Shadowing Practice: TED@NYC: The Power of Negative Thinking - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

63 sentences

If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.

So I grew up in Argentina, which means I always had a problem with confidence.

My problem is I have too much of it.

And in Argentina this is quite common.

We have a charming tendency to think that we are the greatest country in the world,

even though our nation has been declining for about 100 years.

We are, according to some economic standards, the only perpetually devolving nation in the world.

And to cope with this or maintain our delusion, we also have the highest concentration of psychoanalysts per capita in the world.

And if you don't want to spend your life in therapy, you can do what I did, which is you become a psychologist yourself.

So I've always been interested in the relationship between confidence, how smart you think you are, and competence, how smart you actually are.

And for about 10 years, I've been conducting studies relating people's self -perceived abilities with their actual abilities.

Not just in Argentina, but in about 40 different countries.

And the surprising fact is that there is a very weak relationship between competence and confidence.

Not because most people are overly modest or underconfident, but because the vast majority of people think they're better than they actually are.

So overconfidence is one of the most pervasive biases in human thought.

And if you read popular psychology textbooks or are into the self -help industry,

you will know that there are two individual advantages of being overconfident.

Number one, it does feel good to think you're great, even if you're deluded.

Number two, that delusion can help you fool other people.

And yet, there is a dark side of overconfidence that is hardly ever emphasized.

For example, overconfidence explains why some people are much more likely to have traffic accidents, whether drivers, cyclists or pedestrians,

why some people gamble and are into compulsive,

pathological levels of gambling, and why we have financial gambling cases such as the last meltdown, which are caused not just by greedy investment bankers,

but also overconfident consumers who overestimate their ability to pay back their loans and mortgages.

Overconfidence is also behind major health threats and it explains why smokers,

drinkers, drug users, illegal or legal, and compulsive eaters are in denial about their addictions

and overestimate their ability to quit or underestimate the potential harmful effects that these addictions might have on them.

Even when they're aware of them, they think it will happen to other people, not to themselves.

And finally, overconfidence also fosters and promotes a narcissistic culture,

a narcissistic society where we commonly mistake confidence by competence,

which is why in any domain or profession of expertise there are so many charlatans in business.

Why arrogant and psychopathic employees are commonly promoted to managerial levels.

Why we have not enough women in charge because they are more modest and more underconfident.

Yes.

It's true.

It's a fact.

And also why so many people, especially teenagers,

are obsessed with being famous just for the sake of being famous and spend so much time worshipping those who worship themselves.

And why some of you might spend so much time updating your Facebook status, hoping that others like what you're doing.

And, you know, luckily they can't dislike it.

They can only like it.

So what's the solution? and I want to finish on a negative note,

which really is for your benefit and for our benefit, collective benefit.

Maybe it's better to see the glass as half empty.

And not enough has been said emphasizing the positive power of negative thinking.

There are key adaptational benefits to your insecurities and to low confidence.

For example, low confidence is a threat detection signal that tells you that you shouldn't be doing something.

And you know, if you hear a little inner voice that tells you you shouldn't do something, consider yourself lucky.

Maybe you should pay attention to it.

At the same time, the reason why

so many people suffer from having low self -concept is

because this signal is emphasizing a discrepancy between the person you want to be and the person you think you are.

So what you should do about it is try to reduce

that discrepancy or that gap between confidence and competence by working hard.

not by reading self -help books that tell you that you shouldn't worry about your self -esteem,

that you're great, no matter what other people think of you.

And finally, low confidence and insecurities are key to keep us modest, humble.

And there are many advantages to modesty.

It keeps us attentive to negative feedback, which means that we are more coachable.

It also stops us from being complacent, and it also makes us more likable.

And this is coming from a recovering Argentine.

So the message is clear.

A less confident world would be a better world.

Thank you very much.

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence

IPA PracticeMaster every sound

VocabularyBuild your word bank

Vocab GameLearn while playing

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

FOR YOU

Recommend Video

259 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “TED@NYC: The Power of Negative Thinking”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: confidence, overconfidence, self, competence, benefit. This video has 63 sentences and 815 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:44. The speaker talks at a steady 142 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 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
competence noun	/ˈkɑm.pə.təns/	The quality or state of being competent, i.e. able or suitable for a general role.
modest adjective	/ˈmɑdəst/	Not bragging or boasting about oneself or one's achievements; unpretentious, humble.
emphasize verb	/ˈɛm.fə.saɪz/	To stress, give emphasis or extra weight to (something).
commonly adverb	/ˈkɑmənli/	As a rule; frequently; usually.
worship noun	/ˈwɝ.ʃɪp/	The devotion accorded to a deity or to a sacred object.
addiction noun	/əˈdɪkˌʃən/	A state that is characterized by compulsive drug use or compulsive engagement in rewarding behavior, despite negative consequences.
gambling noun	/ˈɡæm.bl̩.ɪŋ/	An activity characterized by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance, usually with money wagered on the outcome.
insecurity noun		A lack of security; uncertainty.
vast adjective	/væst/	Very large or wide (literally or figuratively).
suffer verb	/ˈsʌfɚ/	To undergo hardship.
decline verb	/dɪˈklaɪn/	To move downwards, to fall, to drop.
sake noun	/ˈseɪ̯k/	Cause, interest or account.
mortgage noun	/ˈmoɹ.ɡɪd͡ʒ/	A legal agreement in which a borrower pledges real property as collateral for a loan used to purchase or refinance that property.
foster verb	/ˈfɒstə/	To nurture or bring up offspring, or to provide similar parental care to an unrelated child.
feedback noun	/ˈfiːdˌbæk/	Critical assessment of a process or activity or of their results.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
pay back verb	/peɪ bæk/	To pay (a debt or the lender) so as to provide the entire amount of money owed.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	has been declining · I've been conducting
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	Argentina, which means · did, which is · meltdown, which are
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've always been · has been said
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are caused · has been said

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 13 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, shouldn't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: pathological /ˌpæθ.əˈlɑd͡ʒ.ɪ.kəl/, psychopathic /ˌsaɪkoʊˈpæθɪk/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: worship /ˈwɝ.ʃɪp/, addiction /əˈdɪkˌʃən/, concentration /ˌkɑn.sənˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/, profession /pɹəˈfɛʃ.ən/, detection /dɪˈtɛk.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: psychology /saɪˈkɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, concentration /ˌkɑn.sənˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/, psychologist /ˌsaɪˈkɑl.ə.d͡ʒɪst/, underestimate /ʌndɚˈɛs.tɪ.meɪt/, managerial /ˌmænɪˈd͡ʒɪəɹi.əl/

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 competence, modest, emphasize.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: TED@NYC: The Power of Negative Thinking - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Download App

Talk Back: Why Arguing With Yourself Can Help You Flourish

Psychology Of People Who Hate Themselves (But Kind To Others)

The Pygmalion Effect

You Need to Believe in Yourself I Robert Greene

7 Signs You Might Be Less Intelligent Than You Think

Body Language Expert Explains How to Show Confidence | WIRED

How to Beat Sexually Intrusive Thoughts

You're Too Self-Aware to Be Happy | The Psychology of Deep Thinkers

Mark Manson: Self-control is a complete illusion

Angela Lee Duckworth The key to success Grit

The Psychology of People Who Want to Do Everything

The ONE Skill Every High Performer Needs To Master