Shadowing Practice: What Do You Do When Your Mind Goes Blank? (The Five-Step Method) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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What do you do when your mind goes blank?

You know, when someone asks you a question in English, you understand the question, but when you open your mouth, nothing comes out.

You feel frustrated.

You feel overwhelmed.

Why is my mind blank?

Why can't I say anything?

Well, my friend today, I am going to give you five simple steps for what to do when your mind goes blank.

Are you ready?

Well, then let's jump right in step number one,

name the people involved, no matter what the topic is, no matter what the discussion is,

there will always be people involved in that topic, in that discussion, in that situation.

So you first must find out who those individuals are and start speaking about those individuals.

Your mind may be in this space of not able to find information, but if you know, okay, let me stop.

Step one, just start speaking about the people involved.

Why does this work so well?

You see, it grounds your answer in real people, which makes it relatable.

One thing I want you to keep in mind as it relates to English fluency, English fluency is not just about the number of words,

you know, or the number of expressions you're able to use in one sentence or with one response.

It's really about connecting, connecting with the person you're speaking to.

So when you start by speaking about the people involved, you become more relatable.

The person listening to you wants to connect, wants to understand, ah, okay.

There are people involved and it gets their attention more.

They want to draw in, to draw closer, to understand more about what you're saying.

The second reason why it's

so important for step one to name the people involved is it helps the listener picture the situation right away.

One thing I love about English is that English is a very visual language.

Even though you're using words, you're really painting a picture every time you open your mouth, Every time you speak English,

you're painting a picture for the person listening to you, for the person you're having a conversation with.

So when you start by naming the people involved or describing the people involved immediately in that person's mind,

this picture starts to come to life.

The third reason why it's

so important to start by naming the people involved is it shows how you relate to the story.

Is it your friend?

Is it your coworker?

Is it a family member?

How are you connected to what you are speaking about?

So step one is name the people involved.

Here are some quick examples.

Let's say you are having a discussion with your friends.

Let's start with your friends and you and your friends are discussing relationships between best friends.

This is a topic that is kind of a hot topic nowadays, friendships, and how you relate to your friends.

So you'd start in this conversation, in this discussion, again, step one, yes, name the people involved.

So your who would be my best friend and I, and let's say your best friend's name is Jenna.

So for the friends discussion about best friends, you can say for the people involved, my best friend, Jenna, and I,

let's say you were in a conversation or a discussion with your coworkers and you're discussing relationships between managers and employees.

Remember this step, the step one of naming the individual or naming the individuals,

it applies to any and every situation, any and every topic.

So if you're speaking with your coworkers about relationships between managers or employees, step number one, name the people involved.

You could say for the who my old manager, Mark, and our team of five, you're starting with the people involved.

And let's say another example is your classmates, your college classmates, or your classmates from high school.

And there's this discussion about relationships between parents and children.

You can start by naming the people involved when you're going to give your response or your thoughts.

And you can say, okay, my mom and my younger brother, you're starting first with the people involved.

This leads us to step number two, again, helping you to stop experiencing this mind going blank situation.

Step number two is state what happened or what you think.

What happened or what you think you've already set the groundwork,

the framework by letting me know if I'm the person listening to you, who is involved.

Now the natural next step is to tell me the listener, what happened or what you think, what is actually going on now?

Why is this so important to do next right after you say the individuals it's important

because it's the core of your point and it answers the question directly.

Listen, when you're having a conversation with someone, when you're in this discussion and you start speaking immediately in their mind,

there are questions that arise questions that they hope are answered as you're speaking.

So you started step one, sharing the individuals.

The next thing they're going to naturally want to know is, so what happened or what do you think?

So when you answer this in step two, it becomes the core of your point and it answers that question in their mind immediately,

making them want to continue listening to you.

The second reason why step two is so important is it keeps your answer focused instead of drifting.

This is something I have noticed that happens a lot with many English learners, even at the intermediate and advanced level.

You know, so many words, you know, so many expressions and phrases, and you have a lot of information in your mind.

Now it's good to have the information, but if you're not able to organize the information,

the person listening to you is not going to stay focused.

They're not going to continue listening to you, but when you are letting the individual will know what happened.

You are focusing on one point in time, one specific situation or one thought.

It makes it easier for the other individual or individuals to continue following along.

And the third reason is it gives the group something clear to react to.

