Shadowing Practice: What are KPIs and Metrics? | Data Fundamental for Beginners - Learn English Speaking with Video
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What's going on everybody?
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Welcome back to another video.
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Today we're going to be taking a look at KPIs and metrics.
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Now if you've worked in the data world, you've probably heard these terms before because they are very popular to throw around and use, but you may not know exactly what they mean.
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So in this lesson, we're going to be diving into KPIs and metrics.
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So with that being said, let's jump over to my screen.
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So let's dive into KPIs and metrics.
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And let's start off with metrics.
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So what exactly is a metric?
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A metric is something that, by the way, people throw out all the time, and they typically get metrics and KPIs confused.
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And so we will be really good going through this.
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I'm going to talk about metrics first, and then how metrics relate to KPIs.
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So a metric is any measurement that provides information using data.
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So if you're taking data and you're tracking that data and you're measuring that data, That is a metric.
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It can be anything.
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For example, let's say we have a website and we sell things on this website, like an e -commerce platform.
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A metric that we might have is website visits.
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How many visits per month do we actually have?
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And let's say this month we had 15 ,000 monthly visitors.
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We also could look at sales numbers.
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So we sold 500 units of whatever products we're selling.
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So these are core metrics.
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Now, if you look over on this right hand side, we have this dashboard.
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This is something that a lot of companies will have.
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It'll be something to track their metrics or at least visualize their metrics.
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It could be on revenue or margins or all these different things.
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This is something that when you're working with data, people want to know.
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They want to be able to measure and track specific data.
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Now, let's see how this compares to a KPI.
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KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator.
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And this is a specific metric that directly measures progress towards a goal.
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So every single KPI is going to be a metric, but not every metric is going to be a KPI.
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For example, let's look over on this image on the right hand side.
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We start with all of our data and then we take that data and we say, what metrics do we want to look at within this data?
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And then we determine what metrics do we actually want to track?
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Which metrics align with our goals?
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So for example, in our website that we have, we have 15 ,000 monthly visitors, but let's say our target KPI is going to be those monthly visitors, but our goal is 20 ,000.
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And so we have a metric that we're tracking.
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And now we're saying we want this to be a goal that we achieve.
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And it's also measurable.
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For our sales numbers, we have 500 units sold.
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One of our sales KPI could be, okay, this month we're selling 500, but next month we want to increase our sales by 2 % each month going forward.
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So that could also be a KPI.
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You may be asking, how do you choose a good KPI?
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And this is a very good question because I've worked with a lot of different data teams, and they just sometimes randomly choose KPIs.
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So like this seems like a good one to achieve or get better at.
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That may be true, but it may not actually progress you towards the goal that you're wanting.
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And so when you're trying to choose a good KPI, let's say you're tracking these metrics, you're saying, I want to progress towards a goal.
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How do we choose what KPIs we want?
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The first thing you have to ask is, what is your goal?
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Maybe for our website, it was we want to increase sales.
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That's our number one thing.
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Then we have to identify which metric actually best tracks our progress towards that goal.
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On a website, there are a ton of different data points that you can do.
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For example, you can see how long a user is actually on your website.
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every day.
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Maybe they get on three or four or five times a day.
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Those are metrics, but that may not be what your goal actually is to sell your products.
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And then lastly, you have to say, is this metric actionable?
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Maybe you can't make people sign onto your website three, four, or five times a day if that's what you're wanting to do.
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That may not be an actionable metric to actually track, but something like the daily users is
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because maybe you could send out a daily email
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or you can do some type of marketing to get more people on your platform.
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These are things that you have control over and Let's just break down key performance indicators versus business metrics.
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A KPI is going to provide a direct line of action to a business goal, whereas business metrics don't necessarily contribute directly towards a goal.
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KPIs are measured actively as a benchmark to a goal, whereas business metrics can be measured, but they aren't typically checked and monitored.
