Shadowing Technique in English: are you wasting your time? — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00Hey everyone, it's Hadar.
2. 0:01Thank you so much for joining me.
3. 0:02Today we are going to talk about how to do the best possible shadowing exercise.
4. 0:10If you have no idea what a shadowing exercise is, then you are in for a treat
5. 0:14because it's really one of the best ways to improve everything about your English.
6. 0:18And if you've been doing this for a while, then you might want to stick
7. 0:22around as well because you'll learn the biggest mistakes English learners
8. 0:25make when doing the shadowing exercise.
9. 0:28And also, I'm going to give you a few tips on how to improve it and
10. 0:34optimize it because I love efficiency.
11. 0:38If you're already practicing, it might as well work really, really well for you.
12. 0:43And this is what this video is all about.
13. 0:45But before that, if you are new to my channel, then hello.
14. 0:49My name is Hadar.
15. 0:50I'm a non-native speaker of English and I am here to help you sound confident,
16. 0:56clear, and proud when speaking English.
17. 1:00Now, pride is not something that you hear, but it's something that you
18. 1:04feel when someone else is speaking.
19. 1:06And I want you to be very, very proud of your English.
20. 1:10Because it's your second language, or third, or fourth and you should be very
21. 1:14proud no matter what the outcome is.
22. 1:17Now, if you want to find out more about how I can help you, then I
23. 1:20highly recommend that you visit my website hadarshemesh.com, or you
24. 1:25can also follow me on Instagram at @hadar.accentsway, where I share a
25. 1:30new piece of content every single day.
26. 1:33So I have a feeling that you're going to like it.
27. 1:36I'm going to put all the links below this video.
28. 1:39Now let's talk about the shadowing technique.
29. 1:41The shadowing technique is basically you shadowing someone else speaking, meaning
30. 1:46you're repeating what they are saying.
31. 1:49Now, you can also call it the imitation exercise or, as I like to call it, the
32. 1:54echoing exercise, where you're just like echoing what someone else is saying.
33. 1:59Now, before we get into how to do it and how to avoid the biggest mistake,
34. 2:03the reason why it's so good is because, first, it helps you develop intuition.
35. 2:10What does that mean?
36. 2:11It helps you understand things in English on a deeper level, a level
37. 2:16that is not logical or intellectual, but you feel it in your body, you feel
38. 2:21the rhythm of the words and sounds.
39. 2:24And there are things that you can't put in words or you can't find
40. 2:27the logical explanation to why something sounds the way it does.
41. 2:31And when you're imitating someone, it's like when you're singing along or humming
42. 2:35along with a melody, you're tapping into different layers that usually
43. 2:41don't exist when we just think of the language as spoken language or words.
44. 2:46So that's the first reason.
45. 2:48The second reason it can help you understand and listen to sounds in a
46. 2:53way that you usually don't listen to, especially if you're paying attention.
47. 2:57You also start noticing things like melody, intonation, rhythm, all
48. 3:02of which are very, very important when communicating in English.
49. 3:05And they give you that extra sense of confidence and ability to express
50. 3:11yourself and how you're feeling and your attitude towards things.
51. 3:16Now, if you're only focusing on the words and sentences, then you're losing a lot of
52. 3:20the elements that we have in normal speech - things that we don't think about, but we
53. 3:26feel and hear when other people speak.
54. 3:29And this is why imitation exercises are really, really cool.
55. 3:33Also, it's something that you can do on the go while you're driving or
56. 3:37doing the dishes or walking your dog.
57. 3:39So it's a very efficient exercise that you can leverage, basically, any
58. 3:44situation when you're doing something and you don't have a lot of people
59. 3:48around you into a practice opportunity.
60. 3:51Which is also a plus.
61. 3:53Now, before we talk about the biggest mistakes learners make when doing
62. 3:57these shadowing exercises, I want to talk about how to do it, okay?
63. 4:04And I want to give you a few tips on how to do it.
64. 4:06So, the first is to just play the audio and then echo the person
65. 4:11you're listening to, or shadow the person you're listening to.
66. 4:15Right?
67. 4:15So basically, you're not pausing, you're not doing anything, you're just
68. 4:18repeating it a split second after them.
69. 4:23Now at the end, I'm also going to give you a few tips on how to
70. 4:25optimize this exercise, but for now I want you to know that this is the
71. 4:30first option that you have, right?
72. 4:32And this is something that you can do on the go, as you're driving
73. 4:36your car or doing the dishes.
74. 4:38"Because I have worked.
75. 4:40A working class job.
76. 4:44I've waited tables in restaurants.
77. 4:48I have ridden the subway.
78. 4:49I have walked the streets.
79. 4:50In New York city."
80. 4:52The second option is when you are more concentrated, seated
81. 4:58at your desk or on your couch.
82. 5:00And ideally, you might want to have the script of the
83. 5:03speech that you are shadowing.
84. 5:05And what you want to do is to play a line, pause, and repeat.
85. 5:12Okay?
86. 5:12So basically, you play a line, then you pause and don't wait till the end.
