Shadowing Practice: Small Talk Success: A Simple Trick to Go From Awkward 😬 To Brilliant 😎 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
210 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Let's talk about small talk.
2
If you're the kind of person who starts sweating as soon as the Zoom call starts
3
and not everyone has joined just yet, and you need to make a little bit of a conversation and that stresses you out.
4
So, Jane, my manager, will join us in a sec.
5
Okay?
6
Okay.
7
Mm-hmm.
8
Or if you are at an event and the moment they give you a break, you run outside to buy coffee,
9
trying not to bump into anyone so you wouldn't have to talk to them.
10
Then this, my friend, is for you.
11
Before you even begin, let me know in the comments below, how do you feel about small talk?
12
So, let's use a scale.
13
Put a number between 1 to 10 in the comments, where 1 is, I hate small talk.
14
It's horrible.
15
It's a horrible experience for me.
16
And 10 is I'm a small talk master.
17
Yeah, baby.
18
So, let me know, put your number down and let's get started with the video.
19
If you are new to my channel, welcome.
20
And this is the place for you if you want to speak English with confidence, fluency, and freedom.
21
And if you like this video, consider subscribing.
22
Back to small talk.
23
Now, why is small talk so freaking scary?
24
As a speaker of English as a second language, you probably experience some sort of self-judgment anyway when speaking English.
25
And that has to do with the fact
26
that you simply don't feel like you can express yourself in
27
English the same way you can express yourself in your native language.
28
And you feel that gap when communicating with people, especially with new people.
29
When there is this new interaction with another human being, we are afraid of being judged and we want to be okay.
30
And sometimes you don't know exactly what to say and how to interact.
31
And we're afraid of those silent moments.
32
And we're afraid of making mistakes and
33
that people are not going to get who we are because we wouldn't be able to express ourselves fully because of English.
34
Now, even native speakers or even small talk in your native language might be intimidating.
35
So I believe that it's that initial interaction that we know is important and we have to do it, but we don't know exactly how to do it successfully.
36
Especially if you're an introvert and all you want to do is just speak to your computer.
37
I just felt so incredibly alone.
38
You were right there next to me and you didn't say a word.
39
Nothing.
40
Also in American English and American culture, small talk is really valued.
41
And for people who don't share the same cultural values,
42
it might seem a little weird to talk about the weather or the commute when we're here to talk about something else.
43
And if you don't share the same culture, small talk might come across as a burden, not necessarily because of English, but because you don't see the point in it.
44
So when we want to talk about small talk and how to become better at small talk, it's important to discuss it within the cultural context.
45
In American culture, small talk, which is this informal back and forth conversation about something that is not related to anything specific,
46
especially if you're about to start a meeting.
47
So it's not related to the content of the meeting.
48
It's really important to establish trust and to start building a relationship.
49
And this is why it is important to understand how to manage it and how to master it,
50
even if you don't passionately feel that it's important for connection and communication.
51
Now, if you are afraid speaking English, then let me tell you this.
52
When you interact with someone, be it a native speaker or a non-native speaker,
53
people are usually not obsessed or they usually don't pay attention with what you say.
54
Especially when you're first meeting with them and you're having this initial interaction,
55
because people want to have a healthy conversation and usually what they're concerned about is themselves.
56
So usually what goes inside a person's head is not, ooh, they used have worked instead of worked.
57
But okay, so what can I answer her or him?
58
So the conversation will keep on flowing and rolling.
59
Now, if you want to become more successful at small talk, then here are a few tips that are definitely going to help you do that as of this moment.
60
The one thing that has incredibly helped me overcome my fear of small talk was to make it about the other person.
61
This is the best advice that I can give you.
62
It is not about you.
63
Again, it is not about your mistakes.
64
It is not about your English.
65
It is not about how smart you are.
66
It is about the other person.
67
And the one value that will keep you in the right direction is curiosity.
