Shadowing Practice: Talking about meetings πŸ—“οΈπŸ€πŸ‘” Real Easy English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hello and welcome to Real Easy English.
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Hello and welcome to Real Easy English.
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In this podcast we have real conversations in easy English to help you learn.
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I'm Georgie.
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And I'm Beth.
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You can find a video of this podcast and a worksheet to help you learn on our website bbclearningenglish.com.
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Hi Beth, how are you today?
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I'm good, thank you.
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I am very busy.
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I have a lot of meetings.
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How are you?
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I'm okay, thank you, Beth.
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I don't have many meetings today,
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but today we are talking about meetings,
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in particular work meetings, where you talk to colleagues and discuss ideas or make decisions.
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That's right.
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Okay, shall we get started?
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Yes.
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So Beth, you have a lot of meetings today.
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Do you generally have a lot of meetings at work?
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It really depends on what I'm working on.
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So if I have a project where I need to meet a lot of people,
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then I might have quite a few meetings and that's why I'm busy now.
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But generally,
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we have a lot of a few meetings together as a team but I don't think we have loads of meetings
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compared to other jobs I don't think we have many meetings.
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Most of our work is producing things and editing and writing.
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But you're right, when there are lots of big projects that we need to talk to other people on the project,
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we have more meetings.
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But yeah, like you, it really depends.
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So when do you think meetings are useful?
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I think when you need to brainstorm,
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so brainstorm is when you have lots of new ideas and you need to talk about them together.
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I think then meetings are really useful because you hear lots of new ideas
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and when you're in a room with other people,
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if for example, I have an idea and you say,
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that's good and we can also do this and we can all work together.
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And I think those kind of meetings are really useful.
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Yeah, I think that way of doing it is also more efficient.
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So sometimes it's better to just have one hour,
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come up with ideas and decide on the ideas.
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Yeah, definitely.
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Do you tend to speak up in meetings?
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So that means do you ask questions and feel confident to speak?
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I think, um, if the meeting has lots of people,
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I find it a bit more stressful to speak up
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because I get a bit nervous to speak in front of lots of people.
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But if it's a meeting with just our team,
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for example, you guys I like and trust,
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I don't mind speaking up that much.
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And sometimes we have meetings in person.
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Sometimes you have meetings on a call, so a video call.
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Do you prefer meeting in person or having calls?
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I think I prefer meetings in person
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because you can kind of see the facial expressions and body language more easily, I think.
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And it's easier to know when a person wants to speak,
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these kinds of things.
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Yeah, no, I agree with what you're saying.
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A lot of the meetings that I have had recently have been with people in different time zones in different countries.
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So definitely then a call is better,
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um, because it's the best way to speak without having to go to different countries.
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Um, but I agree.
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I think it's nice to be able to see body language better in a face to face meeting,
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but meetings on calls now are so normal that there's not loads of difference.
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It is also really nice to be able to take calls in your own house.
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So working from home can be really nice because you can have your snacks and drinks nearby.
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So yeah, they both have their pros and cons.
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That's true.
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Okay, let's recap the language we heard during the conversation,
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starting with brainstorm, which is when you get together with a group of people to come up with ideas.
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If you speak up in a meeting,
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you express your opinion using your voice.
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In an in-person meeting, everyone is in the same physical place.
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We can also call this a face-to-face meeting.
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And we also talked about having a call.
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This could be a phone call or a video call.
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And we can also describe this as a remote meeting.
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That's it for this episode of Real Easy English.
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Why not test what you've learned using the worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
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And we'll be back next week with another conversation in Easy English.
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See you then!
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Context & Background

In this engaging episode of "Real Easy English," hosts Georgie and Beth discuss the dynamics of work meetings. They share personal experiences about their own meeting schedules and the importance of collaboration and communication in a professional setting. This conversation provides valuable insights for English learners addressing conversations about workplace interactions. Conversations like these are ideal for anyone preparing for IELTS speaking practice, as they simulate real-life dialogues that can help improve fluency and confidence.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

Here are five essential phrases derived from the transcript that can enhance your daily English communication:

  • "I have a lot of meetings." - This phrase is useful when talking about your schedule.
  • "It really depends on what I'm working on." - A great way to express variability in your work tasks.
  • "I think when you need to brainstorm." - Perfect for discussing creative processes in a group setting.
  • "Do you tend to speak up in meetings?" - An effective question to gauge someone's comfort level in discussions.
  • "It's more efficient to decide on ideas together." - A valuable statement when emphasizing teamwork.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To maximize your learning while watching "Real Easy English," follow this shadowing guide:

  1. Watch the video once: Familiarize yourself with the dialogue and tone. Pay special attention to how Georgie and Beth use the phrases you’ve just learned.
  2. Replay and pause: Listen to each sentence, then pause the video. Try to repeat the sentence aloud, mimicking their pronunciation and intonation.
  3. Focus on difficult parts: If a particular phrase proves challenging, use a shadowing app to help you practice. This can provide instant feedback on your pronunciation.
  4. Engage in conversation: After practicing, find a study partner or a speaking group to discuss meetings in English. Ask them questions like, "What do you find useful in meetings?"
  5. Reflect on progress: After a few practice sessions, reflect on your confidence and ability to speak about meetings. Consider watching the video again to track your improvement.

Incorporating these steps into your routine will enhance your English pronunciation and overall fluency, making it easier to participate in meaningful conversations about important topics like teamwork and projects. Use resources like YouTube to boost your learning and make practice enjoyable while reaping the benefits of real-life dialogues in English.

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 β€” 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 β€” making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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