We're all listening to you speak now.

Tell us why, why should we listen to you?

Because you're letting us know what's happening.

So again, step number two is state what happened or what you think.

So for example, if we go back to the situation, your friends, you're discussing relationships between best friends.

That's the topic you've already given who now it's the,

what you stopped talking to your best friend for almost a year after a misunderstanding, you're letting us know what happened.

You're pulling us in, or let's say the coworker situation, you and your coworkers are discussing relationships between managers and employees.

And now you want to give them what happened.

You can say he started weekly one -on -one meetings and the team became much happier.

You're setting the scene.

You're setting the stage.

Or what about the other example?

Classmates, either high school or college classmates discussing relationships between parents and children,

what, what is happening or what happened?

Ah, they argued constantly about his career choice.

Remember in step number one, we said for your classmates discussion, you said, oh, my mom and my younger brother, those are the individuals.

Now what happened between them?

They argued constantly about his career choices.

You see how these steps are connecting and the person listening to you is constantly leaning in wanting more.

Now we get to step number three.

Step number three is give the timeframe.

You've already shared who the individuals are.

You've set the stage.

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What happened now?

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The next natural question to pop up into the listeners brain is when did this happen?

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Even without them saying it, this is going to pop in their mind.

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So if you are following your steps in your brain, you're not going blank because you have this simple method you're following.

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You're following the steps.

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You're going to keep the conversation rolling.

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Step three, give the timeframe.

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When did it happen?

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You set the stage, you set the scene.

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Now give me the timeframe.

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Now, why is it so important to do this?

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The first reason is it adds context and helps listeners follow the timeline.

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When someone is listening to you as you're speaking,

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they're basically wanting you to take them on a journey and they're trusting that you will take them on a journey.

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So take them on a journey, but you have to let them know where are they?

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When is this happening?

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So it adds context and helps them follow the timeline.

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The second reason why it's so important for step three to give the timeframe is.

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It shows whether something is a past experience or a current view.

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Is this something that happened in the past?

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Is it happening right now?

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Let me know when this is happening.

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And the third reason is it makes your story sound real and specific, not made up.

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It gives you more validity.

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It gives you more of a footing to stand on.

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People will start believing you like, ah, okay, this is a real story.

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They'll continue listening and this will affect your confidence when you're saying something and the person listening to you,

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their facial expression, their body language kind of shows that they're interested.

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It makes you feel more confident and more likely to continue speaking.

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English fluency is not just about your words.

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There are so many other pieces involved.

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So step number three, give the timeframe.

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Now let's go back to our example.

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So again, our first example, we had again, friends discussing relationships between best friends.

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Now remember for step one, for the people, we said, my best friend, Jenna, and I for step two, for what happened, I said,

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ah, we stopped talking for almost a year after a misunderstanding, but now the timeframe step three, well, when did this happen,

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this happened back in college.

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When Jenna and I were back in college, I'm setting now the timeframe, helping the person, helping my friends understand when this occurred.

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What about our second example?

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Coworkers were discussing relationships between managers and employees.

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Remember for the who, or for the individuals involved for step number one, I said my old manager,

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Mark, and our team of five people for the step two, What happened?

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I mentioned that

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Mark, our managers started weekly one -on -one meetings and the team became much happier now for step three, the timeframe.

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When was this?

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This was about three years ago at my first job.

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So now I am painting this picture.

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You're seeing everything being laid out.

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And our third example, remember classmates, either high school or college classmates,

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having a discussion about relationships between parents and children for the who for step one, for who's involved.

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I said, my mom and my younger brother, step two, remember what happened?

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I explained that, ah, they argued constantly about his career choice.

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Now, step three, the timeframe.

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When was this?

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Ah, this was last year, right after my younger brother graduated.

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So you see, we're going on this path, step one, who was involved,

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step two, what happened, step three, when did it happen?

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And now we have step four again, when your mind goes blank, just think about these simple five steps.

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We're on step four.

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Now it's time to actually set the steam, set the scene,

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tell the person where it happened where was this occurring the physical location

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now why is this step step number four

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so important the first reason is it adds detail and color especially

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when culture shapes the situation

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you're literally allowing the person to start putting even more details

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in their brain as they listen to you you've painted the picture who's involved what actually happened

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when was it now they're getting a place to add to this image

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that they're painting in their mind step two or step four

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but reason two is it gives listeners a clear mental picture of the setting

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i am an artist i love drawing i love painting

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so i love when we think about english as a painting as an image

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because we're all visual as human beings even if you're not an artist you're still a visual person

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You see people, you know, you see your family members, your friends.