68
Be genuinely curious about the other person.
69
A lot of times people think that, ooh, small talk is so superficial and artificial.
70
Not if you make it about them and not if you're genuinely curious about the other person.
71
And in a sec, I'm going to give you a few tips on how exactly to do that.
72
And a few very technical, simple tips that you are going to love, I guarantee.
73
So first of all, when you make it about the other person, you have less self-judgment, which is very freeing.
74
And when you have less self-judgment, then you're more fluent.
75
Because judgment takes up a lot of space in our head.
76
And that prevents the words from becoming available and clear.
77
And everything is less smooth and more stuck, which we don't want.
78
So let go of self-judgment, make it about them.
79
Also approach the other person with respect.
80
Respect for their privacy.
81
So no weird questions like, how much do you make?
82
Or how much rent do you pay here?
83
Or do you have any kids?
84
And yes, when people come from a culture where family is one of the cultural values,
85
it sounds strange not to talk about family or children, but in some cultures, it is less appropriate.
86
People are more personal, individual, and they don't want to talk about whether or not they have kids
87
and maybe justify their choice whether or not to have kids at all.
88
Right?
89
This is not a good topic or a great situation to be in when you are just introduced to someone.
90
And also I would avoid controversial topics, religion, politics.
91
sex, like keep it for later.
92
Okay?
93
I'm all about talking about controversial topics, especially politics, but not at the beginning because you don't know who the other person is.
94
You don't know they might get offended by something that you may say.
95
So you want to be respectful of their privacy and of their freedom to lead the conversation.
96
Now, let's get practical with a few tips on what you can do to make your conversation very, very successful.
97
First, be the leader of the conversation rather than the follower.
98
When you lead the conversation, you have more confidence and your entire goal is to get the other person to talk.
99
Again, making it about them.
100
And how do you do that?
101
By asking simple questions that have an open answer.
102
So try to avoid yes, no questions.
103
Was your flight here okay?
104
Mm-hmm.
105
Great.
106
But instead, ask open questions that are simple.
107
So is this your first time here?
108
No, actually I've been here before.
109
And then you have an opportunity to ask a follow-up question.
110
You get an answer that is more than just yes or no. And then you ask something,
111
you take one word or an idea that was presented in the answer, and you ask a question about that.
112
Oh, cool.
113
And how do you like it?
114
I love it.
115
I mean, the beaches here are beautiful.
116
Again, an opportunity to take the answer and turn it into a question.
117
Ah, really?
118
See, I haven't been to the beaches here just yet.
119
Which one's your favorite?
120
So I'm responding and coming up with a follow-up question.
121
Now, if you get asked a question, even if you get asked a yes, no question, and that is because they haven't watched my video,
122
then you might want to elaborate a little more.
123
For example, was your flight here okay?
124
Yeah, actually it was pretty good.
125
I mean, they haven't lost my luggage, which is what they did last time.
126
So I think it was okay, right?
127
So even if you get asked a question that you can answer with a simple yes or no, try to make it interesting and turn it into another conversation topic.
128
If the person in front of you is sensitive, they will take what you said and continue the conversation asking a question about that.
129
One more trick that I'm going to share with you is something that I've learned from Chris Voss from his masterclass, Teaching the Art of Negotiation.
130
Now, he talks about it in the context of negotiation, but I find it exceptionally useful when used in small talk.
131
The first thing is mirroring.
132
Mirroring is basically the act of you taking the last part of what the other person has just said
133
and repeating it in a form of a question.
134
For example, so is this your first time here?
135
No, actually I've been here before.
136
You've been here before?
137
See what I did?
138
I took the last part and turned it into a question.
139
Yeah, I was at another conference about three years ago.
140
Another conference?
141
Yeah, it was a conference for female football fans and we discussed the misogyny that women experience in the industry.
142
In the industry?
143
Well, you see where this is going.
144
So the cool thing about it is that the other person usually doesn't notice it because it's part of the conversation.
