Communication Strategies > Tips For The Patient

HOW TO COPE WITH DIFFICULT LISTENING SITUATIONS

• Ask the speaker to speak in a good light and face you.
• Ask the speaker to speak clearly and naturally but not to shout or exaggerate.
• If you do not understand what a speaker is saying, ask the speaker to repeat or rephrase the statement.
• If entering a group in the middle of a conversation, ask one person to sum up the point of the conversation.
• If someone is speaking at a distance, that person should be asked to stand closer.
• If the speaker turns his or her head away, ask him or her to face you to permit best speechreading and listening.
• If you are attempting to understand speech in the presence of noise, try to move yourself and the speaker away from the source of the noise.
• When in a situation that requires exact information, such as asking directions or obtaining schedules for a trip, request that the speaker write the crucial information.
• Ask the speaker not to eat or smoke while talking.
• A person who has a hearing loss in one ear should keep the good ear facing the speaker at all times.
• If possible, avoid rooms with poor acoustics. If meetings are held in such rooms, request that they be transferred to other rooms with less echoing.
• If a speaker at a meeting cannot be heard, request that he or she use a microphone.
• Come early to meetings so that you can sit close to the speaker. Avoid taking a seat near a wall to minimize the possibility of reverberation. This is particularly important for those who use hearing aids.
• If you are going to a movie or to the theater, read the reviews in advance to familiarize yourself with the plot. Also ask to use an assistive listening device if needed.
• In an extremely noisy situation, limit conversation to before the noise has started or after the noise has subsided. Normal hearing people do this all the time. For example, if a plane goes by and a conversation is going on, most people will halt their conversations and wait until the plane has gone by.