You Don’t Need to Hear Me
I’m learning American Sign Language (ASL). Actually, my wife is really studying it and I’m learning through osmosis. Every night at dinner, she teaches me something new. First it was the alphabet (which I’m proud to say I learned pretty quickly) then it was basic words to talk about our day, ask about our feelings and thoughts, and so on. When we’d finish eating we’d stop using our voices and spend the rest of dinner, as we procrastinated cleaning up, signing to each other.
I find that I’m better “expressing” in ASL than “receiving.” In other words, while I can try to say something, when it comes to understanding what someone is signing to me, I’m easily lost. Especially if I miss the beginning of what they are trying to say. My brain is just scrambling to catch up and by then, I’ve lost the context and the conversation. I’m sure I’m not the first to experience this, and I’m guessing that it just takes time and practice.
But while it’s like learning another language in some respects, in others, it’s completely different. Learning ASL demands attention, demands that your brain thinks about and processes communication differently than it does with spoken language. Some of the signs are intuitive, some aren’t. Some are so similar that it’s tough to see the difference, even though the meaning may be completely different.
To tell a story in ASL, you have to really think about your audience, and about how to effectively communicate to them. Sure, you have to understand the mechanics of ASL...what signs are what and how to use them correctly, but it’s so much more than that. It’s about how you sign as much as what you sign. It’s about the emotion you convey with your body, with your hands, with your face, with your eyes. Without all of that, it’s just words.
That’s what storytelling is. It’s about understanding your audience. Understanding how they “hear” you. Understanding how they feel you. Understanding how every part of what you say, and how you say it, matters.
Meanwhile, I’m still slowly learning. Word by word. Sign by sign.
But maybe that’s the point — we’re all still learning how to truly communicate.
Because whether you’re signing a story, writing one, or filming one, the goal is the same.
To make someone feel something.
To be understood.
To connect.
