littleredhen
05-03-12, 14:22
one of my anxiety issues is being thought of a bull in a china shop. I don't know what I have done to get this reputation, but I do have the reputation. I guess that in the past I've tended to speak my mind and speak truthfully and people don't really like that. Anyway, the consequence is that these days I'm anxious about openning my mouth and saying anything and I'm really anxious that people think i'm being critical or damning.
My current problem is that I have a colleague who has a really strong accent and also whispers and also mumbles and I can never understand a word he is saying. I don't have to work closely with him and so far I've got away with just vaguely nodding and pretending I can hear what he is saying, but today he told me something very specific that I needed to hear, I did the usual nodding vaguely and then got caught out later on when my boss said "I heard xx telling you that this morning". I had to confess to my boss that I didn't understand what xx was saying to me.
So advice required - how can I now tell xx that when he speaks to me he needs to speak more clearly. I'm really anxious about sounding either a) patronising, or b) just thick and stupid and racist (I am none of these and I really think that if he didn't whisper or mumble I would be able to hear him - for example, when he is speaking to overseas offices on the phone and making an effort to speak clearly, I can understand every word he says).:unsure: gaaah.
My current problem is that I have a colleague who has a really strong accent and also whispers and also mumbles and I can never understand a word he is saying. I don't have to work closely with him and so far I've got away with just vaguely nodding and pretending I can hear what he is saying, but today he told me something very specific that I needed to hear, I did the usual nodding vaguely and then got caught out later on when my boss said "I heard xx telling you that this morning". I had to confess to my boss that I didn't understand what xx was saying to me.
So advice required - how can I now tell xx that when he speaks to me he needs to speak more clearly. I'm really anxious about sounding either a) patronising, or b) just thick and stupid and racist (I am none of these and I really think that if he didn't whisper or mumble I would be able to hear him - for example, when he is speaking to overseas offices on the phone and making an effort to speak clearly, I can understand every word he says).:unsure: gaaah.