It's a Two-Way Street: What a Hard-of-Hearing Person Can Do During Conversations

Last week’s tips focused on helping “normal” hearing people converse with people with hearing loss. This week is all about the opposite-what hearing impaired people need to do when conversing with others. It’s very easy to say, “I can’t hear and YOU need to do something about it!” I am even guilty of saying that before. My husband told me the same thing about ten times and I still couldn’t understand him. We were both getting frustrated and I said, “If I can’t hear you after ten times, it is no longer my problem.” But that’s not true. It goes both ways.

So, here are five tips on what the person with hearing loss should do when speaking to others:

1. Tell them! It can be hard to admit to someone you just met that you have a hearing loss, but it is so important. Pretty much 100% of people (unless they are big jerks) will be accommodating and ask what they need to do, which you can then refer them to this.

2. Don’t get upset when they forget. Unless they live with you or are close friends, they will most likely forget the next time they see you. Even bosses sometimes forget. Just remind them.

3. Make sure you stay on track by repeating the conversation every once in a while. This will help make sure you are following the conversation correctly. There is nothing worse than finding out ten minutes later that what you thought was being discussed was nowhere near the actual topic of conversation. Repeating what the speaker said is also very helpful at work or anywhere that someone is giving you instructions. Repeating it ensures that you know exactly what to do and everyone is on the same page.​

4. Don’t pretend to understand something if you don’t. This goes back to number three. Doing this will cause further problems and embarrassment. If you don’t understand, ask the speaker to repeat it until you do.

5. It’s okay to not understand all the time. Listening all the time is hard! Be patient with yourself and the other person. Ask them to write it down, say it a different way, and/or repeat themselves.

Communication is a two-way street and it takes both, the speaker and the listener, to have an effective conversation.

#hearinglosstips #communication