87. 5:19Like you can take a short chunk and then pause, and then repeat.
88. 5:24"I started doing this because..."
89. 5:27I started doing this.
90. 5:30I started doing this because.
91. 5:34I started doing this because.
92. 5:38"I was having."
93. 5:41I was having.
94. 5:44I was having.
95. 5:47"This incredible..."
96. 5:51This incredible.
97. 5:53"Response."
98. 5:54Response.
99. 5:55Now, the advantage of this exercise is that you can go deeper, you can
100. 5:59pay attention to more things because you're more focused and concentrated.
101. 6:03You have more time to listen to things to repeat it.
102. 6:06So, this is a great way to go deeper, but the advantage of the
103. 6:10first option is that you can do it any time and pretty much anywhere.
104. 6:17Well, not really anywhere because if you do it while you're at the
105. 6:20dentist or just at the bank, that would be a little weird, or in the
106. 6:24middle of a very important meeting.
107. 6:26So maybe then you shouldn't be doing the shadowing exercise.
108. 6:30I mean, you know, it's just a suggestion.
109. 6:32Now, the biggest mistake you might be making when doing a shadowing
110. 6:36exercise is that you do not set an intention as to what you're paying
111. 6:41attention to and trying to improve.
112. 6:45The idea of the shadowing exercise is not just a copy-paste or
113. 6:50become a parrot of someone else.
114. 6:52Okay?
115. 6:53No.
116. 6:54The idea is to try to follow someone else's speech pattern, voice,
117. 6:59intonation, rhythm, melody, and sounds.
118. 7:01Yes, great.
119. 7:03But also you want to improve specific things and you
120. 7:07want to pay attention to it.
121. 7:10The brain filters out a lot of information as you're listening to
122. 7:13other people and as you're speaking.
123. 7:16When you're just repeating someone on autopilot, you're missing out a lot
124. 7:20of information when your brain is not paying attention to specific things.
125. 7:24So, you know, you're just repeating it, but you might not be repeating some of
126. 7:30the key sounds that are important to you.
127. 7:32Or maybe you're not paying attention to that intonation shift that could
128. 7:36be beneficial for you to use more.
129. 7:39Right?
130. 7:39Because you filtered it out, you did not listen to it.
131. 7:43Because you're listening to other things, you're very focused
132. 7:45on getting the words right.
133. 7:47Right?
134. 7:47Or you're, you know, thinking of vocabulary or maybe something else.
135. 7:51Or maybe you're doing other things and you're really not concentrated,
136. 7:54and you have no intention as to what you're trying to improve.
137. 7:59So, my biggest piece of advice would be to always set an intention as to what
138. 8:06it is that you're trying to improve in addition to doing the shadowing
139. 8:10exercise and all the benefits that I've discussed at the beginning.
140. 8:14And to that we'll add, you know, vocabulary and flow and connected
141. 8:18speech and all of these great things that, you know, are added value when
142. 8:23you're doing these shadowing exercises.
143. 8:25But you want to set an intention, you want to know what you're listening
144. 8:29to and what you are trying to change.
145. 8:33So for example, if you're working on distinguishing between the
146. 8:36'sheep-ship' vowel pair, then when you're listening to someone else
147. 8:41during those imitation exercises, you want to detect every time they use
148. 8:47either the tents 'ee' or the lax 'I'.
149. 8:51Or especially, when they're using tricky words, that could be, you know, either-or,
150. 8:56like 'cheap-chip' or 'least-list', right?
151. 9:00Minimal pairs.
152. 9:01So you want to be mindful of that.
153. 9:04Because when you're mindful of that, so for example, you say, "I'm going
154. 9:07to listen closely to these two vowel sounds", then you will notice it.
155. 9:12All right?
156. 9:13When, usually, if you're not setting an intention, you're
157. 9:16less likely to notice it.
158. 9:18And then when you notice it, you're more likely to do it.
159. 9:21And when you're focused on getting it right, that's when you start
160. 9:24to change things, that's when you start to rewire your brain.
161. 9:28That's how you start to get rid of old pronunciation habits or speaking habits,
162. 9:33and you start to acquire new ones.
163. 9:36Not that there's anything wrong about how you used the say it, but if it affects
164. 9:39your clarity, and you're self-conscious about that pronunciation, then you can
165. 9:43shift only with intention and repetition.
166. 9:48So, paying attention to those things and making sure that you're saying
167. 9:52them is going to significantly improve the quality of your practice.
168. 9:59Now, it's not just about sounds, it could also be intonation patterns.
169. 10:02So, let's say you want to improve or vary your intonation
170. 10:06patterns when speaking English.
171. 10:08So maybe you might want to pay attention to how this person ends their sentences
172. 10:14- whether it's going up or going down.
173. 10:16You want to pay attention to the stressed words only and see how they're being
174. 10:21stressed, whether they're prolonged, or maybe that person raises their pitch.
175. 10:26Right?
176. 10:26And then you want to imitate just that.
177. 10:28Now, of course, you're imitating a whole lot of other things, you know - new
178. 10:31words, connected speech, different sounds.
