This is an All Ears English podcast episode 2086.
Hear us out.
One way to invite new ideas into your world.
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With your American hosts Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Colorado and New York City, USA.
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Where would we be in the world if we didn't listen to new ideas?
Today, find out what you can say when you want to get people to listen to a new idea in English, whether it's at work or with your friends.
Listen in for connection today.
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Hey there, Michelle, what's going on?
Hey, Lindsay, not too much.
Just hanging out in New York today.
Happy to be recording.
How are you?
Feeling good today.
Yeah, all good, all good.
What are we talking about today?
Well, Lindsay, do you ever feel like you aren't being listened to?
Ooh, that's a tough, I mean, sometimes in groups, right?
Like, uh, but usually not among my close people in my life.
Right.
Thank goodness.
Usually I feel pretty well listened to.
That's good.
Yeah.
I feel like sometimes it's important to get your point across and signal that to someone to sit to, signal that you really need someone to listen to what you are saying.
So we're going to talk about a useful expression for that type of situation today.
I'm excited for this episode.
But first guys, we have a really great app right, lindsay?
Yeah, the app is fantastic just because it adds more value.
Right as you're listening, you guys in the podcasting world, it's great, you can listen, but you don't get to see the transcripts right.
So, on the app As you're listening, you can see the transcripts right on your screen.
And this is a very special tool that we built here at All Ears English just for you guys.
It's in the app.
And then we have chosen seven keywords in every episode that you can tap on.
And you can see the definition and then you can save them to your personal power list.
So very cool.
Love it.
Yes.
So get their app, allearsenglish.com app.
Got it.
So what is that phrase that you can use as we alluded to earlier?
Let's just not bury the lead today.
No, no, no.
It is hear me out.
Oh, it's good.
It's good.
It's good.
Yes.
Yes.
So when you hear someone say, hear me out, what do you think they're trying to do?
They are about to try to try to explain their perspective.
You know whether it's kind of it could be like in a sales and marketing situation.
Right.
Or it could be just genuine, you know, like, no, hear me out.
This is, you know, this is what I think.
And here's why they're just saying, listen to me.
Yeah.
Listen to me.
Right.
Whatever.
Yeah.
Right.
Whatever it is, for whatever reason, it could be a variety of different things.
But they're asking you to listen.
So guys, and asking, when you ask someone to listen, you really, you got to be fearless, right?
So go to All Ears English and listen to episode 2068 is how to be fearless when you fail.
So these are good episodes to link together.
So this could be part of an argument.
Maybe you're explaining your side of the story.
Maybe you're introducing an idea that's a little out of the norm.
Maybe it's extravagant.
But like we said, it basically means listen.
So yes, let's show our listeners how it works.
So here's an example.
Now, Lindsay, hear me out.
I never said I was going to be there at three.
Why are you angry?
Yes, you're saying listen to me, you know, like I never said this.
What's going on?
Or I know you don't like planning parties, but hear me out.
This could be big for our clients, right?
But listen to me, listen to my perspective, as you were saying.
Yes, exactly.
Do you use this, Michelle?
Is this in your everyday vocabulary, would you say?
I mean not every day certainly, because I think if I had to say it every day it would be yeah, anything going on here.
But yes, I mean, I would use it if I were... I mean, when I...
I mean, I like to think of the trying to convince someone of something like oh, we should go away to like this place or that place.
Now, hear me out.
Like the weather may not be so good in Copenhagen in the winter, but it's supposed to be beautiful.
Something like that.
Like I could hear in that situation more.
I probably would use it then, you know, in an argument.
I don't know.
I'm just not in that many arguments.
All right.
Like if you're just trying to convince someone someone, of an argument like an unpopular, like something they wouldn't expect to be true.
That's when you would use it.
You're kind of pulling for the underdog.
We actually had that exact conversation about going to Copenhagen, because we were trying to decide where we're going to go over Thanksgiving.
And it's actually hard to find a place to go in November anywhere in the world.
Like there are very few places that have the right weather in November.
Yes, I am currently thinking about maybe that for January and having the same.
Oh, yeah, it's hard.
It's hard.
And so Copenhagen was one of the places on our list and we almost booked there.
We're also thinking about Sicily and we finally landed on Portugal.
But it was like you could make an argument for all the sides.
And so.
Right, right.
Well, one of my best friends lives in Copenhagen and I've always wanted to.
That's a better argument for going there then.
Yeah.
Exactly.
But yeah, Portugal is on my list too.
Anyway, yes, it is hard to find a place to travel in the winter.
So, but let's talk about it more.
Lindsay, where are we going with this?
This is a signal, okay?
I think that that's what is the most important thing to realize here.
