Do you often find yourself in situations where you cannot hear others during a conversation? Do you keep asking others to repeat themselves? Does it make you feel like a pest and get frustrated? If so, don’t stop communicating altogether; communicate more. The following three ways will help you better improve communication when you have hearing loss.
1. Be Honest With hearing loss, conversations don’t have to be challenging. Be honest about your situation. Let people know you have trouble hearing. Most people will be accommodating. It is better to speak up about hearing loss than to withdraw and not socialize. Being upfront about it will lessen the pressure on you to keep up with the discussion. Mingling more often will reduce anxiety, depression, and stress. The burden to adapt should not be yours alone. People around you need to adjust their communication styles to suit your needs. But they can’t do so if you are not honest with them about your hearing loss. Tell them what’s going on so they can help you by changing how they communicate. Whether it's finding an area with better lighting so you can see each others facial expressions and gestures, or using a caption app, people are usually willing to make accommodations. 2. Find ways to Control Your Environment With hearing loss, some environments are better than others for holding conversations. But you have the power to adjust your situation. For example, asking to sit on a particular side of the dinner table or eat at a quieter restaurant because you can hear better from one ear than the other is a proactive stance. Such requests are reasonable, so friends and loved ones should understand. Choose an optimal setting for social interaction. We know that’s not always a possibility. Try to manage unavoidable, noisy situations. Get next to whoever is speaking. Observe their hand gestures, and read their lips. Pay attention to their body language. If understanding someone is still tricky, be sure to tell the individual so they can attempt to ease the situation. Pretending to understand is not very helpful and can last only so long. 3. Find a Solution instead of Struggling to Hear Open communication is key in dealing with hearing loss. Don’t just be honest with others but also be honest with yourself. Don’t continue to struggle. Contact us at Pure Sound Hearing and make an appointment to discuss your hearing loss and possible solutions. Comments are closed.
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