Shadowing

Have you ever repeated a song while it was playing? Shadowing is similar, but you use a speaking recording, and the goal is to improve your pronunciation, rhythm and fluency. You listen to a speaker and repeat what you hear, almost at the same time, a little behind, like a shadow following a person. The method became very popular among language learners, and the polyglot Alexander Arguelles taught it widely.

How do you do it? First, choose a short audio of twenty to thirty seconds with a text. The speaker should be clear and not too fast. Listen to it two or three times and read the text so that you understand every sentence. Second, play the audio and speak at the same time, about one second after the speaker. Do not stop if you make a mistake. Follow the rhythm, the stress and the melody, and try to copy the feeling of the speaker, not only the words. Third, repeat the same audio five or six times. It will get easier each time.

Why does it help? Normally, when we speak, we think about meaning, grammar and words at the same moment, and our pronunciation is not our main concern. Shadowing takes away the thinking part. You do not need to create sentences. You only need to move your mouth and tongue in a new way. After some practice, these movements become automatic, and your English sounds more natural.

Some tips: use headphones so that you can hear the speaker clearly. Start with the slow speed. Speak with energy, not in a whisper. Record yourself sometimes and compare it with the original. You will hear the differences.

Five minutes a day is enough. After a few weeks you will notice that you speak more smoothly and that you understand fast English better.