At a Restaurant
The waiter tells you the specials, but he looks down at his notepad while talking. You miss what he says.
"Would you please look at me while reading the specials so I can read your lips?"
The doctor gives you instructions for taking a new medication, but you don't hear the last part of what she said.
"Could you repeat the last part of what you said, please?"
Your child becomes frustrated when you don't hear them calling from another room.
"Please come into the room where I am to get my attention before talking to me."
Someone at a busy counter is speaking through a glass barrier, and their words are difficult to hear.
"I am having trouble hearing you through the glass. Could you speak a little louder?"
Your teacher/supervisor is explaining a new assignment, but she is speaking too quickly for you to follow.
"Could you please slow down and repeat the instructions?"
The waiter is speaking too quickly while explaining the menu.
"Could you slow down and repeat that, please?"
When you check in with the receptionist, she is wearing a mask that muffles her voice completely, and you are unable to understand what she is saying.
"Could you remove your mask and repeat what you said so that I can hear you?"
The living room is dark, lit only by a lamp on the other side of the room, so you are having trouble reading your sister's lips when she speaks.
"Can we turn on the overhead light or move closer to the lamp so I can see you when you talk?"
At a noisy community block party, a neighbor greets you warmly, but the music is too loud to hear them clearly.
"Let's move away from these speakers so that I can hear you better."
A coworker/friend covers her mouth when you are having a conversation during lunch.
"Could you repeat yourself and not cover your mouth so I can see your lips when you speak?"
The restaurant is very noisy with clattering dishes and loud music near your booth, and you can't hear what your family is saying.
"Could we move to a quieter table?"
The nurse is typing and looking at the screen while asking you about updates to your medical history, and you don't hear what she said.
"Could you face me while you explain that?"
Everyone is talking at once during dinner, and you can't follow the conversation.
"Can we please take turns talking? I am having trouble following so many voices at once."
At the grocery store checkout counter, the cashier speaks quickly while looking down to bag your groceries, and you are unable to hear them.
"Could you please look up when speaking to me so that I can better understand what you are saying?"
You are in a weekly team meeting/group project meeting, and others have begun to talk over each other, with multiple people speaking at once. This is making it difficult for you to follow the conversation.
"Could we slow down and have everyone speak one at a time so that I can follow our conversation?"
The waiter is chewing gum while repeating your order back to you, and you aren't able to understand her to confirm your order is correct.
"Could you remove your gum and repeat what you said so that I can understand you?"
This is your first appointment seeing a new doctor, and you want to make sure he understands your hearing needs.
"Before we start, I want to let you know I have a hearing loss, and it is best for me if you look at me when you speak and communicate at a normal volume and pace."
Your spouse mentions an upcoming family reunion event and discusses several unfamiliar relatives you haven't met before.
"Could you fill me in on who is attending and what topics might be discussed beforehand so I can be prepared and follow along more easily?"
A bus driver gives you directions, but you are not sure which stop to use even after he repeats himself.
"Could you show me on the map which stop you mean?"
You are training a new employee/meeting a new student, and you want to ensure you can communicate with them successfully.
"I wanted to let you know that I have a hearing loss. I would greatly appreciate it if you could look at me when we are talking and speak at a normal speed and volume."
The waitress explains several changes to your order, and you still cannot understand after asking her to repeat them once.
"Could you write down the changes or show them to me on the menu?"
The waiting room is crowded and very noisy, and you worry you won't hear the nurse when she calls your name to go to the exam room.
"Is there a quieter area where I can wait for the doctor?" or ask the receptionist, "Could you ask the nurse to come up to me directly when it is my turn?"
A relative keeps saying "never mind" when you ask them to repeat themselves.
"I really want to know what you said. Could you please repeat it or say it differently?"
You attend a public event with your spouse in a large, echoey space where there is a lot of background noise from other attendees and the sound system.
"Can we sit near the front where I am better able to see? Let's also check if there are any assistive listening devices at this event."
You are at a conference/in a large lecture hall with your coworker/classmate and want to ensure you will be able to follow the speaker's/professor's lecture.
"Let's sit toward the front of the room so that I have better visibility of the speaker. If you can save me a seat, I will check if there are any assistive listening devices available."