I don't know how to get people to speak in less than multiple paragraphs sometimes. Like I'm still processing sentence 4 and they are on the next chapter. And it's a massive run on sentence so it's hard to figure out which who, what they, when them, did what to who and how there's entirely someone else involved i just find out about

If I ask then to slow down they don't use less words between pauses they just use them lavishly slowly, so I just keep asking them to repeat themselves.

Sucks when it happens, I'm glad I don't regularly encounter such motor mouths

I have wild tinnitus. Parties are miserable to hear people.

In an emergency, if you really want to have the conversation with that person, after the second "I'm sorry what?" You can say, I'm sorry I'm having trouble concentrating, do you know where the bathroom is? Go hide out for 30 seconds, wash your hands, come back, I'm sorry about that, what were you saying? ohh wait, it's really noisy here, wanna [go for a walk|move to another room|move to the other side of the room]?

When 2 people who have 2 different native languages and are both not english, attempting to communicate via english

If you're talking too quiet the first time, I ask you to speak louder.

If you don't speak louder the second time, I assume you don't actually have anything important to say.

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.

Yay for audio processing disorders! This happens with phone calls, too. Sadly, there’s no escape from some of those.

My general guide on this:

If you didn't hear me the first time, I assume it's 100% my fault.

If you didn't hear me the second time, I assume it's 50% my fault.

If you didn't hear me the third time or there after, I assume it's 100% your fault.

My rule of thumb has long been:

1. try to listen to what they say.

2. if I don't hear/can't understand initially then ask them to repeat it, but only once.

3. if I still don't hear/can't understand just nod and smile as if I did understand, and listen to the next things they say to try to figure out what I missed in steps 1 and 2. The key is: if you do figure it out that late, mask that revelation and instead pretend you knew along.

You'd be surprised how infrequently I've been called out when going past step 3. I've reached that point a few dozen times over the years. But I've been caught out... maybe once? If they ask a follow-up question I just bullshit my way past it and then try changing the topic.

I initially thought this was about people being pretentious assholes at parties.

The comments suggest it is about sensory issues.

I can relate to both, but I’m surprised on the majority take here.

I feel this very much since I have sensory issues regarding filtering and most people can not relate or understand that it also doesn't help to shout and I hear pretty well. Still can't understand them though.

So avoidance of these surroundings is my only option.

I'm in this photo, and I don't like it

If someone has to ask you a second time to repeat yourself, you should feel embarassed and apologetic, not them.