TED Talks That Double as Speaking‑Practice Scripts

Shadowing forces you to copy a speaker’s rhythm, stress and intonation in real time, while pause‑and‑paraphrase demands active production. Research shows both techniques accelerate fluency—especially on authentic content. Below you’ll find six carefully chosen TED Talks (≈ 6–14 minutes each) with tasks and reflection prompts you can complete right here.

1. How to Speak So That People Want to Listen — Julian Treasure

Tasks

Warm‑Up — List three qualities you admire in great speakers.
Shadowing — Watch 0:45‑1:30; stretch every long vowel while shadowing.
Pause‑and‑Paraphrase — Between 2:10‑2:50 restate each “Deadly Sin” in your own words.
Personal Application — Record a 60‑second elevator pitch using H.A.I.L. (Honesty, Authenticity, Integrity, Love).
Reflection — Which vocal tool (pitch, pace, projection, etc.) will you focus on next? Write one action step.

2. The Secrets of Learning a New Language — Lýdia Machová

Tasks

Warm‑Up — Note the last language‑learning technique you tried. How well did it work?
Shadowing — Shadow 0:20‑1:00, copying her storytelling rhythm.
Prediction — Pause at 4:05 and guess the next “secret ingredient.”
Pause‑and‑Paraphrase — After 5:30, summarise “language islands” in one tweet‑length sentence.
Action Plan — Draft a 15‑minute daily routine you can keep for a week.

3. How Body Language Shapes Who You Are — Amy Cuddy

Tasks

Warm‑Up — Sketch a stick figure “power pose.”
Shadowing — Shadow 1:35‑2:05, stressing contrasts (e.g., NOT… BUT).
Pause‑and‑Paraphrase — Pause 7:10‑7:50; retell the experiment in simple English.
Role‑Swap — Explain the results as if you were the lead researcher.
Reflection — How will you use body language to project confidence in an interview?

4. The Happy Secret to Better Work — Shawn Achor

Tasks

Warm‑Up — Rate today’s mood 1–10. How do you think it affects productivity?
Speed‑Shadow — Shadow 0:35‑1:05 at full speed without dropping words.
Data Restatement — Pause at each statistic (e.g., 3:40) and restate it in everyday language.
Fluency Sprint — Summarise the “Happiness Advantage” in under one minute.
Action Plan — List two daily gratitude or kindness habits you’ll try this week.

5. The Power of Vulnerability — Brené Brown (7‑min extract)

Tasks

Warm‑Up — Write one word you associate with “vulnerability.”
Shadowing — Shadow 2:00‑2:45, focusing on rising‑falling intonation in dialogue.
Pause‑and‑Paraphrase — Pause 4:30‑5:10; explain “numbing” in your own words.
Role‑Play — Imagine you’re Brown’s therapist; respond with one open‑ended question.
Reflection — Describe a time when vulnerability helped you connect with someone.

6. The Psychology of Your Future Self — Dan Gilbert

Tasks

Warm‑Up — Predict one major life change you expect ten years from now.
Shadowing — Shadow 0:50‑1:20, practising percentage pronunciation (“65 percent”).
Prediction — Pause at 3:05 and guess the talk’s main finding.
Pause‑and‑Paraphrase — After 4:15, describe the “end‑of‑history illusion” with a personal example.
Reflection — Write one action you can take this week to avoid underestimating future change.

How to Work Through the Tasks

Loop each clip three times: ① pure listening, ② shadowing, ③ pause‑and‑paraphrase.
Record yourself on the third pass and compare stress and rhythm to the original.
Log new chunks (e.g., “on the other hand”, “it turns out”) in a spaced‑repetition deck.

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