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Shadowing practice: How Insecurities Show On Your Body - Chase Hughes

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  1. You're talking there about building confidence, but I'm interested in what behaviors instantly reveal insecurity.0:00
  2. You mentioned micro pauses as one that maybe not insecurity, but authority and trustworthiness perhaps.0:07
  3. Yeah.0:15
  4. What are the behaviors that reveal insecurity?0:15
  5. So when it comes to insecurity, let's go mammalian and then human.0:19
  6. So the mammalian fear response or insecurity response is a reduced arm swing, incomplete movements.0:23
  7. So like I'm going to reach for this, I'm going to stop and then kind of continue doing it and then the movements aren't completed.0:34
  8. You'll see a lot of that kind of stuff.0:40
  9. And you'll see reduced eye contact and a downward motion.0:42
  10. And biggest of all, you're going to see the body moving or staying in areas that protect arteries.0:46
  11. This means you'll see a lot less of this.0:55
  12. You'll see the humorous kind of sit in a little bit closer to the body while they're talking.0:58
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  1. So the brachial artery is protected.1:02
  2. You'll see the shoulders a little bit up in social situations that will stay a little higher.1:05
  3. Their head coming down a little bit, protecting the carotid arteries.1:10
  4. You'll see the arms in front of their body like this.1:13
  5. Sometimes this is called a fig leaf gesture named by Alan Pease.1:16
  6. Because it's covering the genitals.1:21
  7. Yeah.1:23
  8. Interesting.1:24
  9. But it's also protecting the femoral arteries at the same time.1:25
  10. And men are more likely to do that.1:29
  11. Women are more likely to wrap a single arm around the abdomen like this while they're talking during, like if they're insecure.1:31
  12. And this is protecting the uterus area.1:38
  13. And there are studies on this.1:42
  14. I have no idea who did the studies.1:44
  15. This was originally written about by a guy named Desmond Morris who just, I think, died in the last month or two.1:46
  16. He was in his 90s.1:53
  17. But it's like the first researcher who wrote a book about really observing humans as if they were animals.1:54
  18. Like how did their body move?2:01
  19. And so the book was called Naked Ape.2:03
  20. They're like us, like the hairless monkey.2:06
  21. And he studied, he was like this savant at human behavior.2:09
  22. But anyway, like when you're looking at the insecure behaviors and if you're looking at two people, what you really want to look at, especially if there's two people, is2:15
  23. which person needs something more from the other person and which person is reacting to the other person.2:26
  24. Man, I'm hesitant to reveal this.2:36
  25. The one thing that I teach a lot of these venture capital people, they'll get pitched a lot.2:40
  26. I've never been to one of the pitches.2:48
  27. I've been on the pitching side quite a bit over the last six months.2:50
  28. So I know what this feels like.2:54
  29. The one thing that I teach them to look for is what's called lip compression.2:55
  30. And we tend to do this at times when we are withholding a little bit of information or we're withholding an emotion.3:00
  31. So like, you imagine like if your friend started a new job and you're like, hey dude, how's the new job?3:12
  32. He goes, oh, it's great.3:18
  33. So that lip compression is withholding.3:25
  34. So what I teach them to do is watch for the compression the moment you see it, just rewind.3:28
  35. What were they just talking about right before you see it?3:33
  36. How's the financials in the business?3:35
  37. Yeah, he says, oh, all the financials are great.3:37
  38. We've projected out a good thing for the next couple of quarters.3:39
  39. And you'll see that just that little lip compressions.3:44
  40. Is that lip compression?3:47
  41. I'm always interested in why that particular expression or feature is associated with that particular motive or leak.3:49
  42. What is it?4:00
  43. It's our first way of withholding.4:01
  44. It's our first way to hold in milk.4:04
  45. Like a tongue jut, like after someone tells a lie, like there's something called a tongue jut that's very common like this.4:07
  46. This is our first no.4:14
  47. It's a way to force a nipple out of the mouth.4:15
  48. And these are theories of Desmond Morris as well.4:18
  49. Like this is our first wave withholding and keeping milk in the mouth.4:21
  50. And our first no is pushing our tongue out or purcing our lips a little bit.4:26
  51. What?4:32
  52. That's sick.4:32
  53. Is that not cool?4:33
  54. Is that not cool?4:34
  55. You're amazing.4:35
  56. Sorry, I'm enthralled in the conversation.4:36
  57. People more bored usually because this is brilliant.4:39
  58. Okay, good.4:41
  59. Maybe I should be boring.4:42
  60. It's boring to me because I've been looking at it for like 10, 15.4:43
  61. I'm British.4:46
  62. Yeah, I have to remember.4:46
  63. You have to filter it through the British, whatever this is.4:47
  64. Yeah.4:50
  65. Yeah.4:51
  66. So that's our first no.4:51
  67. So tongue out of the mouth, that tongue jut is our first no.4:53
  68. There's a difference though between a tongue sticking out really quick and then a tongue licking the lips.4:58
  69. So a tongue licking the lips is called a hygienic gesture.5:03
  70. So it's made to make somebody more attractive.5:08
  71. So a hygienic gesture might be me sitting up a little straight and like pulling my shirt down, like rubbing lint off licking my lips.5:11
  72. All those gestures that are made to look us more attractive.5:19
  73. Those you want to look for before someone starts talking.5:22
  74. So if they know a topic's coming up, like, all right, next we're going to get into financials.5:25
  75. And then you see hygienic gestures before they start talking.5:30
  76. So typically you'll see hygienic gestures.5:34
  77. So they're improving their appearance before the delivery of something that might be questionable.5:36
  78. You're trying to stack the deck in their favor.5:41
  79. Yeah.5:43
  80. There's no behavior for deception.5:44
  81. None.5:46
  82. There's no behavior for deception.5:47
  83. What does that mean?5:49
  84. There's no behavior that's like, this is deception.5:50
  85. None.5:53
  86. Zero.5:53
  87. What we're measuring with behavior is A, stress, and B, changes.5:54
  88. Like somebody says, oh, someone tapping their finger all the time or tapping their finger means that they're stressed and that means they're lying.6:01
  89. That's total bullshit.6:08
  90. Absolute bullshit.6:09
  91. So if I just tap my finger all day long, what you need to look for is when I stop.6:11
  92. I was going to say you're just a finger tapper.6:15
  93. Yes.6:17
  94. Yes.6:18
  95. So your first thing that you need to do, like, and people study body language a lot and I could save you 15 years of studying body language.6:19
  96. The only thing that you need to get good at is detecting change.6:26
  97. And then learn a few little facial things or a few little tricks, but you get really good at detecting a change.6:30
  98. This is the same as doing a polygraph.6:38
  99. They have to get a baseline first.6:40
  100. Yeah.6:42
  101. Yeah.6:42
  102. And what you're doing is a visual equivalent.6:43
  103. Is that a fair assessment?6:44
  104. Yeah.6:45
  105. Visual and verbal equivalent of all that.6:46
  106. What's the cadence that this person speaks at?6:48
  107. What's the volume that this person speaks at?6:50
  108. Or if they've been talking about their kid that's missing on the news, like, he's great, he's great, he's great.6:52
  109. And then all of a sudden they say, how do you think he's doing?6:58
  110. And they start using past tense words all of a sudden to describe their childhood.7:00
  111. They think or they're trying to say is currently alive.7:05
  112. And they're using past.7:10
  113. They shift from present tense to past tense.7:11
  114. He is a good kid.7:13
  115. He was a good kid.7:14
  116. Like those like shifts in tense and language use are really important.7:16
  117. And when it comes to behavior, there's none for deception.7:21
  118. You got to look for change context.7:24
  119. So like somebody says, oh, well his arms went into his torso.7:27
  120. Like, well, did it get colder?7:31
  121. Did someone open a door and it's 50 degrees in the room?7:33
  122. So context is really important.7:36
  123. Was he hungry?7:38
  124. Yeah.7:39
  125. And then clusters.7:40
  126. So like one behavior is not that much to like, if you're in something that's high stakes, you want to look for a mountain of behaviors.7:42
  127. So like his breathing rate increased.7:50
  128. We had pupil dilation.7:52
  129. He licked his lips and he was tapping his finger that he did hadn't done before and his language shifted.7:53
  130. He started becoming more, he lost his verbal fluency.7:59
  131. So he's more hesitant in his language and stuff.8:03
  132. We were like, we typically want to see a stack of many different things.8:05
  133. And in body language, I don't know why I got obsessed with it for a while.8:10
  134. I'm really not.8:15
  135. I'm kind of over it.8:16
  136. But in body language, you deal in likelihood.8:17
  137. It's like a meteorologist.8:20
  138. It's not like, yes, it's definitely going to rain at 315 p .m.8:23
  139. today.8:27
  140. And we're looking at, here's historical stuff that's happened.8:28
  141. There's something that's happening now.8:31
  142. Here's a likelihood that something will happen.8:33
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Daily english conversation practice: B2 discussion of body language and confidence

