Communication Tips for May - Speech and Hearing Month

May is Speech and Hearing Month – let’s learn some tips on how to communicate effectively with people who may have a hearing challenge:

-Visual cues : Face the listener, use expression and gestures, and ensure adequate lighting.
-Speech :  Try to speak clearly and slowly.  Shouting is not helpful; it usually distorts the speech.
-Check for comprehension :  Use shorter sentences and rephrase for understanding if there is a communication breakdown.
-Reduce background noises : Move away or turn off background noise sources when possible.  Choose quieter restaurants: lower ceilings, carpeting/drapery, booths are all helpful.
-Attention : Try not to speak from behind or another room.  Get the person’s attention by calling his or her name first and ideally facing them.
-Patience : Because hearing loss is an invisible impairment you will never know how hard someone is working to understand you. Please extend the same compassion and patience you would for someone who broke a limb or lost their vision.

We can all do our part to make this world a better place for communication!

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