Shadowing Practice: Stop Being Quiet in Meetings: Speak Clearly at Work - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Have you ever been in a situation where you're at work and your manager or a senior leader comes up to you,
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Have you ever been in a situation where you're at work and your manager or a senior leader comes up to you,
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asks you a question out of the blue,
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and for some reason your mind just blanks out?
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You find that it's in these impromptu conversations where you didn't get a chance to prepare ahead of time,
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where when you're trying to give an answer,
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you sound unclear, uncertain, and you're stumbling over your words.
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And then what happens is once they walk away,
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you, within a few minutes,
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you realize that you do know the answer
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and you're asking yourself why didn't I know it or say it properly when I had the chance.
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If this has ever happened to you I want you to know you are not alone
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and more importantly that there is a solution and a way out of
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that fright or freeze mode
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and today in this video I want to teach you how to stop freezing in conversations even
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if you're not a natural talker,
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even if English isn't your first language,
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and even if you've always been the quiet one in your workplace.
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And by the end of this video,
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you're going to have a simple framework that will help you to share your progress updates,
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to share your insights, your recommendations in any conversation,
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in any meeting, in a calm, confident way.
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And by doing this often enough,
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you'll be seen as going from invisible to influential so that you can get promoted to the next level in your career.
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And as someone who has struggled with my own confidence and communication issues early on in my corporate career,
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I have now since helped thousands of professionals to advance and move up in their careers.
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And I have seen this transformation over and over.
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Just like my client Iris,
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who initially went from anxious and feeling self-doubt
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and not sure of how she was showing up at work
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to now being seen as the go-to leader in her organization
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or like my client who once felt powerless
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and super anxious in meetings to now having clarity
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and intention every time she walks into a meeting knowing what she's going to say
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and becoming more and more visible on a daily basis.
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Now before we dive in I have compiled all of these steps
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that I'm sharing with you today in my speak confidently in meetings pdf guide.
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You just have to put in the word confident in the comments below
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and we'll be sure to send you the link so
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that you can have the step-by-step strategy
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and framework on how you can deliver a clear and confident work progress update in your next meeting.
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So firstly, let's talk about the number one mistake that you're making that's causing you to freeze up in conversations at work.
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And that is you are too focused on yourself.
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Many corporate professionals make the mistake of focusing on themselves,
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how they sound, how they look,
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how people are perceiving them when they're speaking in a meeting.
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And when you are only focused on yourself and you're only spotlighting yourself,
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you are not able to articulate an idea or a thought
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or a recommendation that will land to the other person across the table.
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Because you're so focused on yourself.
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You're thinking about yourself.
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You're super self-conscious.
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You're anxious.
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You're nervous.
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And that blocks your ability to come up with any fresh ideas,
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any good opinions, any insights or perspective,
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because again, you're too focused on yourself.
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So instead of focusing on yourself,
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you're now going to focus on having the right structure,
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knowing the right structure, memorizing this structure so that every time that you want to say something in a meeting,
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whether it's an update or sharing an idea or opinion,
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you're going to be able to say it in a cohesive, logical, flowing way.
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You're not going to just focus on yourself.
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You're going to walk them through the journey of your thought process to the end result.
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So let's start with step number one.
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So step one to this method,
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which is known as SAR,
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is S, which is situation.
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Situation means that you need to get everyone on the same ground,
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on the same page.
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Setting the context, getting everybody to understand what the situation is,
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is the first step.
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The most common mistake when it comes to giving updates for many corporate professionals is that they don't set the scene.
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They don't talk about currently what's going on in the situation.
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They just jump straight to their recommendation.
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If you don't give people context and the lay of the land and understanding of what you're actually talking about,
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they won't be able to follow along and buy into your idea or your recommendation.
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So instead of jumping in with your data and your recommendations,
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you want to lay out the landscape first.
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Laying the landscape means talk about what's been going on since the last meeting.
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What do people need to know to put things into context?
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So for example, instead of saying we're behind schedule as your update,
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you can say, as you know,
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our main goal for this quarter is to launch the new product by March 31st. When we last checked in,
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we were on track with development,
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but in the last two weeks,
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we've run into some unexpected hurdles.
