531. How to sound powerful in English (shadowing Jennifer Aniston)

I'm not listening.

Let's practice American intonation with The Morning Show. We are going to shadow a scene played by Jennifer Aniston playing the character of Alex.

Not the apology you were expecting.

Before we get started, hi, my name is Hadar. I'm a non-native speaker of English, and I'm here to help you speak English with clarity, confidence, and freedom. I'm super passionate about teaching pronunciation, but even more so prosody, which is intonation, rhythm, stress, phrasing, all the things that make a speech impactful, persuasive, and interesting. And today we are going to talk specifically about that— how to not sound monotone and how to use your voice to express the message of what it is that you're saying. And we're going to do it while shadowing a scene. Shadowing is basically playing a line and repeating it, paying attention to specific things, in this case the melody. Before we get started, if this topic is interesting to you and you enjoy working on your intonation, rhythm, and stress, and you wanna learn more, definitely check out my free masterclass. It's 60 minutes. You can sign up and watch it right away. Go to hadarshemesh.com/masterclass. The link is in the description, and there I take you through the key elements of pronunciation and also how to not sound monotone and how to use your voice to express yourself confidently. So definitely check it out. So here's how it's going to work. I'm going to play a line. Shadow it. Make sure that you notice a few things you're going to repeat after me, and then we're going to move on to the next line. At the end, you will do the whole thing. Shadow it without my help. Ready? Let's go.

Are you done?

Are you done? Are you? Done. So just thinking about the melody here, we have— usually every syllable in English has a slightly different pitch. Pitch is kind of like the note of the voice, the melody. And when you go higher in pitch, it usually means that that word is stressed. Just something for you to notice. And usually content words— nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs— are going to have that lift in pitch, even if it's just A slight lift in pitch because that's how you emphasize. You also stretch it a little bit, and this is what we're going to pay attention to when we're going through this text. And here we're hearing, are you done? So we have low, high, low, going up, gliding up. Are you done? Let's listen to it again.

Are you done?

Are you done? So it's really good to practice how you play your pitch, especially if your intonation tends to be kind of monotone. Are you done? Are you done? Notice how many notes we have here. Are you done?

The part you guys never seem to realize.

The part you guys never seem to realize. Just do it with me, play with your pitch. The part you guys never seem to realize. So instead of keeping it flat, the part you guys never seem to realize, the part you guys never seem to realize, play with your pitch. Moving on to the next part.

Is that you don't have the power anymore.

Is that, is that, is that, is that, this is reduced, low in pitch, going back up. You don't have the power anymore. You don't have the power anymore. You don't have the power anymore. Anymore drops, but everything else stays up. You don't have the power anymore. Power is also lifted a little bit more. You don't have the power anymore. Let's do it again. The part you guys never seem to realize, and now say it with your most powerful voice, is that you don't have the power anymore. Make that look. Is that you don't have the power anymore. Moving on.

The news division is held up by my show.

The news division. Go to your head voice, your falsetto a little bit. The news division. Play with it. Play with it. I know it feels uncomfortable, but have fun with it. Close the door if you need to. The news division is held up by my show. I'm exaggerating a bit. I'm overacting, as one might say. The news division is held up by my show. So notice how she lifts my show to stress it. Let's do it one more time. The news division is held up by my show.

And the only thing keeping us afloat is me.

And the only thing. So the words that are Spell down that I want you to pay attention to. I'm going to say them slowly. Let's play it again.

And the only thing keeping us afloat is me.

And the only thing keeping us afloat is me. And the only thing— so we slow down on only— and the only thing keeping us afloat is me. So play with the rhythm. Long, short, and the pitch. And the only thing keeping us afloat is me. One more time. And the only thing keeping us afloat is me.

Because guess what?

Because guess what? You can pop that T as much as you want at the end. Because, because, because. Because, because guess what?

America loves me.

America loves me. So it's not America loves me. It's not how America feels about me. It's America loves me, not you, not any other show. It's me. I'm the talent here. America. A lot of schwas. America. Loves me. So play with that me. Get to your head voice. Explore your voice.

And therefore, I own America.

