Tips for Talking with the Hard-of-Hearing
- Face the person who is hard-of-hearing directly, on the same level,
whenever possible.
- See that the light is shining on the speaker's face, not in the eyes of
the person who is hard-of-hearing.
- Be aware of the possible distortion of sound for the person who is
hard-of-hearing. The person may hear you but still have difficulty
understanding some words.
- Do not talk from another room; if you must, make sure the person has heard
you call; tell the person who you are.
- Remember that everyone hears less and understands less when they are tired
or ill.
- Speak in a normal fashion without shouting or elaborately mouthing words.
Words spoken a bit more slowly, not run together too rapidly, are clearer
than those which are shouted and exaggerated.
- Keep your hands away from your face while talking. If you are eating,
chewing, smoking, etc, while talking, your speech will be more difficult to
understand.
- If a person has difficulty understanding a particular phrase or word, find
a different way of saying the same thing rather than repeating the original
words over and over.
- Avoid talking too rapidly or using sentences which are too complex and go
on too long. Slow down; pause between sentences or phrases; wait to make
sure you have been understood before continuing.
- If you are giving specific information, such as time or place, be sure it
is repeated back to you by the person who is hard-of-hearing. Many numbers
and words sound alike!
- Avoid sudden change of topic. If the subject has been changed, tell the
person who is hard-of-hearing, "We are talking about ________
now."
- The hard-of-hearing person may be sensitive to loud sounds, even though
the individual does not hear faint ones. This reduced tolerance for loud
sound is often associated with being hard-of-hearing.
Columbus Speech & Hearing Center
4110 N. High Street
Columbus, OH 43214