145
So you didn't have to come up with anything here.
146
You didn't have to think of no words or what questions to ask.
147
You simply take the last part and turn it into a question.
148
The other person is going to think that you're super interesting, compassionate, and they're going to want to keep on talking to you.
149
Another thing that Chris Voss discusses is labeling.
150
Labeling is naming an emotion that someone in front of you is experiencing.
151
And the reason why he says it's important to do that is because when you label a negative emotion,
152
it automatically reduces the levels of stress simply by naming the emotion that the other person is experiencing.
153
Now, to label an emotion is basically to say, it seems to me that you're very upset.
154
It feels like you're really frustrated.
155
He's not suggesting that you should say something like, you are frustrated or you are upset or you are angry,
156
but the way you experience it, it seems to me.
157
It feels that.
158
Okay?
159
Now, instead of labeling an emotion, because this is probably something that you wouldn't want to do in a conversation.
160
Oh my God, I love how sunny it is.
161
It seems to me that the sun triggers some negative emotions.
162
Maybe something that had to do with your childhood?
163
Unless it's a positive emotion.
164
You seem very happy to be here, right?
165
But you could say something about the other person.
166
For example, going back to the original conversation.
167
So is this your first time here?
168
No, actually I've been here before.
169
Oh, cool.
170
And how do you like it?
171
I love it.
172
I mean, the beaches here are beautiful.
173
Ah, really?
174
See, I haven't been to the beaches here just yet.
175
Which one's your favorite?
176
You've got to go check out the Southern Shore.
177
I mean, it is so beautiful and usually there's no one there.
178
Okay, maybe I'll check it out.
179
Seems to me like you're a summer person.
180
So I put a label on this person's experience.
181
Now, whether I'm right or not, it doesn't really matter as long as I keep it positive and fun,
182
it will encourage the other person to speak a little bit more and to get in the conversation.
183
Whether it would be, I'm a totally summer person.
184
I mean, for me, vacation is lying on the beach drinking margaritas.
185
Or, no, no, no, no, no, I'm a winter person.
186
I mean, I was born in Alaska, right?
187
For me, snow is life.
188
Again, a trigger to continue the conversation.
189
Okay, that's it for today.
190
I mean, there's plenty more we can talk about, but for now, I think that is more than enough for you to get started
191
and start having these awesome conversations out there.
192
Now, I have two questions for you
193
and I'd love for you to answer them in the comments so we can start a conversation.
194
The first is, what has helped you so far in small talk and informal conversations?
195
If you had to overcome a challenge, share it with us and share with us what has helped you.
196
And the second one, what is one thing
197
that you're going to take from this conversation and put it to use as of today?
198
If you liked this video and you'd like to learn more
199
and understand how you too can become confident and clear when speaking English, I invite you to comment over to my website
200
because it has a lot of great resources for you for free that you can put to use.
201
It's very practical and it will help you get results immediately.
202
Also, comment over to Instagram because that's where I get more personal and share with you stuff that I only share there.
203
Have a beautiful, beautiful week and I will see you next week in the next video.
204
Bye!
205
I mean, I thought that it was really, really not cool the way...
206
Please don't!
207
Love, that was a muck example.
208
Is this your first time here?
209
No, actually I've been here before. Is this your...
210
Is this your first time here?
