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Hearing Loss and Good Communication Techniques

Communication is a two-way street. Even with the use of hearing aids, good communication techniques are important. The following recommendations can reduce listening effort and improve conversation with individuals with hearing loss:

  • Face-to-face conversation

  • Avoid speaking from another room

  • Reduce background noise by turning down the television or finding a quiet room to converse in

  • Enhance room lighting to provide an adequate environment for utilizing visual cues for lip reading and written communication

  • Articulate sounds precisely and accurately

  • Speak slowly

  • Take clear pauses between phrases and thoughts. This gives the individual with hearing loss time to process what has been said.

  • Increase the volume of your own voice slightly and avoid speaking to where you are straining. Straining your voice can distort speech sounds and the way your lips move.

  • Repetition and rephrasing. If an individual has difficulty hearing a certain word, use a synonym for that word. The individual may not be able to hear certain speech sounds due to their hearing loss.

  • Closed captioning on television

  • CaptionCall and CapTel landline phones provide real-time captioning of phone calls on a display screen. These captioning services are paid for through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). There is no cost to qualified individuals.

  • Olelo is a no cost cell phone application that provides real-time captioning for calls

  • FM system or microphone accessories to improve speech understanding in adverse environments such as restaurants, groups settings, at work, or in the classroom.

  • Consistent hearing aid use




















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