Speak up!

[TonyF]

My hearing is fine. It is, really.

It's quite hard to expect me to hear you when literally nothing is coming out of your mouth. Some people have this wonderful speaking habit of starting their sentence fine....then trailing off into a whisper and eventually nothing! It's annoying.

How do you expect me to understand what you want? You can't. So speak up. I'll ask you to repeat yourself. Please do so without being a jerk! Most people who are asked to repeat themselves get huffy with a sigh and then repeat louder, slower, and more sarcastic.


Woman walks up to my counter and has a shoebox full of old photos that she wants duplicated and placed on digital media.

Her: "Yeah, I'd like these old photos put on a CD and have some ..."
Me: "Ok, so you'd like a CD and what else?"
Her: "I said prints."
Me: "Oh ok, and how many sets?"
Her: "I guess I'll take three each because I have to give them to some family members."
Me: "Alright, can I get your contact phone number?"
Her: "It's XXX-xx...."
Me: "XXX-what?"
Her: "-XXx."
Me: "Sorry, still didn't catch that last part."
Her: *sigh* "For the third time, it's xxx-xxxx!"
Me: "I'm sorry, I can't hear you." As nice as I could sound.

I look up and her facial expression has changed, she's irritated now...when I'm the one who should be.

Her: "Ok. So. Three. Sets. And. A. Cd. Did you get that, can you hear me now?"
Me: "...Yeah." Yes, I can, you son of a b****.

She notices the tone in my voice.

Her: *irritated* "Well, I'm sorry, but you can't hear well so I'm talking louder so you can."

Stop! Stop right there! That voice you just used! Keep that one, please. That was good, lose the attitude and we're golden!

She's coming back tomorrow. I wonder if she'll use her actual tone or the one that works. I don't care if she thinks I'm deaf, I just want to hear her!

[Solumina]

Well clearly you could hear the first bit of everything that she said so the issue isn't you being deaf, but I guess she is a bit too clueless to notice that.

I fully admit to occasionally trailing off because I got distracted or my mind was jumbled but it is just silly to get snippy with the employee, who should be thanked for being patient will my frazzled mind.

[XCashier]

I hate that too. Don't know why people insist upon mumbling, trailing off, or worst yet, walking away while talking to you.

For best communication:

1. Look at the person you are speaking to.
2. Speak clearly and distinctly.
3. Keep your volume even.
4. Stop talking when you finish what you have to say.

Seriously, it's not that difficult. Yet so many people have so much trouble with it, you'd think it was nuclear physics.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

Yeah, and by the way, how dare someone be hard of hearing! So annoying for an EW like her. Because of course she assumes that anyone who can't hear her must be hard of hearing.

[chainedbarista]

soft or incoherent mumbing, it all needs clarity, something these geniuses can't seem to comprehend.

blargleeegggrhsnoofleherfen means absolutely nothing.

and, as you said, master of donutry, speaking oh so softly/whispering also translates into nothing.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Yeah, and by the way, how dare someone be hard of hearing! So annoying for an EW like her. Because of course she assumes that anyone who can't hear her must be hard of hearing.

I go through this on an almost daily basis and frankly, I'm tired of it.

I'm tired of trying to nicely explain to people that I can't hear what they're saying.

I'm tired of people still talking to their damn clothes (like their clothes are going to answer them back.)

I'm tired of people getting huffy and develop Instant Bitchitis when told "I'm sorry, could you speak up a little? I can't hear you very well."

Anyone else fed up at times with it all and just want to move to a deserted island?

[TheMike]

Stop talking when you finish what you have to say.

so very many people need to learn this rule

[aurelemsrealm]

Anyone else fed up at times with it all and just want to move to a deserted island?

This is one of my frequent fantasies when I'm stuck at work.

[EvilEmpryss]

I've had good results by lowering my own voice to a whisper when customers do that. When people think they're having trouble hearing, they tend to speak up. Don't know the logic behind "I can't hear, therefore I must speak louder", but it seems to hold true more often than not. If you raise your own voice, though, you risk being accused of being aggressive.

I still think it's sucky that people get pissed when the CSR tries to be tactful and claim a hearing problem as the reason they need the customer to repeat themselves. You're trying to save face for the customer, but they just don't get it.

[Mytical]

Geesh I hate that. I work in the chamber of doom (ok it's not called that, but it should be) at my job site. It is rather large, and voices get .. lost in the chamber of doom. Somebody will be standing on the other side of the room mumbling, and when I tell them I can't hear them .. *sighs*. You have to be pretty much right at my desk, or your words will not reach me unless you are Pavarotti or something.

[Mondestrucken]

I always want to channel Johnny Depp in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and shout, "Mumbler!" at them.

[Treasure]

oh, I'm sorry, you must have been talking to my sister! No really, i love her to death, but i hate talking to her on the phone - that's when she's the worst, and deity forbid if she's just woken up or doesn't feel good for some reason! Oh, and if we go to a restaurant, then all of a sudden she's 5, despite looking like a Pin-Up or a cartoon rabbit (major hour glass figure going on) and being 26, she uses her lil' girl voice....

[Darkforge]

For best communication:

1. Look at the person you are speaking to.

This, this exactly. It annoys me so much. My hearing isn't that great, its not bad but its not very good, but i can (sortof) lip read. If people speak while facing me and i can see their lips then chances are that if they mumble then those one or two words that I don't catch I'll have a decent chance of getting with lip reading.

My other half has the worst habit of not facing me, i'll get half the sentence and not the rest, unfortunately she also jumps from topic to topic with no connection so i'll ask what she said and she won't be able to remember, we make a wierd pair.

so yeas., anyway, if you're speaking to me, LOOK AND FACE AT ME! (please?)

[AyreBiskits]

I hate that too. Don't know why people insist upon mumbling, trailing off, or worst yet, walking away while talking to you.

THIS!! this is my boss, the mumbler, except english isn't his primary language so not only does he mumble and walk off while he's still talking to you but his words aren't exactly in a language you can understand. then he gets all pissy because i can't understand what he's saying and he has to repeat himself, sometimes 2 or 3 times because guess what? i'm also slightly deaf.

[KellyHabersham]

I'd be the first to admit that I'm one of those who gets frustrated at being asked to repeat myself or told I need to speak up/stop mumbling......but on the other hand, I'm hearing myself as speaking at a "normal" pitch and speed, and I've gotten this even when I'm looking the other person in the face.