And therefore, I own America. And therefore, therefore. So a lot of strong sounds here. We have the th, the r, but she's saying them slowly. So you have all the time in the world to get the pronunciation right. And therefore I own America. Say it again. Let it sink in. Feel it. And therefore I own America.

It seems pretty fucking simple, but so easy for you guys to forget.

Okay, so now she's going into a more conversational voice. It seems so fucking simple. It seems so fucking simple, right? Just say it like that. Oh, it seems so fucking simple. Go to your head voice. It seems so fucking simple. You don't want to push your voice to get to that note. It's not— it seems so fucking simple. No, don't push your voice. You have to lift to your head voice. It's like when you're speaking really, really softly. It seems so fucking simple, but so easy for you guys to forget. Right? Notice the change between the high pitch and the low pitch that creates variation. She's not doing it intentionally. That's how she speaks. But listen to how it keeps you engaged and it doesn't sound monotone. It seems so fucking simple, but so easy for you guys to forget, which some speakers might say it like that, native speakers as well. But we want to create variation and we want to expand our pitch, especially if the tendency is to stay flat, because again, that helps you Deliver a clear message, create curiosity, interest, and show how it is that you feel or what it is that you feel about what you're saying. Let's do that part again.

It seems pretty fucking simple, but so easy for you guys to forget.

It seems pretty fucking simple. It seems pretty fucking simple. Pretty fucking simple, but so easy for you guys to forget. Are you actually trying to justify your actions?

You're not listening.

You're not listening. You're not listening. Not listening. Not listening. Not listening. You're, you're, you're, you're not listening.

I don't need to justify anything.

I don't need to justify anything. I actually want you to memorize this phrase by heart and say it every time you feel like someone is asking you to justify something. And you don't feel like you need to. I don't need to justify anything. Like that. Let's do it again. I don't need to justify anything. Slow down on the words that you want to emphasize. I don't need to. I don't need to. I don't need to. We have reductions here. I don't need to justify anything.

You all are so convinced that you are the rightful owner of all of the power.

You all are so convinced that you are the rightful owner of all of the power. Again, you all are so convinced. Use your lips, use your jaw here. You all are so convinced. Chew on the words, round your mouth for those long open vowel sounds. You all are so convinced. That you are the rightful owner of all of that power. Let's hear it again.

You all are so convinced that you are the rightful owner of all of the power.

That you are the rightful owner of all of the power. That you are the rightful owner of all of the power. Rightful owner. All power. Rightful owner of all of the power. Rightful. Owner of all of the power. Rightful owner, all power. Rightful owner of all of the power. You see how everything, all the small words squeeze in to fit into that rhythm? Rightful owner, all power. Rightful owner, all power. Rightful owner, all of the power. Rightful owner, all of the power. So the stressed words keep the same beat. And all the reduced words, reduced words are kind of like squeezing together to fit in, in between those beats. That is American intonation, and this is a really good example of it. Let's continue.

You all are so convinced that you are the rightful owner of all of the power that it doesn't even occur to you.

That it doesn't even occur to you. Here we go a little faster. Some reductions are happening. That it doesn't even occur to you. That it doesn't even occur to you. That it doesn't even occur to you. That it doesn't even occur to you. That it doesn't even occur to you. That it doesn't even occur to you. That it doesn't even occur to you.

That someone else could be in the driver's seat.

That someone else could be in the driver's seat. She pops that T. That someone else could be in the driver's seat. That someone else, someone else be driver's seat. Let's listen to it again. Pay attention to the rhythm.

That someone else could be in the driver's seat.

That someone else could be in the driver's seat. Someone else be driver's seat.

That someone else could be in the driver's And so, so we have to just gingerly step around your male egos.

And so we have to just gingerly step around your male egos. Gingerly, carefully, cautiously. We have to just gingerly step around your male egos. Egos. Egos.

In order to not burst this precious little bubble.

