, it is important to understand that one focus is not necessarily better than the other one.
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For a designer who works in a field where a lot of innovation is needed, a promotion focus is probably better.
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In contrast, a prevention focus, which causes people to work more cautiously and produce higher quality work
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might be very appropriate for a job like a surgeon, for example.
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The main point of the research,
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though, is that the actions of leaders can greatly influence whether people approach a situation with more of a promotion focus,
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or more of a prevention focus.
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That is the end of section four.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 57 sentences and 700 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:32. The speaker talks slowly, about 93 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 82% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| follower noun | /ˈfɒləʊə(ɹ)/ | One who follows, comes after another. |
| promotion noun | /pɹəˈmoʊʃn̩/ | An advancement in rank or position. |
| prevention noun | /pɹɪˈvɛnʃən/ | The act of preventing or hindering; obstruction of action, access, or approach; thwarting. |
| contrast noun | /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/ | The degree of this difference. |
| regulatory adjective | /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.lə.t(ɔː.)ɹi/ | Of or pertaining to regulation. |
| emphasize verb | /ˈɛm.fə.saɪz/ | To stress, give emphasis or extra weight to (something). |
| punishment noun | /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/ | The act (action) or process of punishing, imposing and/or applying a sanction, typically by an authority or a person in authority (for example: a parent or… |
| reward noun | /ɹɪˈwɔɹd/ | Something of value given in return for an act. |
| inspire verb | /ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/ | To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by… |
| necessarily adverb | /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/ | Inevitably; of necessity. |
| carefully adverb | /ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/ | With care; attentively, circumspectly. |
| anxiety noun | /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/ | An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event. |
| encourage verb | /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/ | To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit. |
| ideal adjective | /aɪˈdi(ə)l/ | Pertaining to ideas, or to a given idea. |
| designer noun | /dɪˈzaɪnɚ/ | A person who designs something, or who designs things as a profession. |
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 | are oriented · is connected · is expected |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has shown · have talked |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as doesn't, don't, won't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: promotion /pɹəˈmoʊʃn̩/, prevention /pɹɪˈvɛnʃən/, contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/, punishment /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/, conclusion /kənˈkluːʒən/
- Long words — get the stress right: regulatory /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.lə.t(ɔː.)ɹi/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, innovation /ˌɪn.əˈveɪ.ʃən/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/
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 follower, promotion, prevention.
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.