Communication Strategies

From the chronicles

Why it’s important to slow down when talking to people with hearing loss

When you are talking to a person with hearing loss, it’s really important to slow down. Why? Your words run together when you talk fast. Here’s an example. Let’s say you are commenting on some brownies that I made, and I thought you said, “It’s awfully chewy.” When you actually said, “It’s soft and chewy.” […]

Four Things not to do as a person with hearing loss at a party

Assume that others remember that you have hearing loss: as a PWHL (person with hearing loss), expect that you will have to tell people more than once about your hearing loss and your communication needs. People will forget that you have hearing loss. We’re human, and human beings forget. Also, people are more focused on […]

What is the Lombard Effect?

The Lombard Effect is quite significant in some listening environments. This phenomenon is known to cause changes in speech production such as talking louder and changing the pitch structure of speech. It serves the purpose of enhancing communication in noisy environments. Watch the video to hear what that might sound like. Related post: Can’t […]

How to help someone who is hard of hearing

Are you soft-spoken? To make yourself easier to understand, reduce listening effort for the other person: move closer, turn off or move away from background noise. Be expressive: use facial expression, gestures, and body language when they support what you are saying. The intonation rises at the end of the sentence for a question or […]

Vocabulary can help you to hear

Vocabulary is significantly related to inference ability (such as reading between the lines) and listening comprehension. An expanded vocabulary will give us more context. Context can be important in adverse listening situations, in that we can use the context to make educated guesses about what we see and hear.

People with hearing loss often get accused of having selective hearing

By its very nature, hearing loss results in selective hearing. People with hearing loss have to pay attention and expend a lot of effort when listening. And nobody can pay attention 100% of the time. So the person with hearing loss has to “select” when to hear. Hearing loss is also selective in that we […]

Why you shouldn’t call a person with hearing loss from another room

Significant others and family members often speak to a person with hearing loss (PWHL) from another room. It’s not realistic to try to have a conversation when you are in different rooms, for two reasons: 1) consonant sounds can’t be properly transmitted over this distance and 2) there are no visual cues available, such as […]

How to get through the holidays for introverts with hearing loss

Despite hearing loss, despite introversion, connection can be easy and fulfilling, under the right conditions. People with hearing loss (PWHL) have a role to play in creating the conditions. Here are some suggestions. (See more detailed explanations below the video frame.) Arrive early, leave early. When you arrive early at a party, you’ll get a chance […]

How to Support and Communicate with People who Have Hearing Loss: a Guide for Professionals

I was invited by LearnENT to speak about communication strategies that professionals can use when they interact with clients who have hearing loss. LearnENT has an app that was initially developed by a small group at the University of Ottawa. LearnENT has grown to become a collaborative effort consisting of contributions from medical students, residents […]

What is your go-to strategy when you can’t hear?-

What is your go-to strategy when you can’t hear? (See below for commentary after you view the video clip.) As an audiologist who is deaf, I use all of these strategies. Often when I smile and pretend to understand (#1), I am hoping I will figure it out if the person gives me just a […]