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Notice the details that are incorporated in that.
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We're talking about what is this project about?
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What is the impact?
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What is the goal that we're trying to achieve?
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What has been happening?
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That's all laid out within those few sentences.
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And notice the impact that you're making when you're speaking from this perspective.
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You're able to get everyone on the same page,
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you're speaking with authority, and you're giving everyone information and context
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that they can understand so that they can follow along with your thought process and ultimately your recommendation.
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The key to confident communication is first knowing how to paint the picture.
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You're setting up the environment.
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You're setting up the landscape.
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You're making sure that everyone is on the same page and understands what you're talking about.
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So that's step number one.
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And by the way, if you're listening along and you're thinking,
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okay, this sounds great and I really would love this all in writing,
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then put in the word confident down in the comments below.
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And don't forget to get a link to download my Speak
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Confidently at Work free PDF guide that's going to give you the step-by-step framework,
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the strategy and prompts that will help you to deliver your next update
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or idea in your next meeting in a calm and confident way.
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Again, confident down in the comments down below.
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All right, so step two of the SAR framework is action or analysis.
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Now, this is pretty self-explanatory.
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This is where you're going to either talk about the action steps
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that you took related to this situation or project or assignment,
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or you're going to talk about the analysis that you did related to this project or assignment,
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or you might incorporate a little bit of both.
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This is the step that I took.
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This is the analysis that I did.
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Now, bear in mind, you don't want to make the mistake of being overly detailed.
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This is where many corporate professionals who are hard workers,
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high achievers, they get people confused because they get too much into the technical details,
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the data, the analysis, the action steps that people lose their attention.
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You lose people's attention.
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You aren't able to engage with them.
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They are lost.
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They're confused.
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And that's the last thing that you want to happen.
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You want to make sure that people are able to follow along.
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So you need to be able to speak from a high level.
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What are the high level milestones?
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What are the key phases of delivery that you went through?
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What are the steps that you took that are at a high level?
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Again, don't go into too much detail.
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Just list them out briefly and make sure
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that you're able to say it in a way that people are able to follow along.
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They're able to visualize it and they're able to understand what you did from an action or analysis standpoint.
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Remember, people want clarity, not a data dump.
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Don't give everyone a list of facts.
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You just want to walk them through a storyline.
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So to continue our example,
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you could say, to address the delays,
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we set up daily check-ins with our developers and revise the timeline to prioritize testing.
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We also flag the supplier issue with procurement so there wouldn't be further holdups.
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That's it.
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Just a few sentences, direct and to the point.
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And here's the thing.
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If you're not feeling as though you're giving enough detail,
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you can say that.
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You can say, if anyone wants a little bit more detail about how I did this,
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I'm happy to clarify.
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Just let me know.
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You can say that in the meeting without going into the details right away.
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You can let other people ask you.
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So start off high level and let the conversation flow.
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The questions come in and that's where you can showcase your expertise.
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It's much better for you to do it
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that way than for you to just dump people with all the information without them asking for it.
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People are going to be much more engaged and they're going to be much more interested in what you have to say.
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This is actually something that I've learned for myself in the work that I do,
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coaching corporate professionals in their leadership and communication skills.
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I've realized that you guys don't want every single little detail upfront.
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You want to understand at a high level what the process is.
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And from there, you ask me questions and I'm able to then give you the backup,
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up the proof and the evidence so that you can further understand the concept.
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That I find from a coaching perspective,
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from a teaching perspective is so much more helpful because there's that back and forth.
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And so the same goes in the workplace.
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If you can engage people in conversation with you,
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get them to ask you questions
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that helps you to be seen more as the expert because you're able to really speak to what they're talking about,
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what they're wanting to know from you.
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Now, the third step of the SAR framework is R,
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which stands for recommendation and result.
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So you either close with your recommendation or the result if you're giving an update,
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or you give a little bit of both.
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Recommendation is the idea or the path that you suggest,
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and the result is the impact that's going to make.
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Always think bigger picture.
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What does your recommendation do for the bigger picture goal that the team or the organization has?
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You want to tie it into that bigger picture so
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that people can be convinced that your particular recommendation is the best one.