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So when you're speaking to someone, you want to make sure they're seeing what you're saying.

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And reason number three, why it's so important to set the scene where it's happening.

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It makes your story more vivid and memorable.

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You want the person listening to you to remember the conversation, to feel happy about the time he or she spent with you.

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So let's go back again to our examples.

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Again, set step number four is set the scene.

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Excellent.

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Now we started off with step number one, who was involved.

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So we have our friends discussing this relationship between best friends, right?

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For the, who I said, my best friend, Jenna and I for the, what step number two, what happened?

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We stopped talking for almost a year after a misunderstanding for the When I said, ah, this happened

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Back in college.

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Now, again, step four, where was this?

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Where, when we were roommates in a tiny apartment in Chicago, all of a sudden you're envisioning this apartment.

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And I said, tiny, a small apartment where in Chicago, the windy city.

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Okay.

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You're seeing what was happening.

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What about the second example?

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Remember the coworkers discussing relationships between managers and employees, Mark and the other five team members.

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Where did this happen?

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A small marketing agency in Toronto.

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You see how specific we're getting again, we're answering one question.

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Step number four, where was it?

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But the details, not just the marketing agency, but a small marketing agency in Toronto.

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I have this picture in my head, even as I'm teaching you.

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I remember when I went to Toronto, Canada to visit my friend.

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So I have a picture in my mind of Toronto, Canada marketing agency.

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Okay.

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This building, but it's small.

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Okay.

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A small room.

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You want them to start picturing in their mind where it happened.

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And then what about our third example situation?

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Classmates discussing relationships between parents and children.

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Remember my mom and a younger brother situation, right?

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Where at our family home in Atlanta, usually during Sunday dinner.

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So all of a sudden you're picturing a table, people sitting down, eating dinner together in Atlanta, Georgia, a family home.

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So it's not just your mother and your younger brother, but the family is together.

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You're starting to envision to picture this situation even more.

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This leads to step number five.

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You're seeing how powerful this simple step method, five -step method is when your mind goes blank.

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Step five is explain the reason or your opinion.

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In other words, why, why did you mention this?

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Why is this important?

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Why did this situation happen?

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Why is it so important to use step number five?

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Here's the reason it shows your thinking and turns a fact into a real contribution.

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When you're in a conversation, you don't want to just relay facts.

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It is important to give facts, but to prove that you are fluent, that you are upper intermediate and advanced, you need to add your opinion,

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your thoughts on a situation.

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Step number five, the reason or your opinion, the why it shows your thinking, you're critically thinking about this topic,

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which adds to the conversation.

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Reason number two, it invites others to agree, disagree, or build on your point.

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What happens?

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The conversation keeps going when you share the reason they're going to respond either by agreeing,

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disagreeing, or building on your point.

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And number three, reason number three, it shows depth, not just the surface answer, not just the surface thought.

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It makes you sound thoughtful rather than basic.

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Like, huh?

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You really have a lot to add to this conversation.

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Again, simple five steps, but it adds so much.

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So let's go back to our examples.

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Remember the friends having this discussion about relationships between the best friends.

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Now we have step five, the why.

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So why did that happen between you and Jenna?

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Because neither of us wanted to be the first to apologize.

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That's why we were estranged for a year.

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That's why we didn't talk.

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What about the coworkers discussing relationships between managers and employees?

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Why was Mark doing this, these one -on -one meetings between you and the five other team members?

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Because he noticed people were too nervous to share their ideas in big team meetings.

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And what about our third example?

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The classmates are having a discussion about relationships between parents and children.

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You're sharing about your mother and younger brother.

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Why?

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Because my mom wanted him to become a doctor, but he wanted to study music.

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That's why there was this argument between your mother and your younger brother.

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So you see how, again, in a moment when your mind would have went blank, you could have used this simple five -step method,

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who, what, when, where, and why.

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But let's see it all together.

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Going back now to our example, we've organized each piece of information.

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Again, your mind went blank.

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Stop. Who?

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people involved.

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What?

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What happened? When?

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When did it happen? Where?

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Where did it happen?

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Why?

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Why did it happen?

