Hear me out

Hear someone out

Today’s expression is to hear someone out. To hear someone out is to listen to their point of view , even if you disagree with it. This expression is almost always used in the imperative . You’re almost always saying to another person, “Hear me out.”

You would typically tell another person, “Hear me out,” when you think the person won’t listen to what you’re saying, or if you think that person will quickly disagree with you. Do you remember hearing it earlier? I told you, “hear me out.” I was about to say something that I knew you might not find convincing . I was about to say that chocolate and bacon go well together . You should try chocolate-covered bacon . I knew I was going to say that. And I knew there would be some of you—you know who you are—who would not be convinced by this. So, I said, “hear me out.” Listen to what I’m saying. You don’t have to agree with it, but I would like you to listen and then make up your mind .

I recently made some changes to the how-to videos that accompany each lesson on the website for Plain English Plus+ members. JR is the producer of everything, so it’s his job to produce these videos too. And the changes involved a few extra steps for JR. So, when I told him about this, I said, “JR, hear me out, this is what I want to do.” I wanted JR to listen to my whole point of view before deciding whether he liked my ideas or not.

I anticipated that JR might not like the changes because he’s already got a big job. He has to produce two versions of the audio—fast and slow—plus the video, upload everything, manage the translations , and he has to do it 52 weeks a year. We don’t take any weeks off here at Plain English. So, if we add steps to the workflow , it could really affect JR’s routine or even his whole week.

But JR heard me out and we both agreed on the steps. We compromised . I changed my original idea and he agreed to add some steps to his workflow.

Sometimes you might want to hear someone out, even if you have no intention of doing what they say. It can be polite and respectful to hear someone out. Just let the other person explain their ideas, give them the satisfaction of saying their piece . Hear the person out.

If you express a controversial opinion , you might preface it with, “hear me out.” I think they should change a big rule in ice hockey. Hear me out. A penalty in ice hockey results in a power play, which is two minutes where one side plays with more players than the other side. If the end of a period comes during those two minutes, it can interrupt the momentum of the team with more players. I think they should change the rule and let the team take their power play in two consecutive minutes , so their momentum isn’t interrupted .

Just now, I told you I had a proposed rule change for professional ice hockey. Who am I to propose rule changes? Rule changes don’t come from fans . But hear me out, I said, it’s a good idea. At least listen to the idea. I was about to express a controversial opinion, and I said “hear me out” at the beginning. I was asking you to listen and keep an open mind during my explanation . Feel free to disagree later, but at least hear me out.

JR’s song of the week

Today’s song of the week is “Mannish Boy” by Muddy Waters. JR was at the Art Institute of Chicago and saw an art exhibition by Bisa Butler. The exhibit showed vibrantly colored fabrics depicting black life, whether ordinary or extraordinary . And each portrait came with a song to accompany it . If you put all the songs together, you get a nice playlist. The Muddy Waters song “Mannish Boy” was on that list, so JR selected it this week.

See you next time!

And that’s all for this Plain English, lesson number 401 on this Thursday, September 23, 2021. We’ll be back on Monday with a new lesson. I don’t know what we’ll talk about on Monday, but on Thursday, we’ll be ready wish a happy fiftieth birthday to one of the most famous travel destinations in the world. And I bet a lot of you have been there. That’s coming up next Thursday. So, you have a week to guess what it is. Have a great weekend; we’ll see you back here on Monday.