This is a two-person conversation between a British host and Chase Hughes about nonverbal communication and what body movements reveal about confidence. The host asks clear questions; Hughes responds with structured explanations that move from general principle to specific examples. At 201 words per minute, faster than 63% of the catalogue, the pace sits in active discussion, not rushing. The vocabulary spans everyday speech (talking, moving, doing) and technical terms (arteries, gestures, behaviors) made clear through context and demonstration. This is english speaking practice for daily use: two native speakers building an idea together, and you will improve english speaking by hearing how explanations work in real time.

The language: repetition and how explanations build

The conversation opens with the host asking, "What are the behaviors that reveal insecurity?" and Hughes beginning, "So when it comes to insecurity, let's go mammalian and then human." These lines show the shape of the whole exchange: a question, then a structured answer. Hughes uses simple sentences with concrete verbs: "You'll see the humorous kind of sit in a little bit closer to the body while they're talking." When he says "And biggest of all, you're going to see the body moving or staying in areas that protect arteries," he states the principle before explaining examples. The repetition of "you'll see" and "the body" ties examples together and makes the logic followable. Notice how new terms are announced and shown: "Sometimes this is called a fig leaf gesture named by Alan Pease."

  • Listen for the question-answer rhythm: how Hughes picks up questions with a frame (So, Like) before getting specific.
  • Shadow the summary sentences, like "And biggest of all, you're going to see the body moving or staying in areas that protect arteries." These pack logic into one breath.
  • Notice how new words are introduced, shown by action, then linked to research. This pattern teaches you how to discuss complex ideas in english, a key skill for improving english speaking and listening.

How to practise shadowing: a path through the lines

Start with lines 1 through 3: the opening question and Hughes's reply. This establishes the rhythm and the host's clear British accent, helping you tune in to the conversational pace and british english pronunciation patterns. Then move to line 5, "So when it comes to insecurity, let's go mammalian and then human." Next, work on lines 10 and 12: line 10 announces the principle (protect arteries), line 12 gives an example. Shadow these slowly; Hughes is demonstrating as well as telling. Finish with lines 17 and 21, which name the gesture and link it to function. By the end, you will have heard how a native speaker takes a complex topic and makes it followable through question, frame, example, and reference.

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