This is good.
It's a connection skill because you're signaling something.
And you can also use it to talk about someone else, right?
To hear someone else out.
So that might be also maybe.
Maybe you aren't in the situation, but someone else is.
Yeah, that's a fair point.
That's another really common use of this right.
For example, i know we don't believe him, but let's just hear him out, maybe he will change our minds.
So it's saying i'm saying to you michelle, let's give this person a chance to convince us exactly, or we already have our team picked, but let's just hear her out.
We can still make a switch, Right.
So you're willing to hear it out.
So, or I know her ideas are a little off the wall, but let's hear her out.
We need more original ideas and you can get into like a group think thing at work sometimes, right?
Where everyone, right.
Sometimes you do need that outside creativity, even if it feels crazy.
Yeah, exactly.
Sure.
All right.
So when do we use this?
Do we use this at work on the street with family?
What do we do here Michelle?
Think we could use it really anytime, i don't.
I think this is um, i think it's not really formal or informal.
I think it's more about just the context and you know just the idea that you're signaling something that's important.
Yeah, i think it's a versatile phrase.
You know it could be used at work in the right context, as you said, or it could be used at home to.
You know a lot of people depending on their families.
You know the culture of their family.
Everyone's family has their own little culture right and, like you know, some families are very argumentative to argumentative at the dinner table maybe, maybe not in a negative way, just like people are kind of talking about politics back and forth.
You might use this at home in that context.
Right, Michelle?
Right.
Right.
Exactly.
Exactly.
So and then also one common structure is I know blank, but just hear blank out.
Right.
So I know blank.
Right.
Like I know we don't believe him.
That's the last example.
But let's just hear him out.
Right.
So that's a good structure to plug things into.
I really like this chunk.
I think our listeners, guys, write this down right now.
This is connection, because what you're doing here is you're empathizing with kind of the group and you're saying I'm one of you.
I also am skeptical, but I'm open to this new person or this new idea.
So it's kind of like you're really being a connector here.
You're bringing both sides together.
It is connection in a phrase.
So I really want you guys to write this down.
Okay.
I agree.
Yeah.
And it shows, you know, just that you're open to many things.
You're an open-minded thinker and you're open to change as well.
Yeah.
And it's also like, it's a little less risky for you.
If you're the one advocating for this new idea or this slightly off the wall concept, you're not totally taking a risk and saying yeah, we should do this.
I agree with this here.
Let's do it.
You're saying, I know X, but just let's listen to this.
And so you've got like one foot in either direction kind of.
So it's less risky for you as someone advocating for the new idea, I think.
Oh, good stuff.
All right, here we go, Michelle.
So where do we go from here?
Yeah, well, Lindsay, do you tend to hear people out if you have a disagreement?
I do.
Yeah.
I do my best.
You know, um, disagreements can get very heated, right?
They can get there.
Like if we get so locked up in our perspectives, you know what we think is right, we get kind of blinded too.
Right.
Yeah.
What about you?
Are you good at that?
I think so too.
I think I tend to give people a chance if there's.
You know if, if I, I like to think that I always think people have the best intentions.
Of course.
That's something that I feel like I've worked on or like thought you know, thought about over the years is like that generally hopefully most people are, you know, have good intentions and a lot of things could be a miscommunication, things like that.
So I try to hear people out.
That would be a great episode idea.
By the way, if we haven't done it yet is teach the phrase benefit of the doubt.
Let's give him the benefit of the doubt.
Exactly.
Yes.
You're saying in the world, you try to give people the benefit of the benefit of the doubt.
Yes, exactly.
So what are some other ways that you could say this?
And maybe these are a little bit different.
Maybe they're similar.
So the first one is please just listen.
Right.
It's just very direct.
This one feels a bit more like. please just listen, like a little more intense, emotional.
Yeah, this one is a little bit intense.
Like, I know you're mad at me, but please just listen.
Yeah.
I don't see this one being deployed in the workplace where you're like.
Let's hear a new idea from the art, from the design department.
We've pulled the design department into marketing.
Let's listen to someone from design, right?
No, it's, this is much more raw and real, probably family, right?
I know you're mad at me, but please just listen.
This is more for if there's a, an argument you need to explain yourself.
Yeah um, be careful with that one, i would say, because it does show kind of an op, like a rawness, a vulnerability.
I think yeah yeah yeah, um.
And then the next one is i can explain, or let me explain.
So i know my ideas are not what you're used to, but let me explain yeah.
And sometimes this one is used like in defense, self-defense too right, like if you've done something wrong.
Yeah, people might say I've seen this in movies.
Let me explain like oh yeah if like, somebody walks in and finds their partner cheating on them, let me explain explain right right, exactly.