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Now put it all together.

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Example one, the friends discussing relationships between best friends.

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Let's recap who my best friend,

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Jenna and I, what stopped talking for almost a year after a misunderstanding when back in college,

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where, when we were roommates in a tiny apartment in Chicago

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and why neither of us wanted to be the first to apologize guys.

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Combining this information, what do we get?

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Listen closely.

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My best friend and I, my best friend

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Jenna and I stopped talking for almost a year after a misunderstanding.

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This happened back in college when we were roommates in a tiny apartment in Chicago.

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We stayed silent for so long because neither of us wanted to be the first to apologize.

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Amazing response, advanced English response, a response that will come out.

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When initially your mind went blank, you simply start thinking about the who, what, when, where, why simple five steps.

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And this comes out.

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What about example two coworkers having a discussion on relationships between managers and employees again,

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who my old manager, Mark and our team of five.

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What he started weekly one -on -one meetings and the team became much happier. When?

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About three years ago at my first job. Where?

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A small marketing agency in Toronto. And why?

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He noticed people were too nervous to share their ideas in big team meetings.

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The combined response now.

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My old manager, Mark, started weekly one -on -one meetings with our team of five, and the team became much happier.

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This was about three years ago at my first job, a small marketing agency in Toronto.

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He started the meetings because he noticed people were too nervous to share their ideas in big team meetings.

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Absolutely amazing.

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But what happened again?

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The simple five steps.

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Who was involved?

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What happened?

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When did it happen?

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Where did it happen? and why did it happen?

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And finally, our third example, classmates again, discussing relationships between parents and children. Who?

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My mom and my younger brother.

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What?

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Argued constantly about his career choice. When?

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Last year, right after he graduated. Where?

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At our family home in Atlanta, usually during Sunday dinner. And why?

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My mom wanted him to become a doctor, but he wanted to study music now the combined response my mom

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and my younger brother argued constantly about his career choice

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this was last year right after he graduated

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it usually happened at our family home in atlanta during sunday dinner they kept arguing

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because my mom wanted him to become a doctor, but he wanted to study music.

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Five simple steps to help you finally stop experiencing a blank mind.

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Hope you enjoy this lesson and I'll talk to you next time.

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You still there?

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You know what time it is.

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It's story time.

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I said it's story time.

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All right.

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I have another story for you this week.

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Today, our story is entitled

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The Night Her Mind Went Blank.

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It was June 17th, 1967, a summer night in New York city.

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You know how

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New York city is, right?

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Bright lights, big city.

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Now this is a true story and I'm not going to tell you the individual's name just yet.

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She was 25 years old.

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I'm going to paint this picture for you.

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She was 25 years old, a girl from Brooklyn.

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Her father died when she was just a baby and her family did not have much money growing up.

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Life was hard.

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Life was not easy, but the difference was she had a voice.

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You see, as a teenager, she sang in small nightclubs, then on Broadway, then on records.

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And by 25, she was one of the biggest stars in America.

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This young lady who came from a poor family was one of the biggest stars in America.

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Her voice was unmistakable.

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Her voice was remarkable.

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She was absolutely amazing. But then.

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On one June night, she was invited to sing and she walked onto a stage in Central Park.

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I've been to Central Park.

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Central Park is absolutely beautiful.

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A very large park in New York City.

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She walked onto the stage and in front of her, there weren't a thousand people.

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There weren't 20 ,000 people.

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There was a crowd of more than 125 ,000 people ready and waiting,

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longing to hear the voice of this 25 -year -old woman with a beautiful voice.

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Can you picture it?

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A sea of faces, smiling, looking, waiting, anticipating her singing.

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As far as you can see, people everywhere, all of them waiting, all of them watching her.

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She started to sing and then it happened.

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Her mind went blank.

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The words to a song she knew, a song she'd sung before many times were just gone.

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And it happened again on another song that same night.

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The words just wouldn't come to her mind.

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Her mind went completely blank.

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Now, she got through the show, but something inside her broke that night.

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She later said it frightened her so much to stand there in front of all of those people,

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her mind going blank, not being able to sing.

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It frightened her so much that except for fundraisers,

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she didn't perform in public for 27 years.

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27 years, not months, not days, not weeks, 27 years.

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Think about that.

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Literally one of the greatest voices in the world.

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And when I say her voice is amazing, absolutely amazing for 27 years, one of the greatest voices in the world.

