Some of the most common signs of hearing loss can make communication challenging. It can be hard to follow conversations when you can’t hear well. It’s essential to deal with and treat hearing loss, which can make a big difference in hearing health. Hearing aids are the most common way to treat hearing loss. They help people hear better, which helps them have better conversations. So wearing your hearing aids daily is critical to improving your ability to hear and communicate. You can also use the following tips along with hearing aids:
Look at the speaker.
Keeping an eye on the person or people you are talking to is a great way to keep up with the conversation.
Facing the speaker lets you see critical nonverbal cues like facial expressions and body language, which help put what’s being said into context. Also, if you can see a person’s face, you can read their lips. This is a common way for people with hearing loss to figure out what someone is saying.
Saying the person’s name before you start talking is a good way to ensure you’re making eye contact and can see who you’re talking to. You can also ask the person to say your name before you start talking. This gives everyone time to prepare for a conversation and make any changes that might be needed.
Reduce background noise.
Background noise is one of the most common things that makes it hard for people with hearing loss to communicate well. Not only does this take more time and effort, but it also makes it harder to hear and participate in a conversation.
Avoid noisy places and places at busy times (restaurants, bars), choose the best place to sit if you’re in a public place, etc.
You can reduce background noise in your own environment by turning down any music or other sound in the background, turning off distracting household appliances, driving with the windows rolled up to reduce noise from the outside, and so on.
Avoid multitasking.
Aside from background noise, another source of distraction is doing more than one thing at once.
Multitasking can make more noise for the brain to process and make it hard for people to pay full attention to a conversation. If you can help, don’t do things like texting, cooking, cleaning, driving, etc.
Ask others to rephrase instead of repeat.
People often repeat something if you didn’t catch it the first time. It is often better to ask the person to rephrase what they want to say than to repeat it.
Hearing loss is different for everyone; some people have a more challenging time hearing certain sounds and pitches. So repeatedly using the exact words isn’t always the best way to hear or understand what is being said. Rephrasing gives you more chances to hear and understand speech better.
Share strategies that work.
It’s essential to speak up for your hearing needs. One great way to do this is to talk about how you and your hearing needs work together to communicate. You probably know how to improve your hearing, making it easier and more comfortable for you to participate in conversations.
It’s important to remember that people want to talk to you and have you understand what they’re saying. Conversations are a two-way street, so everyone is responsible for ensuring they go well. You’re inviting others to help make spaces and conversations more open by talking about what works.
Tips on how to talk on video calls.
Video calls are becoming more common, and there are some things you can do to make the most of these technologies. Among these are:
- Make sure you’re in a well-lit area and ask other people to do the same so everyone can be seen.
- Ask each person to talk one at a time to avoid confusion.
- Turn off the mic when you’re not talking to cut down on background noise.
- Use closed captions to read the live transcription while people are talking.
- Use the chat feature to ask any questions you might have.
Using these tips will make it easier for you to talk to people. If you’ve noticed changes in how well you hear, we can help. Get in touch with us right away to set up a hearing test.
