Communication Tips for the Hearing Impaired
Communicating effectively is a critical skill, but many people struggle to explain complicated concepts in ways that are easily understandable. Communicating with people who are hearing impaired adds another level of complexity.
Audiologist Dr. Megan Lobner, AuD, on staff at Loyola Medical Center provided information about how to improve communications with people that have a hearing loss. The first step to effective communication with anyone is to determine whether they may have a language or hearing barrier.
Dr. Lobner recommends looking for visual clues rather than asking ‘can you hear me?’ which will usually elicit a ‘yes’ or an affirmative head nod because many people are embarrassed to admit they cannot hear you or don’t realize they are not hearing everything you say. Here are some visual cues that the person you are speaking with may be hard of hearing:
They focus on your face and mouth when you speak
Leaning in with one ear turned toward the speaker
They physically track you with their eyes or turning their body position to keep you in view when you move around the room
They ask you to repeat words and phrases
They say ‘what?’ or ‘hmm’
They don’t answer when you ask a question or the answer is out of context
They wear hearing aids (this might be an obvious clue, but today’s hearing aids are very small and sometimes hard to spot, look for small clear tubes near the person’s ear canal)
Understanding how the brain processes speech will help improve your verbal communication style for any situation. Dr. Lobner explained that sound enters through the ear canal and is processed by the auditory nerve to the brain. The brain then ‘translates’ what was heard, but hearing loss can scramble the message. This may result in a response that is inappropriate or no response at all.
Here are some communication tips:
Get their attention first, so they know you are speaking to them
Use their name when you first start speaking
Move your hand to get their attention
Talk face to face, look directly at the person
Make eye contact
Keep your face visible if you are moving about the room
Sit or stand where your face is well lit
Don’t talk while your back is turned
Slow down the cadence of your speech
Pause between sentences and phrases
Speak naturally
Enunciate clearly, speak each word completely
Rephrase rather than repeat (rephrasing gives the brain more context)
If they didn’t hear it the first time, they probably won’t hear it the second time
Don’t shout – use a normal conversational volume (louder is not clearer!)
In a group setting, only one person speaks at a time
Reduce background noise
Practice clear speech with friends and family so that you build good communication habits