Use an assistive listening device system. In a restaurant, I ask to be seated in a quiet area, and then I try to be the first person seated, or I explain to people the communication difficulty that a hard of hearing person has in a restaurant or noisy environment. They let me select the table and the seating arrangement that is most advantageous for my hearing. I sit with my back to the wall or to the area in which few people are seated to lessen, behind me, the amplification of voices and background noise, such as music and dishes being removed from the tables. I also use an assistive listening device system in a restaurant, and place the microphone in the middle of the table or near a person who has a soft voice and who is difficult to hear.
Communication is easier if the size of the group is limited to less than four people.
Otherwise, I miss a lot of the conversation and have to catch words here and there and try to make sense out of the spoken words. Many times, I converse with the person who is seated on my right side next to my best ear. Communication is easier if a hearing person tells the hard of hearing person the topic of conversation. Noise is a factor in a social situation at which people stand and visit with one another. The conversation moves rapidly from one person to another, and the amplification of voices and environmental noise is an almost impossible situation for many hard of hearing people.