I got one co-worker that’s a low talker and I’ve had to ask her to repeat so many times, most of the time now I just politely nod and say yeah hoping she wasn’t asking a question and laugh when she laughs after finishing a sentence.
Maybe give her a talk when you’re not discussing something important and tell her how hard it is to hear what she’s saying and that you’re not trying to be mean but you still can’t really.
If you do it outside of other discussions, maybe she’ll better remember.
That said I feel for you. That stuff can be annoying and I know that feeling of not wanting to be a dick but looking like an asshole.
Oh god I worked with someone like that, a whisperer. When I asked her to speak up, she would make exaggerated mouth movements as if I was a lip-reader. Later on she moved into broadcasting and I was pleased to see (and hear) that they had taught her to use her vocal cords.
It’s the same rules as when someone over-estimates your fluency in another language. When I was first learning Spanish, I asked people to slow down all the time because I couldn’t keep up. It seems most people are good at honoring that - at first. But at a certain point, they go back to their normal speed (or volume.) So I had to either constantly ask people to slow down, or just smile and nod through clumps of words that sped by in a blur and hope I interpreted the speaker’s tone correctly.
Can you politely tell her that you have trouble hearing her often and that she may need to speak up whenever she communicates with you? You can blame it on your own hearing to prevent offense.
Yeah, that’s true. I can hear super well, but my wires definitely get crossed when there’s lots of other sounds. Hearing aids wouldn’t help me, mostly.
I got one co-worker that’s a low talker and I’ve had to ask her to repeat so many times, most of the time now I just politely nod and say yeah hoping she wasn’t asking a question and laugh when she laughs after finishing a sentence.
Either way I look like a dick.
Maybe give her a talk when you’re not discussing something important and tell her how hard it is to hear what she’s saying and that you’re not trying to be mean but you still can’t really.
If you do it outside of other discussions, maybe she’ll better remember.
That said I feel for you. That stuff can be annoying and I know that feeling of not wanting to be a dick but looking like an asshole.
Oh god I worked with someone like that, a whisperer. When I asked her to speak up, she would make exaggerated mouth movements as if I was a lip-reader. Later on she moved into broadcasting and I was pleased to see (and hear) that they had taught her to use her vocal cords.
It’s the same rules as when someone over-estimates your fluency in another language. When I was first learning Spanish, I asked people to slow down all the time because I couldn’t keep up. It seems most people are good at honoring that - at first. But at a certain point, they go back to their normal speed (or volume.) So I had to either constantly ask people to slow down, or just smile and nod through clumps of words that sped by in a blur and hope I interpreted the speaker’s tone correctly.
Can you politely tell her that you have trouble hearing her often and that she may need to speak up whenever she communicates with you? You can blame it on your own hearing to prevent offense.
Brace yourself for them suggesting you get a hearing aid instead.
Yeah, that’s true. I can hear super well, but my wires definitely get crossed when there’s lots of other sounds. Hearing aids wouldn’t help me, mostly.
It’s been 3 years lol