Hints for Speaking with a Hearing Loss

There are many communication strategies that a person with hearing impairment can utilize to receive the maximum amount of information from a conversation. Try these out; they really work!

  • Try to anticipate and understand the topic of conversation by using situational and contextual cues.
  • Face the speaker directly and on the same level whenever possible. Sit close to them with your better ear toward them.
  • In your home, reduce competing noises by turning off or lowering the volume of TV’s, stereos, turning off taps, etc.
  • Become familiar with the way different people express themselves: facial expressions, vocabulary, sentence structure, accent, etc.
  • Maintain an active interest in people and events. Knowing about national and world affairs, as well as those of your community and friends, will help you follow any conversation more readily.
  • Utilise speech reading to the fullest!
  • Concentrate on the thought rather than the individual words.
  • Do not interrupt the speaker until he/she is finished.

Remember that communication is a two-way exchange of information. Do not monopolise the conversation in an attempt to direct and control it.

Remember to wear your hearing aids along with your glasses in order to benefit from the visual and auditory clues that become available.