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
C11
Read Out Loud with me! Dare to Lead by Brené Brown | Pronunciation & Vocabulary practice
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B1How to Pronounce the -ED ending in English (past tense pronunciation)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B1American English Vowels | IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) vowel chart FREE DOWNLOAD
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
![American Accent🇺🇸: Master the FLAP T and R transition [water, daughter, better, computer]](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RdAiGn7RB4I/mqdefault.jpg)
B2American Accent🇺🇸: Master the FLAP T and R transition [water, daughter, better, computer]
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
American rhythm practice with a metronome exercise
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B23
3-minute fluency practice
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
![10 MIN Daily Pronunciation Practice for English Learners [Challenge mode🔥]](https://img.youtube.com/vi/A1R6fw2_FaE/mqdefault.jpg)
B136
10 MIN Daily Pronunciation Practice for English Learners [Challenge mode🔥]
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
15 Minute Morning Pronunciation Practice for English Learners
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B15
The TH Sound in English - New and IMPROVED Lesson
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B12
Boost your PRONUNCIATION, GRAMMAR and VOCABULARY with this 10-min daily exercise | Hadar’s #SPRINT
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A24
Practice your intonation
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B14
25 daily phrases to practice your connected speech
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
C1Bored of Practicing English? Try These 5 Awesome Methods
Daily Conversation
B24
You’re learning vocabulary WRONG (Here’s what to do instead)
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B1A new way to practice irregular verbs (pronunciation practice)
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B25
Read out loud with me! Atomic Habits PART 2 – Vocabulary, pronunciation and intonation
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B22
Practice with The Devil Wears Prada 2 | Listening & shadowing FAST ENGLISH
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B12
Learn English with The Last of Us | Shadowing Exercise for Pronunciation and Intonation
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B21
What Makes a GOOD English Teacher?
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C13
American English INTONATION - How to Understand Native English Speakers Better
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B24
106 sentences
The Secret to Mastering Small Talk (No Matter How Shy You Are)
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B23
214 sentences
B1 B2 English Listening Practice Podcast ｜The Big Mistakes that Stop You from Learning English
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B27
226 sentences
Practice speaking with me: Small talk in English
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B24
193 sentences
5 conversation habits that make strangers trust you fast
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B29
236 sentences
Introduce Yourself Better in English | Conversation Tips for Intermediate Learners
Business EnglishInterview EnglishDaily Conversation
B22
139 sentences
How to Get Good at Small Talk, and Even Enjoy It
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B22
389 sentences
How to Sound Instantly Confident in English
Business EnglishInterview EnglishDaily Conversation
B2640
38 sentences
Stop introducing yourself like this.
Business EnglishInterview EnglishDaily Conversation
B21
331 sentences
How to Keep the Conversation Going After “HOW ARE YOU?”
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B21
128 sentences
Speaking Like This Gives You An Unfair Advantage On Youtube
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B22
271 sentences
Learn English with Shadowing: Small Talk with Strangers!
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B21
248 sentences
How to Talk to Anyone with Ease and Confidence
Business EnglishInterview EnglishDaily Conversation
Who Needs This Small Talk Guide?
If you’re an English learner who breaks into a sweat during pre-meeting Zoom lulls or avoids coffee breaks at events to skip chit-chat, this video is your new BFF. It’s perfect for anyone aiming to speak with confidence, whether you’re a beginner struggling with self-judgment or an intermediate learner ready to ditch awkward silences. The focus? Quick, actionable tips to turn small talk from a stressor into a superpower—no fluency perfection required!
Must-Know Phrases for Smooth Small Talk
The video is packed with everyday expressions that feel natural, not scripted. Here are a few to steal:
- "chit-chat": Casual, light conversation (e.g., "We made some chit-chat before the meeting").
- "self-judgment": Criticizing yourself (e.g., "My self-judgment spikes when I speak English").
- "silent moments": Awkward pauses (e.g., "I hate silent moments in conversations").
Nail the Accent with Shadowing Techniques
To sound confident in small talk, focus on shadow speech—a game-changing method where you repeat the speaker’s words *immediately* after them. The video’s host uses American English, so pay attention to:
- Reduced speech: Phrases like "Jane, my manager, will join us in a sec" (notice "sec" instead of "second").
- Intonation: Rising tones in questions ("How do you feel about small talk?") to sound friendly.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has joined · have worked · I've been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | being judged · is really valued · are just introduced |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | person who starts · people who don · talk, which is |
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.