Hearing loss – communication tips

There are a number of things that might indicate that somebody you know is having difficulty hearing. 

They might for example:

• need to turn the TV up louder than other people need it to be
• often have to ask you to repeat what you've said
• pretend to understand something when they didn't actually hear it
• tell others to speak up, or stop mumbling
• be less tolerant of noise in their environment
• try to avoid conversations or social situations where they find it hard to hear
• have trouble following a conversation, especially in noisy or crowded situations.

Read more about hearing loss in adults. 

Here are some tips to help improve communication if you're speaking to someone with a hearing loss.

• Turn your face towards them so they can read your lips if they need to – even if someone’s wearing a hearing aid, ask if they need to lip read.
• Move into a well-lit space so they can see your face clearly. Make sure the light is shining on your face and not in their eyes.
• Move to a quieter space if there’s lots of background noise.
• If they have better hearing in one ear than the other, position yourself so that you're closer to their better ear.
• Maintain eye contact and speak at a normal volume.
• Speak clearly but not too slowly.
• Use normal lip movements, facial expressions and gestures.
• Don’t chew or cover your mouth when you're speaking.
• Use plain language and don’t talk for a long time without pauses. Pause between sentences or phrases.
• Check to make sure they understand what you’re saying – if they don’t, try saying it in a different way or write it down.
• Consider sending them information via an email or text message.
• If you're in a group, make sure only one person is talking at a time.
  
  

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Another thing to remember is that you don't have to do all the talking. If somebody is hard of hearing, they might appreciate being able to talk freely to you without worrying about listening hard to keep up with a conversation. Try asking about an event, or a whānau member, from the past to get them started.