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For example, at a previous company I was working with, we had lots of metrics that we kept kind of tabs on,
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but we only put the key performance indicators of the most important ones into dashboards
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or maybe into reports that we would then provide to our users.
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a set of standards that are vital to the business, whereas metrics may or may not be vital to the business.
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Again, it could be anything versus KPIs or like the core things that you want to track and get better at.
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And then lastly, this is something I mentioned before, all KPIs are business metrics, but not all business metrics are KPIs.
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You specify exactly what metrics you want to be KPIs to help move your business or grow your business, however you want to do that.
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So in a nutshell, a metric helps us understand what's happening in our data
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and KPIs show us whether we're reaching our goals using our data.
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I hope that this was helpful.
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This was not something that I knew when I first started working in data.
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It's something I kind of figured out along the way.
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But if you are just getting into data or maybe you already are and you don't know what this is, yeah, you know.
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And now you can go into business meetings and you can go into conversations, being a little bit more knowledgeable.
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With that being said, thank you guys so much for watching.
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If you like this video, be sure to like and subscribe below and I will see you in the next video.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “What are KPIs and Metrics?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: metric, Kpi, goal, website, track. This video has 83 sentences and 1137 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:45. The speaker talks fast, about 198 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 85% 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| metric adjective | /ˈmɛt.ɹɪk/ | Of or relating to the metric system of measurement. |
| visitor noun | /ˈvɪzɪtɚ/ | Someone who visits someone else; someone staying as a guest. |
| actionable adjective | /ˈæk.ʃə.nə.bəl/ | Able to be acted on; able to be used as the basis for taking action. |
| dashboard noun | /ˈdæʃˌboɹd/ | A panel beneath the windshield of a vehicle or aircraft containing indicator gauges, compartments, and sometimes controls and indicator lights. |
| lastly adverb | /ˈlæstli/ | Used to mark the beginning of the last in a list of items or propositions. |
| indicator noun | /ˈɪn.dɪˌkeɪ.tə(ɹ)/ | A pointer or index that indicates something. |
| dive verb | /daɪv/ | To swim under water. |
| versus | /ˈvɝsəs/ | Against; in opposition to. |
| measurable adjective | /ˈmɛʒəɹəbəl/ | Able to be measured. |
| nutshell noun | /ˈnʌt.ʃɛl/ | The shell that surrounds the kernel of a nut. |
| visualize verb | /ˈvɪʒuəˌlaɪz/ | To perceive (something) visually; to see. |
| knowledgeable adjective | /ˈnɑ.lɪ.d͡ʒə.bəl/ | Having knowledge, especially of a particular subject. |
| benchmark noun | /ˈbɛn(t)ʃmɑːk/ | A standard by which something is evaluated or measured. |
| align verb | /əˈlaɪn/ | To form a line; to fall into line. |
| specify verb | /ˈspɛs.əˌfaɪ/ | To state explicitly, or in detail, or as a condition. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| break down verb | To stop functioning. | |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. | |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| going forward adverb | In the immediate future and beyond. | |
| send out verb | To issue, dispatch or transmit. | |
| throw out verb | /ˈθɹəʊ ˌaʊt/ | To discard; to dispense with something; to throw away. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How many visits per month do we actually have?
- Which metrics align with our goals?
- The first thing you have to ask is, what is your goal?
- That's our number one thing.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | being said · are measured |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've worked · I've worked |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, we're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: actionable /ˈæk.ʃə.nə.bəl/, dashboard /ˈdæʃˌboɹd/, measurable /ˈmɛʒəɹəbəl/, nutshell /ˈnʌt.ʃɛl/, visualize /ˈvɪʒuəˌlaɪz/
- Long words — get the stress right: actionable /ˈæk.ʃə.nə.bəl/, indicator /ˈɪn.dɪˌkeɪ.tə(ɹ)/, measurable /ˈmɛʒəɹəbəl/, knowledgeable /ˈnɑ.lɪ.d͡ʒə.bəl/
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 metric, visitor, actionable.
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.