You can never explain that like yes yes yes yes, there's nothing to say um.
And then the last one is give me a chance.
These are all really interesting because I think they're related, but they're not the same at all as hear me out right, but they all have their own context.
So I just want to be really clear these are not synonymous with hear me out.
They're related or different situations.
Give me a chance.
I know it looks bad, but please give me a chance.
When would you imagine using that one, Michelle?
If something is, you know, maybe someone has made several mistakes and they're saying I know you know this looks bad, but give me a chance.
Or, but I mean, it could also be used in a similar situation.
Like, oh, I know her ideas are unconventional, but let's give her a chance.
So yeah, you know, and somehow it could be used.
Yeah yeah, i think this one could be the closest to hear me out.
It just depends.
Hear him out is more like let's hear.
The idea, versus give me a chance is let me try to prove myself.
It's a.
It's a little different in that sense.
Right right, unless you're saying give her a chance, give him a chance um right, so you could use a talking about someone else.
Yeah, very interesting.
So let's do a role play here.
We're co-workers, we're going over some ideas, all right, all right okay hey, okay.
So i know you usually think my ideas are a little kooky, but just give me a chance okay okay, i'll hear you out.
Okay, thank you.
So let's plan a circus event.
Lindsay, i can explain.
I don't know lindsay please please, just listen.
Okay, i'll give you a chance, Okay.
Unlikely that we'll be holding a circus event at All Ears English, but you never know.
All right.
So you had kooky starred as kind of a bonus today.
Yes.
Lindsay, do you hear that word kooky?
Yes.
I like this one.
I think it's artsy, feels descriptive, feels fun.
So kooky just means like silly, a little bit strange, a little bit Woo-hoo, right?
Yeah, you're out there, right?
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah, creative, unique.
There are lots of words we could use.
Yes, yes.
And then you said, but give me a chance.
And you said, just give me a chance.
It seemed like that felt more natural to you.
I added just.
I added just in a few places here.
I just felt like it made sense.
You just needed a just.
It does.
It makes things more natural.
Yeah yeah, i don't know how to explain that we're gonna have to revisit, just because i know we did an episode a long time ago michelle, but i think we're gonna have to revise this from the archives and come back with it.
Yeah yeah yeah, for sure, for sure, um.
So then i said okay okay, i'll hear you out right, i'm going to listen to you.
And then i said okay, thank you, so let i dropped the big idea that is planning a circus event.
And you said lindsay, right.
And then what did i say?
You said I can explain.
Right.
Or I said something like, oh, no, no, no.
I can explain.
Right.
So things we can add there.
And then you said, I don't know, Lindsay.
So you're very skeptical.
And then I said, just listen.
Just listen.
Please just listen.
I said, OK, I'll give you a chance.
So you give a chance again.
And then and there I could have said, please just hear me out.
Right.
Yeah.
You could have said that, too.
Yeah.
Put that in there.
Nice.
All right.
I mean, our listeners, you guys were talking about some fantastic episodes, ideas coming up.
We will be covering these topics again, right?
Coming back to them using just.
But you got to hit follow so that you don't miss any of these awesome topics, right?
Exactly.
Exactly.
So good point, Lindsay.
Lindsay, what's the takeaway for today?
This is useful and it can be used at work.
It could be used with your family at home.
You want, you know, especially when you're saying hear me out or let's hear this person out.
I mean, what would we be if we didn't have a chance to listen to other perspectives?
We'd be living a boring life.
Yeah.
Think about all the inventions, actually.
I would be inspired today by all the weird things that were initially very weird.
Right.
Like imagine when Lyft and Uber were created.
Yeah.
How weird was that concept?
People were like, you're telling me I'm going to get in the car with a stranger.
Yeah.
Drive me across town and I'm going to pay them through an app.
What?
But ride sharing is super common now.
And so if we didn't use phrases like, let's hear them out, right?
Airbnb, you're telling me I'm going to sleep on a mattress in someone's house?
Right.
We wouldn't have Airbnb.
We wouldn't have if Steve Jobs hadn't said we're going to make an iPod, we're going to take all the songs.
We don't want to buy full albums.
We want to take individual songs and be able to buy them on an iPod and take it with us and put it in our pocket.
Crazy idea.
Let's hear them out.
We have the iPod.
We have the iPad.
We have, I mean, all these things come from letting people speak and letting them be heard.
So that's my takeaway.
I love it.
Yeah, that's good.
I think let's leave our listeners with that.
And yeah, I hope you guys have a great day and I hope that everybody hears you out.
Yeah, love it.
Good stuff, Michelle.
You have a good one.
Talk to you soon.
Bye.
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