Communication is a two-way street. When we carry on a conversation it is important to be aware of what we say and how we say it.
Often what a person is trying to convey is misunderstood. Understanding is in the recipients perception of what is said. Many things can influence a person’s understanding.
It’s important to carry on good communication habits…whether you are speaking to someone with normal hearing or with someone who has a hearing loss. After all; when we say something we hope that what we are trying to convey is indeed what is perceived.
Some good habits to practice that will help us to communicate better: Get a person’s attention before you start to speak. Our brains are active. Even if a person is just sitting and staring out the window they are involved in their own thought process. If someone starts to ramble on about something without getting their attention and “breaking” that thought process then often the speaker will be two-thirds of the way through their sentence before the person realizes they are even being spoken to. If someone has a hearing loss then it is even more important to get their attention.
Another good habit is to be conscious of how fast you are speaking. Make sure you give your listener a chance to actually hear you and absorb what you are saying. This is very important if someone has a hearing loss. The hearing loss creates a “slow down” in the transmission of sound from the ear to the brain. This is because of damage to the hearing nerves. When someone has a hearing loss; even if wearing hearing instruments, the sound that is delivered to the brain is being received from damaged hearing nerves. It’s kind of like driving at night through road construction in the rain and the fog. The trip will take longer and be a more tiresome drive. Hearing loss can be exhausting. Make an effort to help the hearing impaired person understand you better…easier. Slow down.
Along with getting the person’s attention and speaking slower; another good habit is to make sure and face the person that you are taking with. While that sounds like common sense it is often overlooked. How many times have you looked out the passenger window and mumbled something to the driver. Perhaps you are in the kitchen doing dishes with your back to the people in the other room. Not only is your speech directed in another direction; that positioning will also cause your volume to be softer and therefore the speech will not carry very far.
Make sure and give the person time to respond. If you are speaking a mile a minute then only part of what you are saying will be interpreted correctly. If you get into a group situation and someone has problems hearing then put them in the middle of the table so they are positioned where they can hear better. If they wear hearing instruments then there are specific ways in which they should sit depending upon the types of microphones in their hearing instruments. Hearing instrument users should consult with their Hearing Health Care Professional as to the specific capabilities of their hearing instruments.
Finally, if you have to repeat something that you have said to someone; whether they have a hearing loss or not…try re-phrasing the sentence. If they didn’t understand you the first time around there is a pretty good chance they will mis-interpret the same words again.
Practicing good communication skills will help them to become good communication habits. This will help you and your loved ones have better conversations and build lasting memories. To Hear Better Is To Live Better!