179. 10:35But you're paying attention to stressed words.
180. 10:37You're paying attention to the intonation pattern at the end of sentences.
181. 10:41This is gold.
182. 10:43Because when you do, you might actually make a change in how you say things.
183. 10:48And that change will stick if you say it enough times.
184. 10:52Now, before we wrap up, I want to give you a few more tips on how you
185. 10:56can optimize your shadowing practice.
186. 10:58First, it's very important that you select a person that speaks in a voice
187. 11:04that you like and even love, that resonates with you, that you want to
188. 11:11master a sound similar to their sound.
189. 11:14Why?
190. 11:14Because if it's someone that has a voice that you don't like or that
191. 11:20doesn't give you all these great feelings and emotions, then you might be
192. 11:26practicing it with a slight resistance.
193. 11:29And that is not very effective or practical.
194. 11:32So, you definitely want to find someone that you love their voice.
195. 11:37Second, remember that you can slow down the pace.
196. 11:39If it's really fast, or if you're not paying attention to all the things,
197. 11:44then slow it down and play it at half the speed or 75% of the speed.
198. 11:50You can do that with podcasts, you can do it with YouTube videos.
199. 11:57It's super easy.
200. 11:58You just go to the settings at the bottom and then change the
201. 12:01speed of the video or audio.
202. 12:04And it allows you to pay attention to more things.
203. 12:07"And I have encountered this type of harassment, right in
204. 12:15the subway in New York city."
205. 12:19Another thing, and I've mentioned it, is to make sure
206. 12:22that you have the script ready.
207. 12:24So you can see the words in front of you.
208. 12:26You can even put it on a Google doc and then edit it, right?
209. 12:31Maybe highlight words that are stressed or divide the sentences
210. 12:34based on thought groups.
211. 12:36So, you can do a lot of things with the text: you can underline words that
212. 12:40are more challenging, you can highlight sounds that are more challenging for
213. 12:45you so you can pay attention to it.
214. 12:47So, working with a script is great if you have the time.
215. 12:49If you're not driving, because, you know, don't work with a script when
216. 12:52you're driving, it's not very safe.
217. 12:55Now, one more thing you can do to optimize your practice is to record
218. 12:58yourself shadowing the person.
219. 13:00So for example, you play the audio, you pause, you repeat,
220. 13:05and you record the whole thing.
221. 13:06And then you listen to the recording.
222. 13:08I know it sounds like a lot, but again, if you do that, you will gain so much more
223. 13:14out of it that you would actually need to practice less to get the same results.
224. 13:18Listen to me, I know.
225. 13:19So you play it, you repeat it, you record the whole thing, and then you listen
226. 13:24to it and you look for the differences.
227. 13:26Because a lot of times when you listen to something from the
228. 13:30outside, when it's not inside your head, you notice a lot more things.
229. 13:34Okay?
230. 13:35So, recording yourself would be the last thing.
231. 13:38And again, I want to repeat how important it is to set an intention.
232. 13:42You can even write it down or put it on a post-it: R's, word endings,
233. 13:48stressed words, reductions, right?
234. 13:50All of that good stuff that you want to pay attention to.
235. 13:53Now, the last thing I want to add is don't be afraid of repeating the same
236. 13:57phrase or paragraph or part of the video.
237. 14:01You don't have to do the entire video or the entire podcast episode.
238. 14:05No, you can take one paragraph and do it again and again, and again.
239. 14:08Now, don't try to do a lot.
240. 14:10You can do less, but be very thorough.
241. 14:12So you can take one paragraph and just listen to it and shadow it
242. 14:16again and again and again, and again.
243. 14:17Quality, not quantity, my friends.
244. 14:20Quality, not quantity.
245. 14:21Okay.
246. 14:22That's it.
247. 14:22My question to you is, Do you like to do the shadowing practice?
248. 14:28And do you do it?
249. 14:29Is that a part of your English practice routine?
250. 14:33Let me know in the comments.
251. 14:35And if you haven't yet, I invite you to join the InFluency community,
252. 14:39where we practice together on video.
253. 14:42And we do a lot of shadowing techniques there.
254. 14:46There's been a thing recently, where community members have
255. 14:50been shadowing my videos.
256. 14:51And it's the best thing I've ever seen in my life.
257. 14:55Because it's like me speaking with so many different other amazing voices,
258. 15:00and they're doing an incredible job.
259. 15:01So, a shout-out to all the InFluency community members for your amazing
260. 15:06job doing the shadowing practice.
261. 15:09And if you're not a part of the InFluency community, then what are you waiting for?
262. 15:12Join us.
263. 15:13I'm going to post the link to it in the description below.
264. 15:17All right, that's it.
265. 15:18Thank you so much for watching.
266. 15:19Don't forget to connect with me on Instagram at @hadar.accentsway.
267. 15:24And subscribe to my channel if you haven't yet.
268. 15:28Have a beautiful, beautiful rest of the day.
269. 15:30And I'll see you next week in the next video.
270. 15:33Bye.