Do You Understand The Words That Are Coming Out Of My Mouth?

Did you ever see the movie Rush Hour with Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan?

This is one of my favorite scenes in the whole movie!

Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) doesn’t think that Chief Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) speaks English. There could be a language barrier. Carter decides to enunciate every single word to see if Lee understands him. Lee just smiles!

Do You Understand the Words That Are Coming Out Of My Mouth?

It is a classic scene.

I am actively working on listening skills with Logan, my 5-year-old Grandson.

I wonder if he understands the words that are coming out of my mouth, let alone if he even hears me sometimes.

I decided to make a listening chart to encourage him to listen. Smiley face stickers mean a lot to a 5-year-old!

I think a lot of us could work on our listening skills.

How quick we are to defend our point rather than understand the words that are coming out of someone else’s  mouth. How quick we are to relate to the person talking by telling them about a time something similar happened to us. We can quickly turn what they are saying into something that has nothing to do at all with what they said.

Their meaning is lost on ears that don’t hear.

I have been trying to work on really listening to the other person, not finishing their sentences because I think I know what they are trying to say. I want people to know that I value them and their words.

Though Logan is only 5 years old, it is still important for me to listen to what he is saying even though I am the adult and I have the final say. Logan needs to know that his words are important and have meaning.

He also needs to know that it’s important to listen to me and to follow my directions because I have his best interests at heart.

The kindergartn class was given “Listening Rules” to follow when the Teacher talks as well as to practice at home.

1. Listen with our eyes. As they point to their eyes and look at the person talking.

2. Listen with our ears. As they point to their ears and hear what the person is saying.

3. Quiet our mouths. As they put one finger on their lips.

4. Still our bodies. As they give themselves a hug.

We can practice listening rules when we talk to people in everyday conversations at work, at home, at the gym, at the store. Everywhere we go. Look people in the eye, hear what they are saying, be slow to speak and be aware of our body language and don’t forget to smile!