Communication between those with and without hearing loss can get tricky. The key to making a successful connection is educating and advising hearing people on the best ways to talk to you to prevent frustration on either party’s part. Here are a few steps you can take to make having conversations with hearing people easier:
Face-to-face conversation: Let your speaking partners know it’s best to look at you when conversing – facial expressions and mouth movement can be key to comprehension.
Background noise: Select a conversation destination that’s conducive to your understanding – skip noisy areas like busy public spaces where a large amount of people are gathered.
Honesty: It’s important to be truthful about the times in which you just can’t understand the other half of the conversation – be gracious and be honest when you’re just too tired to stay focused on the conversation.
Speaking clearly: It’s okay to let others know that it may help to speak more loudly (without shouting) and that talking slowly isn’t as important as speaking clearly.
Noise pollution: Make sure to turn off noise-making background devices, such as TVs or stereos, when they’re not in use.
Spread the word: Talk regularly to your friends and family members about your hearing loss – the better they understand what you’re going through, the more helpful they’ll be in conversational settings.
Just don’t forget – openness and honesty about your hearing loss is highly important to successful communication with your friends and family.
