Communication Strategies

From the chronicles

Hear Better by Knowing More

As we get older we have more difficulty hearing in noise. This applies even to people with normal hearing. If hearing becomes more difficult even with normal hearing, there must be something beyond hearing loss that makes hearing in noise harder. We now know what that something is: our brains change as we age. Our […]

Be Direct About Hearing Loss

You may have heard of JR Martinez. He joined the army after high school, and at 19 years old, was deployed to Iraq. The Humvee he was driving hit a land mine, and he was trapped inside the burning vehicle. JR suffered severe burns to over a third of his body. JR was in the […]

Hearing Loss: There Are No Universal Truths

Why are we more likely to believe something if it’s in a bold type face? The answer is in the book, Thinking Fast and Slow, by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman. According to Kahneman, there are many common biases that play a role in shaping our view of people and of situations. Another one is the […]

What? Pardon? Sorry?

Three Times, You’re Out! In a Hearing Strategies class recently, I gave the class some homework. I asked people to observe why and when they wing it (pretend to understand). A week later, when the class re-convened, one of the class members said, “I had no choice. What else could I do? I said […]

Can’t Hear When People Mumble?

Get help from the chameleon effect! Is there a person in your life who talks way too fast? Or mumbles? Or becomes practically inaudible at the end of the sentence? There is a way you can influence them to do otherwise. It’s called the chameleon effect. The chameleon effect is at play when you […]

Communication is a Two-Way Street

Have you ever thought about your hearing loss as “not your concern?” You are partly right, if so. Everyone you communicate with shares this concern. Communication is a two-way street. In a conversation, both people need to take responsibility. The fact that you have hearing loss doesn’t make it your “fault” when the conversation breaks […]

To Hear the Stars Sing

In the movie Revolutionary Road, the last scene is powerful and apt—a man turns down his hearing aid while pretending to listen to his wife. He is doing more than just ignoring. He is escaping from her. In A Screaming Kind of Day, a beautifully illustrated children’s book by Rachna Gilmore, a young hearing impaired […]

Trouble Understanding?

How to Ask For Help So Others Will “Hear” You Susan Binzer, an audiologist, identified five keys to success for people with hearing loss when they ask others for help. Use “I” statements. Do not blame others. Example: Instead of “Your hand is in the way!” try “Excuse me—I will understand you better if […]

How to Remind People about your Hearing Loss

Eighteen years ago, I read an article entitled, “Reminding Them When They Forget,” an article co-authored by Dr. Sam Trychin, a psychologist and educator. This article has stayed with me for all of these years, because it’s practical. I’ll give you a short recap here. It’s a fact of life—for people with hearing loss that […]

Four Ways to Have Meaningful Conversations

According to a study published in Psychological Science by researchers at the University of Arizona, people who have meaningful conversations are happier than those who primarily engage in small talk. The study looked at the different kinds of conversations among people who are happy and those who are unhappy. Participants were requested to wear an […]