Shadowing Practice: Sometimes, You Don't Have to Prove Yourself - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
One of the things that we have to remember, and I think young people don't realize this, is when someone gives you a shot, when they decide to put you on a stage and give you a microphone,
2
or if they give you a job, or if they open a door for you or make an introduction for you, you don't have to prove yourself because you've already been vetted.
3
Somebody else has already said, and you see this in new employees all the time.
4
You know, the company Chanel, like Chanel, they have this rule that I absolutely love,
5
that new senior executives are not allowed to speak in meetings for the first 90 days of their employment.
6
They want you to shut up and listen.
7
And the reason they do that is because new employees
8
so often feel they have to talk in every meeting to prove that you made the right choice to hire them.
9
Like, we know you're smart, we hired you.
📺 Same Channel
B2214
How Cell Phones Impact Our Relationships
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B2367
The Definition of Leadership: It's a Skill, Not a Title | Simon Sinek
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C15
Leadership Is a Learned Skill | Simon Sinek
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B27
The Short-Term "Mistake" That Made Long-Term Impact
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B27
"You Don't Even Know What You're Missing"
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B23
Simon Sinek and Trevor Noah on the Quality More Leaders Need To Talk About | Full Conversation
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B24
Work & Life Are Not Opposing Forces | Simon Sinek at LinkedIn Speaker Series 2019
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
Why Are We Friends? | Simon Sinek
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B21
The Rise of Real Life Experiences in the Age of AI | Simon Sinek
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B25
What Keeps Me OPTIMISTIC About the Future | Simon Sinek
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B26
How to Make People Feel HEARD
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B24
What Diversity & Inclusion is REALLY About | Simon Sinek
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B27
CHOICE Makes Us Better at What We Do | Simon Sinek
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B21
What We Get WRONG About Business | Simon Sinek
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B25
The Best Mindset for Accountability
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B26
Doing Business in a Chaotic World PART 1: Meet Your Coworkers and Clients Where They're At
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B22
Why Saying Yes Is Making Things Worse | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 1
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B26
How to Adapt to Changing Times | Simon Sinek
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
Simon Sinek on Avoiding Burnout and the Modern Work-Life Balance
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B23
How to Get Better at Love (According to Science) | Relationship Expert Amy Chan
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
✨ Recommend Video
B22
109 sentences
Doing This (Almost) GUARANTEES You Get Hired In A Job Interview!
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B22
380 sentences
How to Be More Articulate How to Speak Confidently and Clearly by Daniel Goleman
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B21
299 sentences
You Just Don't Want It Enough.
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
388 sentences
Prove Yourself To Yourself | Jim Rohn Motivational Speech
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
65 sentences
How to Establish Connection: Use Stories to Make your Presence Authentic
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B21
72 sentences
Interview Question: “What Are Your Weaknesses?” And You Say, “...”
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B267
15 sentences
Unlock Your Potential: Storytelling Beats Generic Answers #shorts
American AccentBusiness EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
B21
5 sentences
The Secret to My Success
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B2635
38 sentences
Stop introducing yourself like this.
Business EnglishInterview EnglishDaily Conversation
B21
119 sentences
How to Win Every Argument (Even if You Are Wrong)
Business EnglishInterview EnglishDaily Conversation
B21
80 sentences
Simon Sinek: Golden Circle Speech - TED Talk
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 9 sentences and 165 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:49. The speaker talks fast, about 201 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 91% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| hire verb | /ˈhaɪɹ/ | To obtain the services of in return for fixed payment. |
| vet verb | /vɛt/ | To thoroughly check or investigate particularly with regard to providing formal approval. |
| microphone noun | /ˈmaɪ.kɹəˌfəʊn/ | A device (transducer) used to convert sound waves into a varying electric current; normally fed into an amplifier and either recorded or transmitted over radio. |
| employee noun | /ˌɛm.plɔɪˈiː/ | A person who provides labor to a company or another person. |
| employment noun | /ɪmˈplɔɪmənt/ | The occupation or work for which one is used, and often paid. |
| introduction noun | /ˌɪntɹəˈdʌkʃn̩/ | The act or process of introducing. |
| proof noun | /pɹuf/ | An effort, process, or operation designed to establish or discover a fact or truth; an act of testing; a test; a trial. |
| absolutely adverb | /ˌæb.səˈlut.li/ | In an absolute or unconditional manner; utterly, positively, wholly. |
| rule noun | /ɹuːl/ | A regulation, law, guideline. |
| senior adjective | /ˈsiːnjə(ɹ)/ | Older. |
| executive noun | /ɪɡˈzɛkjətɪv/ | A chief officer or administrator, especially one who can make significant decisions on their own authority. |
| realize verb | /ˈɹi(.ə)ˌlaɪz/ | To become aware of, understand, or appreciate (a fact or situation, especially something which has been true for some time). |
| smart adjective | /smɑɹt/ | Exhibiting social ability or cleverness. |
| somebody | /ˈsʌmˌbədi/ | Some unspecified person. |
| decide verb | /dɪˈsaɪd/ | To resolve (a contest, problem, dispute, etc.); to choose, determine, or settle. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| shut up | /ʃʌt ʌp/ | Stop talking (usually in the form of making annoying, irrelevant, or false comments, during a period of peace and quiet, or when one is not allowed to talk)… |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, you've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: introduction /ˌɪntɹəˈdʌkʃn̩/, shut /ʃʌt/
- Long words — get the stress right: absolutely /ˌæb.səˈlut.li/, executive /ɪɡˈzɛkjətɪv/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like hire, vet, microphone.
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 | you've already been vetted · has already said |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | been vetted · are not allowed |
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.