In order to not burst this precious little bubble. Again, a lot of consonants, so let's break it down. In order, order, order. I know it's hard. Flapped D, make it very light, and then right into the R sound. Order, order, or. The secret is in the or, or, or. Don't get discouraged if the D is a little heavier. That's okay. Order. Order, but don't put an E or an S sound between the D and the R. Not dare, der, der, der, like dirty. Der, order, order. So let's put it in the line. In order to not burst this precious little bubble. Little, little, little bubble, bubble, bubble. Dark L's. Little bubble, little bubble, little bubble. Little bubble, precious little bubble, precious little bubble. In order to not burst that precious little bubble. Let's hear it again.

Gingerly step around your male egos in order to not burst this precious little bubble.

In order to not burst this precious little bubble.

Well, surprise!

Well, surprise! Say it again.

I'm bursting it.

I'm bursting it. I'm bursting it. Dot dot dot. Intonation is kind of like lifted up in the air. I'm bursting it. She's not closing. She's not saying, "I'm bursting it," my friends. I'm bursting it. What do you have to say about that, huh?

We are doing this my way.

We are doing this my way. So here again, she slows down. She's not saying, we're doing this, we're do— no. We are doing this my way.

Because frankly, I've let you bozos handle this long enough.

Because frankly, I've let you bozos, fools, clowns, handle this long enough. Okay, so going back to the low pitch. Because frankly, I've let you bozos handle this long enough. Okay, let's do that part again.

We are doing this.

We are doing this.

My way.

My way. Because frankly, Because frankly, I've let you bozos handle this long enough. I've let you bozos handle this long enough.

Not the apology you were expecting?

Not the apology you were expecting? Say it with me. Mm, so good. Not the apology you were expecting? Not the apology you were expecting?

Woo!

That was good. Okay, so now I'm going to start again and we are going to shadow it together. I'm going to play her line and then repeat it, and you will be repeating with me. Okay? So we are going to do it together. I'm here to do it with you, to give you the courage that you need and the playfulness, and it's gonna be fun. Close the door if you haven't yet, and just, just fully express yourself here. Let's do it.

Are you done?

Are you done?

I'm sorry. The part you guys never seem to realize.

The part you guys never seem to realize.

Do it, Whitney. Is that you don't have the power anymore.

Is that you don't have the power anymore.

The news division is held up by my show.

The news division is held up by my show.

And the only thing keeping us afloat is me.

And the only thing keeping us afloat is me.

Because guess what?

Because guess what?

America loves me.

America loves me.

And therefore I own America.

And therefore I own America.

It seems pretty fucking simple, but so easy for you guys to forget.

It seems pretty fucking simple, but so easy for you guys to forget. That was quick, so you do it again. Are you actually trying to justify your actions?

You're not listening.

You're not listening.

I don't need to justify anything.

I don't need to justify anything.

You all are so convinced You all are so convinced that you are the rightful owner of all of the power.

That you are the rightful owner of all of the power. Do it again with me. That you are the rightful owner of all of the power.

That it doesn't even occur to you.

That it doesn't even occur to you.

That someone else could be in the driver's seat.

That someone else could be in the driver's seat.

And so, so we have to just gingerly step around your male egos.

And so, and so we just have to gingerly step around your male egos.

In order to not burst this precious little bubble.

In order to not burst this precious little bubble.

Well, surprise!

Well, surprise!

I'm bursting it.

I'm bursting it.

We are doing this my way.

We are doing this my way.

Because frankly, I've let you bozos handle this long enough.

Because frankly, I've let you bozos handle this long enough.

Not the apology you were expecting?

Not the apology you were expecting? Well done, my friends. I hope you feel powerful now. I always tell my students when I teach them the power speech to memorize it, and then before an important meeting Or a big day, or a job interview, or something where they need to feel powerful, to just do that powerful monologue in front of the mirror. You can do this monologue with me every single morning so you can start your day with a little bit of power, okay? And if you want a couple more powerful monologues, I'm going to link to them in the description below. One of them is from Breaking Bad, uh, of Walter, and it's also a powerful monologue that I think you're going to like. So So check it out. All right, that's it. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you enjoyed it, make sure you follow me and check out my website. And if you want to learn more about pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, and stress, I have a masterclass where I teach you just that, especially the patterns of speech. Just go to hadarshemesh.com/masterclass. All right, have a beautiful, beautiful rest of the day. Thank you for shadowing with me, and I will see you next week in the next video.

Bye.