Believe it or not
Say it before a fact people may not expect.
“Believe it or not, this is a question I’m actually asked a lot.”
Shadowing lesson · Workplace English
Sound smarter at work — English shadowing practice
Speak along with the first minute of a career talk on getting noticed at work, then keep the phrases that make you sound clear and confident.
Level: B2 · Upper-intermediate 17 lines 1 minute of speech 181 words a minute About 10 minutes
Original video
B2 · 1-minute practice 4 Hacks to Appear Smarter at Work
Model leadsYour echo follows
ReadyLine 1 of 17
One click starts the full rehearsal
How can I sound smarter at work?
Listen until the video pauses. Repeat the sentence during the four-second practice window; the next line then starts automatically.
No live analysis.Every pause on this page comes from the lesson’s saved, word-timed publishing record.
Is this clip right for you?
It’s a great shadowing clip, and a fast one. Here is what makes it useful — and where it will push you.
- One speaker facing the camera, so you can watch her mouth.
- Studio-clear audio with no music under her voice.
- A prepared pause after every line — 17 reliable stopping points.
- Language you can reuse at work: promotions, visibility, advice.
Speaking speed
- Level
- B2, because of three things together:
- Speed
- 181 words a minute — faster than a comfortable B1 pace (135–160).
- Words
- caveat, convey intelligence, limiting beliefs, undervalued.
- Longest line
- 19 words in 6.1 seconds (line 3).
Where it gets hard
And it’s usually from high-potential employees who want to be noticed at work by their manager or by leadership.
Overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the extraordinary life they deserve.
Phrases worth keeping
Useful English from this exact clip. Hear each phrase in context, then make one sentence of your own.
be noticed by
Be seen and remembered by people who matter.
“…who want to be noticed at work by their manager or by leadership.”
be considered for a promotion
Be on the list of people who might move up.
“…more likely to be considered for a promotion.”
a pay rise
More money for the same job. British and Australian English; in the US, a raise.
“More likely to receive a pay rise.”
career advancement
Moving up in your work over time.
“And it’s important for overall career advancement.”
a massive caveat
An important warning or limit before you go on.
“A massive caveat before I go any further, though.”
Sounds to notice
Copy the rhythm, strong beats, and linking used in this clip.
Four words, one breath. Two strong beats, and no gaps between believe it or.
Two strong beats. The small syllables stay quick, so the phrase keeps her pace.
The same shape, twice. A short pause between them makes her point land. Copy the repeat, not just the words.
Grammar you can reuse
Patterns the speaker uses naturally, ready for your own sentence.
Say that something has a better chance of happening.
Use it when what happens to a person matters more than who does it.
Check what the speaker means
Answer from the clip before revealing the evidence-grounded explanation.
Make it yours
Answer these real situations out loud, then compare with one possible answer.
In your yearly review, your manager asks what you want next.
be considered forcareer advancement
A new colleague asks how people get promoted here.
believe it or notmore likely to
A friend feels invisible at work and asks for advice.
a caveatoverlooked
All 17 practice lines
Jump back to any line, or save the ones you want to practise again.
- 010:00How can I sound smarter at work?2.2s
- 020:02Believe it or not, this is a question I’m actually asked a lot.2.8s
- 030:05And it’s usually from high-potential employees who want to be noticed at work by their manager or by leadership.6.1s
- 040:12And it makes sense, given that…1.4s
- 050:13Those who are considered smarter are more likely to be considered for a promotion.4.3s
- 060:18More likely to receive a pay rise.1.8s
- 070:20And it’s important for overall career advancement.2.8s
- 080:23So, in today’s video, I’m going to share with you four super-simple hacks you could apply immediately.5.3s
- 090:28To convey intelligence at work for greater visibility.4.5s
- 100:33Hi, I’m Shadé Zahrai, and I help professionals…2.4s
- 110:35To hack their careers.1.2s
- 120:37Overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the extraordinary life they deserve.5.5s
- 130:42A massive caveat before I go any further, though.3.2s
- 140:45The reason why I’m sharing this topic is because I have a lot of clients who are introverts.5.0s
- 150:51Or simply not getting any visibility at work.2.7s
- 160:54They’re overlooked. They’re undervalued.2.4s
- 170:56And because of that, they don’t get any opportunities.2.8s
Your next clip
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Where this comes from
Video: “4 Hacks to Appear ‘Smarter’ at Work” by Dr. Shadé Zahrai, played in YouTube’s own player. FunFluen does not download, edit, or host it. Watch the full video ↗
Lesson notes: Teaching notes were generated from the saved captions and passed exact caption-evidence validation.