If you have problems to understand native speakers, there are solutions. Please read this dialogue to see what a teacher suggests.
Before the meeting: get used to the sounds, research the vocabulary, choose quiet venues, and role play the situation.
“The other night I had dinner with an Australian customer. She sat across me at the table but I understood nothing she said. I had to ask my neighbour to translate, which was embarrassing. Do you know what could have been the problem?” the student asked.
“I think you suffered what I call listeners block. Most often it’s because the speaker’s accent and speed make listening very hard,” the teacher replied.
“She did speak fast. Also, I am used to British English so I find other accents difficult.”
“You can learn how to handle listener’s block if you pay special attention to a few things.”
“What are they?”
“Let’s start with accent. Find out where the speaker comes from and watch videos or listen to audios by people from those regions.”
“She’s from Canberra.”
“Well, you can always visit Australia for a holiday!”
“I wish! I could start by watching documentaries.”
“The next point is vocabulary. Think about the expressions people are likely to use and learn their pronunciation. For instance, you could have read something about Canberra before your meeting.”
“You’re right. I should have prepared myself better.”
“The third aspect is place. Noisy locations make listening harder. Choose a quiet spot where you can be close to the speaker.”
“Good idea. The restaurant was crowded and it was difficult to hear with all the noise. We’ll go somewhere quieter next time.”
“That should help. Also, role play situations to anticipate what people will say. This was a dinner, so you could have invited a foreign friend to a restaurant and practised.”
During the meeting: sit near, explain that your English is not so good, concentrate on the easy words and ask people to repeat.
“Thanks. Now, what can I do when I’m already talking to the person?”
“Try to sit near them so you hear better; if possible across a small table to clearly see their non-verbal language; tell them that your English is not that good, so they speak more slowly; or ask them to repeat—but mainly lower your expectations.”
“Sorry?”
“Lower your expectations. Concentrate on only part of the message. A good strategy is to focus on easy words and forget the rest.”
“But I want to understand everything!”
“That’s very difficult. Imagine a game of tennis. If your opponents have the same level you can enjoy the game; but if they’re much better, you´ll run from here to there without ever catching the ball.”
“The problem is that I can’t choose my opponents, Teacher.”
“But you can learn how to play better.”
Expressions to use
“You said I should ask people to repeat things. Can you suggest how to do that?” the student asked.
“You can say ‘What do you mean?’, ‘Can you explain?’, ‘I don’t get the idea’, ‘Could you repeat?’ or ‘I don’t understand.’”
“Thanks.”
“By the way, one more point connected with listening. Don’t be afraid to interrupt when you have a doubt. People generally think that everything they say is understood perfectly so they never explain unless you ask them to.”
Summary
It’s almost impossible to learn all the accents in English so if you know where someone comes from, listen to audios from the area, study the vocabulary they might use and practise situations with your teacher. Sit near the speaker, look for easy words and don’t worry if you can’t understand everything. Sometimes a few phrases here and there are enough to have a general idea of what people say.
This dialogue was taken from Speak and Write Better Business English. You can buy the book at https://www.amazon.es/dp/B093324SXC or read about it on my website www.andymiles.com .