It irks me when people with hearing loss, including me, are reluctant to ask someone to repeat themselves.

But I understand the many reasons – and the consequences. If you don’t ask for a repeat of something you didn’t catch, that immediately puts you into the bluffing hole – which can quickly turn into a deep, dark bluffing pit. When this happens, hopefully you know what the topic is, because if you miss a comment and chickened out on asking for a repeat, maybe you’ll catch up with the next comment. Or maybe the one after that. Or – you start sliding into the pit of pretending you understand what’s being said.

There are a few graceful ways to climb out of this dark hole. Read on!