Tips for facilitating communication with someone with hearing loss

In our last blog we discussed some tips for making communication easier when you have a hearing loss. Communication is a two-way street, so today’s blog will focus on the speaking partner of the person with hearing loss and what they can do to facilitate better communication.

• Get the person’s attention before starting the conversation and announce when you are going to start a new topic. When the person is aware that conversation is about to start or shift topic, they can be better prepared to listen rather than taking up energy trying to catch up.
• Make sure the lighting is good and the person can see your face. We all rely on facial ques for context. For people with hearing loss this is even more important as watching faces and reading lips can help fill in the gaps when they miss what has been said.
• Try to limit background noise. If at home turn off sources of noise like fans or the TV. When out for dinner try to sit as far from the front door and kitchen as possible.
• Make sure to enunciate slowly and clearly, but don’t exaggerate your speech or raise your voice as this can distort words and make it harder for the person to understand you.
• If there are multiple people speaking, take turns rather than talking over one another. The more people speaking at once the harder it will be for the person with hearing loss to decipher what is being said.
• Finally, if you are asked to repeat yourself, try rephrasing what you said rather than repeating word for word. Saying it a different way may provide more context and certain words may be easier for them to hear than others.

Try these tips for better communication with someone with hearing loss, and when in doubt ask them what you can do to help them hear you better.

 

For more information please feel free to contact Accurate Hearing at:

Lower Sackville: 902-252-3004

Cole Harbour: 902-406-4327