I can hardly hear you say what I should do

Every so often I look through a list of search terms people use and end up at this site, lots of them make sense and are relevant. However, there are a few which I cannot explain, most of them are questions which clearly need answering, lets see if I can help.

I can hardly hear you say what I should do

An interesting question, one without context. Perhaps its more of a problem statement than a question. In such situations it is important to find the root cause of the problem before you can work round it. There are many reasons why you may not be able to hear someone speak, for example:

  1. You may be in a noisy environment.
  2. You may be separated by a great distance.
  3. You may be communicating via phone with a sub quality line.
  4. You may be using an ‘internet phone’ when the internet is busy.
  5. You may be starting to lose you hearing.

When taking orders or commands from someone it is important that you understand what they say. Poor communication can often lead to problems, wasted time and in situations where safety is paramount, death. Before completing any order you should first confirm that you have fully understood it. To do this you will most likely need to respond in some form, based on the situations above I have listed some steps which you could take.

  1. If in a noisy environment try pointing at your ear (either one will do), look confused, shake your head and clearly mouth the words “I can’t hear you”.
  2. If separated by a great distance perhaps consider moving closer to whom you are attempting to communicate with. The solution to point one can also be attempted if moving closer is not possible.
  3. If on the phone you can shout loudly “I can’t hear you” or “you’re breaking up”, this is to be followed by hanging up and calling back. When calling back make sure to explain that you hung up because you couldn’t hear them properly.
  4. If using an ‘internet phone’ I might recommend waiting until the internet is less busy, the internet is often busiest on Sunday nights when a lot of middle aged people are surfing ebay and checking email.
  5. If you think you are losing your hearing I would recommend consulting your doctor.

I hope this has helped somewhat, there are of course many other situations too numerous to list here where you may not be able to hear someone clearly. Finally, asking msn live search or google what to do is probably not the best idea.