Communicating when there is a hearing loss is frustrating for everyone involved. When you have partial hearing loss, it’s exhausting for both you and your communication partners.
That frustration is avoidable when both parties take responsibility for success. Effective communication works both ways. In other words, both parties need to work to overcome the challenges of hearing loss. Consider some tips to get you started.
What to do when you have hearing loss
If you have hearing loss:
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- Be honest about your hearing challenge. First, don’t just state that you have trouble hearing. Explain the cause of your hearing loss and provide tips for the other person to best communicate with you.
- Make suggestions to keep things flowing:
- Get my attention before speaking to me
- Speak slowly and clearly without shouting
- Face me when speaking to me.
- Wear your hearing aids consistently.
- Find quiet areas for conversations. Limit background noise by turning off any music, finding a quiet area, or limiting background noise.
- Keep a sense of humor. Our patients often have fond memories of absurd misunderstandings that they can now laugh about.
Remember that people are generally empathetic, but only if you take the time to explain your situation. If your conversation partner is aware of your difficulties and preferences, they’re less likely to become agitated when communication is disrupted.
How about when talking to someone with hearing loss
If your communication partner has hearing loss:
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- Get the person’s attention before speaking. Don’t shout from across the room and face the person when talking.
- Make sure the person can see your lips if possible and enunciate your words carefully. Maintain a consistent volume in your speech. If your communication partner is not part of your immediate family and you need to wear a mask for safety reasons, consider getting an invisible one or a face shield instead. Also, make sure you are facing them so that your speech is louder through the mask.
- Limit background noise by finding quiet areas for conversations. Turn off the TV or radio.
In group settings, make sure only one person is speaking at a time. - Remember that for those with hearing loss, it is a hearing problem, not an understanding problem. Be prepared to have to repeat yourself on occasion, and remember that this is not due to a lack of intelligence on their part.
- Never say “never mind.” This phrase is dismissive and suggests that the person is not worth having to repeat what was important enough to say in the first place.
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Together, you can improve your communication.