We’re all familiar with the phrase, “Read my lips.” It’s generally used to argue a point that’s been made, like when a parent says to their child, “Read my lips. No more video games, until you finish your homework.”
Most people wouldn’t hesitate when they hear that phrase, but many who are hard of hearing - whether they wear hearing aids or not - rely on lip reading in order to communicate with others. Here’s what you should know about lip reading: 1. Let’s define lip reading. This is also referred to as speech reading. It’s using a person’s facial expressions, speech patterns, lip movements, and additional nonverbal cues in order to “read” speech”. It’s known as a “third ear”. Certain speech sounds can be challenging to hear, for example, the soft “p” in the word “sphere” can be easier to comprehend visually. Phone calls may be difficult due to the absence of nonverbal communication that is needed for lip reading. Next time you go out, notice how other people depend on communicating non-verbally. 2. Improving confidence. For the hard-of-hearing community, being able to lip-read can make someone feel more confident when communicating with others. Sometimes, people feel embarrassed or discouraged when they need to frequently ask others to talk louder or repeat what was said. Lip reading can help the hard of hearing decipher words or sounds that they were unable to clearly hear, which can make them feel more confident about their communication skills. Confidence in communication is very important. It advocates for people to remain connected to their family, friends, and community. This helps them avoid feelings of frustration and isolation, which can lead to depression. 3. A course in lip reading. There are lip-reading courses that are available online. Some free classes can be found on lipreading.org. You may also learn by observing your daily communication with others. Focus and study the way people’s lips move based on particular sounds. Learning how to lip read requires practice in order to make the skill easier and more effective. These techniques include:
Piecing together previous information in order to fill in the blanks. 4. Lip reading can’t help you in every situation. Lip reading can be very helpful for those who are hard of hearing, but there are many environments where it is not useful. It can be difficult to lip-read in a dark room or if someone has a bushy mustache or beard while wearing sunglasses. Different angles and mumbling can also interfere with lip reading. It’s best to find additional means of communication instead of completely counting on lip reading. Another way to communicate is by using captioning apps. 5. Other Tips and Facts
If you, or a loved one, are experiencing hearing loss and believe hearing aids would be helpful in communicating with others, please contact us at Pure Sound Hearing Aids for a free hearing test and consultation. Comments are closed.
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