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So as for our example,
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you could say, as a result,
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we expect to recover our timeline and still hit our launch date.
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I recommend we keep the daily check-ins until we're through this sprint.
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Now, if you're just giving a pure update,
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then you're going to talk about the result of the work that you've done.
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So you could say the actions we took helped us clear the backlog
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and our customer response times have already improved by 15%.
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Don't shy away from stating the quantifiable impact.
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This is how leaders speak.
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You've already gone through the process of stating the situation,
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giving them the context.
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Then you've walked them through the analysis and the action steps.
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And from there, you're telling them their recommendation you're telling them the results
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that it's going to have on the bigger picture goal why
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would they not want to follow along with what you have to say
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that is how you deliver and speak up in a way
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that is calm that is confident that is composed in any situation
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and finally step four is to invite engagement
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so don't just state what you have to say
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but create the conversation make sure that it keeps it going
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so you're going to say i'd love to provide any more detail if anyone has any questions,
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let me know and open the floor up to questions.
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Now, if this isn't in a meeting,
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but this is more of a one-on-one conversation,
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you wouldn't necessarily say it like that.
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Instead, you would say, what are your thoughts?
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And you allow that other person to share their piece.
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That is how you create conversation.
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That's how you deepen bonds and relationships at work, work relationships.
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And that's how you create visibility for yourself.
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It doesn't matter if you are the most junior person,
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and it does not matter if you're new to the organization.
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you can go from freezing up to speaking up if you follow the right structure and strategy.
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So if you want this exact framework
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and strategy in your pocket every single day so that you can use it in every meeting that you're going to attend,
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make sure that you write in the comments the word confident
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so that you can get the link to my speak confidently in meetings PDF guide where you will get the exact steps,
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prompts, and phrases to help you give and deliver a clear and confident update in your next meeting.
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The more that you can communicate with confidence and use these tools,
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the more that you realize how your presence is powerful.
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And that is what's going to help you to be seen and recognized for those next level of promotions.
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So if you want more tips on how to communicate confidently at work after this video,
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make sure you click on this video next.
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Context & Background
In today's fast-paced work environment, effective communication is essential for career advancement and professional relationships. Many individuals find themselves struggling to articulate their thoughts clearly, especially in impromptu situations such as meetings. The video "Stop Being Quiet in Meetings: Speak Clearly at Work" addresses these common challenges faced by professionals, particularly those for whom English is not the first language. It highlights the importance of overcoming the fear of speaking up, emphasizing that it is possible to transition from feeling invisible to becoming a confident contributor in the workplace. By learning to shift focus away from personal insecurities and towards the message being communicated, individuals can greatly improve their spoken interactions.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "Can you clarify that for me?" – Use this when you need more information or to ensure you understand a point.
- "I’d like to add my thoughts on that." – Perfect for contributing your perspective in a discussion.
- "Based on my experience, I recommend..." – This phrase helps in confidently sharing insights or suggestions.
- "What do you think about...?" – Engaging others in a conversation demonstrates openness to dialogue.
- "I appreciate your feedback on this." – A great way to invite responses and show willingness to learn.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To tackle the challenges illustrated in the video, using a shadowing approach can be highly effective in improving English pronunciation and confidence in speaking. Here’s a simple shadow speak guide to help you navigate tough conversational moments:
- Practice Active Listening: Watch the video and listen carefully to how the speaker articulates their ideas. Focus on their tone, pace, and clarity.
- Choose Phrases to Shadow: Select key phrases mentioned above that resonate with you. Write them down to internalize their structure.
- Record Yourself: Use a shadowspeak technique by repeating the phrases aloud while recording your voice. This will help you identify areas for improvement in pronunciation.
- Compare and Adjust: Listen to your recording and compare it to the original speaker. Note the differences in rhythm, intonation, and clarity.
- Engage in Real Situations: Implement these phrases in daily conversations at work or in practice scenarios. Each time you do, focus less on yourself and more on conveying your message.
Regular practice through a shadowing site can help you reinforce these skills in various contexts, thus enabling you to communicate with confidence and clarity in any meeting.
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.
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