How to Communicate with a Hearing-Impaired Person

“Good communication creates more positive environment.”

If you have a family member or friend who has Hearing loss, you can understand how challenging it is to converse with anyone. So, it’s always appreciated for the people involved in the communication to enhance the communication. When someone has a hearing loss, in addition to a Programmable Hearing Aid, you can help facilitate the communication using simple communication tactics.

Here is how you can use simple strategies to increase their chance of hearing and understanding better:

• Treat someone with a hearing loss with courtesy, consideration and communication. Be patient when you have to repeat words
• Face the person directly when talking. See to it that you position yourself in such an angle that they are able to read your lip-sync and expressions.
• Speak clearly and in a smooth flow. It may compel you to speak louder when they are not able to listen clearly. But the loud sound will make a sudden shift in pitch, making it difficult for the listener to catch.
• Try using alternate words when you are repeating sentences. Rephrasing the same thing in a different manner is more effective then repeating the same word.
• Address the person with a name before starting the conversation. This allows them to actively focus on your words.
• Avoid talking haphazardly or too quickly. Break the speech into uniform sentences and proceed when they have understood and got into the flow.
• Visual clues are very important for a person with hearing loss. Speech will become easier to understand when you allow them to follow your visual clues. Adding facial expressions and hand gestures are very useful lest you exaggerate.
• Talk in a calm and quiet place. Background noises may interfere with your sound and confuse the person
• When you are conveying important information, have them repeat the details to ensure they have got the right information. You can rather write down important information.
• Try to avoid complex or long talks when they are sick or tires. This simply adds to their stress when they are not able to give cent percent concentration.
• Try to exchange written notes lest conversation seems impossible. Especially when you are in a crowded or noisy place, try to be patient and engage in non-verbal conversation.
• Reduce background noise and the distance between you and the person when initiating a conversation.
• Be a strong support and encourage them to use assistive listening device. If you think, they haven’t sought medical help yet, in a friendly manner, recommend them to meet a healthcare professional to address their concern.

Looking for ‘Hearing Aid Centers Near Me’?

At HNR Speech and Hearing Centre, we specialize in all types of hearing loss. Right from assessment to treatment, our Hearing instrument specialist will ensure you get nothing but the best.Contact us at – 040-42018181 / +91 8237037087