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And she kept it hidden, not because she couldn't sing.

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Her voice was still there.

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She could still sing very well, but because she was afraid her mind would go blank again. Does that sound familiar?

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Maybe, you know, English, maybe you've practiced for months, for years, but one moment where the words disappeared and now you stay quiet.

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You let the conversation go on without you because what if it happens again?

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Listen, I want to be honest with you.

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I was in Korea for 10 years.

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I studied Korean and I remember having moments just like this

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when my mind went blank and I just kind of sat there quietly listening, letting the conversation go on.

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And I understand that feeling.

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That's exactly what she did for 27 years.

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She let things go on.

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She closed her mouth, But then she decided she was tired of letting that fear decide for her.

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In 1994, she went back on tour.

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And I remember this clearly her first public concerts in nearly three decades.

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And the world showed up for her.

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That tour became one of the biggest concert tours of the decade.

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Years later, she said it simply.

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She had stage fright for 27 years and she just had to face the fear.

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So who was she?

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Her name is Barbara Streisand.

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So here's what I want you to remember.

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My friend, your mind, it will go blank sometimes.

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It happened to one of the most famous singers in history

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in front of more than 125 ,000 people going blank is not the end of your story.

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Staying silent is so the next time it happens,

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take a breath, name the people involved, say what happened give the time frame,

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set the scene, explain why.

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One step at a time, your words will come back.

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And don't wait 27 years to use your voice.

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I want you to start today.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “What Do You Do When Your Mind Goes Blank?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: step, happened, involved, blank, relationship. This video has 389 sentences and 4176 words to shadow. The speech runs for 29:51. The speaker talks at a steady 140 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 91% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow. 78 of its 389 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
blank noun	/ˈblæŋk/	The white spot in the centre of a target; hence (figuratively) the object to which anything is directed or aimed, the range of such aim.
topic noun	/ˈtɑpɪk/	A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest.
argue verb	/ˈɑɹ.ɡju/	To show grounds for concluding (that); to indicate, imply.
connect verb	/kəˈnɛkt/	To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object.
listener noun	/ˈlɪs(ə)nɚ/	Someone who listens, especially to a speech or a broadcast.
relate verb	/ɹɪˈleɪt/	To tell in a descriptive way.
apologize verb	/əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/	To make an apology or excuse; to acknowledge some fault or offense, with expression of regret for it, by way of amends
combine verb	/kəmˈbaɪn/	To bring (two or more things or activities) together; to unite.
roommate noun	/ˈɹu(m)ˌmeɪt/	A person with whom one shares a room, as in a dormitory, barracks, rooming house, or apartment.
occur verb	/əˈkɜː/	To happen or take place.
silent adjective	/ˈsaɪ̯lənt/	Free from sound or noise; absolutely still; perfectly quiet.
sudden adjective	/ˈsʌd.ən/	Occurring quickly with little or no warning or expectation; instantly.
invite verb	/ɪnˈvaɪt/	To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something.
timeline noun	/ˈtaɪmˌlaɪn/	A graphical representation of a chronological sequence of events (past or future).
disagree verb	/dɪsəˈɡɹi/	To fail to agree; to have a different opinion or belief.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
come out verb	/ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/	To be discovered; to be revealed.
go back to verb		To stem from; to originate in.
go back verb		To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time.
come back verb		To return to a place.
find out verb		To discover, as by asking or investigating.
following along		Keeping up with; understanding.
get through verb	/ɡɛt ˈθɹu/	To overcome; to endure.
go back on verb		To be treacherous or faithless to; to betray.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

What do you do when your mind goes blank?
Why is my mind blank?
Why can't I say anything?
Tell us why, why should we listen to you?
What about our second example?

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	is involved · are answered · being laid
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	you've already set · have noticed · you've already given

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 83 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, they're, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: breathe /bɹiːð/, thoughtful /ˈθɔːtfəl/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: friendship /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/, contribution /ˌkɑntɹɪˈbjuʃən/, facial /ˈfeɪ.ʃəl/, envision /ɪnˈvɪʒn̩/
Long words — get the stress right: apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/, intermediate /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, contribution /ˌkɑntɹɪˈbjuʃən/, critically /ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kə.li/

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 blank, topic, argue.

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: What Do You Do When Your Mind Goes Blank? (The Five-Step Method) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?