What are some strategies deaf people might use to communicate with a hearing person?

Contributed by Joy Victory, managing editor, Healthy Hearing
Last updated November 16, 20202020-11-16T00:00:00-06:00

Even without the added issue of hearing loss, conversations require a lot of focus, energy and patience. For people with hearing loss or other hearing impairments, a noisy environment or friends who speak too quickly can make communication extra challenging.

someone with hearing loss.

Below are some things that you can do to help facilitate communication when someone has hearing loss, whether that person is you—or a loved one, friend, or coworker.

Please note this article is for people who have mild to moderate hearing loss. People who have untreated profound hearing loss, or are Deaf, have different communication methods that will be more effective than the ones discussed below. More on degrees of hearing loss.

How to talk to someone with hearing loss

Some environments are much easier for communication for people who are hearing impaired. Here are some things you can do to ensure the environment is perfect for communication:

• Make sure the room has enough lighting. People with hearing loss often rely upon lip reading, facial expressions, speech reading, body language and gestures to supplement their remaining hearing and improve communication. 
• Pick a place that has minimum background noise. Though our ears and brain are able to filter out background noise in most situations, people with hearing loss often have a difficult time hearing over excessive noise. Keep in mind that small rooms with no carpeting or curtains tend to have poor acoustics and can distort voices.
• Make it easy to see everyone's faces. If you will be in a group setting, choose a location—or if you're at a restaurant, a round table —where the person with hearing loss will have visual access to everyone's faces to facilitate better communication. 

Here are a few examples of using the above tips to pick an appropriate environment for communication:

• If you're planning a dinner out, pick a restaurant that you know has ample lighting, does not play loud music and has decent acoustics. Choose a restaurant that you have been to before, where you know the noise levels do not get too loud. Another good tactic is to select an off-time: Rather than having dinner at 7 p.m. on Friday or Saturday night—the busiest dinner hours—opt instead for a late lunch or early dinner, between the hours of 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. when restaurants are likely to be the least busy.
• During a group gathering at your home, if you'd like to have a conversation with a friend or family member with hearing loss, invite him or her to speak in a different, quieter room. Turn off the TV and any other sources of noise.

Hard of hearing communication tips

Here are some do's and don'ts you can keep in mind to help facilitate better conversations and include someone with hearing loss:

• Make sure you don't cover your mouth. Don't talk through a yawn or while chewing gum. (For deaf and hard of hearing people who use American Sign Language and lip reading, this is especially important.) 
• Don't speak from another room or when your back is turned to the person. Don't shout in any situation.  
• Sit or stand close to the person with hearing loss, but not so close that he or she can't easily switch focus between maintaining eye contact and speech reading.
• If the person with hearing loss hears better in one ear, take note of that and try to speak more toward their right or left side.
• Before starting a conversation, say the person's name so you can get his or her attention. Wave or gently tap them if they don't hear you.
• When giving specific information, like an address or time for a meeting, write the important information down or ask the person to repeat the specifics to you so you can make sure they got them right. 
• Pay attention to the listener's cues. People with hearing loss sometimes feel embarrassed or get tired of asking others to repeat themselves or clarify. If the person looks a bit puzzled, find a tactful way to ask if he or she understood you.
• In group settings, make sure to avoid speaking over each other.
• Don't talk about a person with hearing loss as if she or he isn't there. Instead, talk directly to that person and do your best to use the above and below tactics.

How hearing loss affects communication

Sometimes, there will be a breakdown in communication. Here are some things that you can do to get back on track for successful conversation with your friend, family member or colleague:

• Speak at a normal level. Sometimes it's tempting to speak too loudly to someone with hearing loss, but this can distort the words.
• Provide the topic of conversation or key word to someone having difficulty understanding, especially if there has been a topic change.
• Spell a tricky word. For people with hearing loss, many consonants sound the same, which can trigger misunderstanding. Write it out on paper if necessary.
• Use gestures if they might help.
• Speak more slowly, but still clearly.
• Rephrase what you have said.
• Shorten your sentences and use less complex phrasings.
• Change environments if the location is giving you problems.
• Ask the listener what he or she needs you to do to facilitate better communication in the event of a break down.

The impact of hearing loss

Many of these problems can be improved if the person wears properly adjusted hearing aids. If you or a loved one needs a hearing test, you can find can find trusted hearing specialists and audiologists near you with our directory. 

Your hearing device will help you hear better in some situations, but for better results using a range of communication skills will help you make the most of your hearing and your hearing device. There are other things you can do to give yourself the best chance of hearing and understanding well. These are commonly known as “communication tactics”. The best thing about these tactics is that they are useful for everyone, whether or not they have a hearing loss or use a hearing device.

Tips to help you hear better

Be assertive

Inform people you have a hearing loss and tell them how they can help you. Most people will be happy to oblige if they understand what they need to do.

Explain you don’t need them to shout at you, but to face you when they are talking and speak normally. You might need to remind people of this at times.

Using visual cues

We all “lip-read” to some degree, as we understand how different sounds look on people’s lips when they are talking. We use this naturally to help us figure out what a word might be if we missed it.

Keep a clear view of a person’s face by looking at them when they talk and making sure the room is well-lit.

Using context

When chatting with somebody try not to worry about hearing every single word but focus instead on the theme of the conversation. You can piece in missed words if you understand the general context of the conversation.

Reduce background noise

Try to reduce the noise around you when people are speaking, for example, turn off the television or radio, or sit away from the kitchen or entrance-way in a café.

Asking for clarification

If you miss what somebody has said and you can’t figure it out, try to avoid saying simply “I can’t hear you” or “what did you say?” as this will eventually lead to frustration for yourself and those talking with you.

Instead, ask them to repeat specifically what you missed. For example, “I’m sorry; I missed where you said you were going on Sunday afternoon?”

Asking for repeats

If you keep missing the same word or group of words, ask the speaker to rephrase what they are saying. You might say “I keep missing that last part about your new car, could you please try saying it a different way for me?”

Importance of concentration and keeping calm

Try to keep calm if you can’t hear well in certain situations. When you miss words you might find yourself getting tense, but this will make it even harder for you to catch up with what has been said. There will be times when you don’t hear so well, when you find it almost impossible to figure out the conversation. This is an expected part of having a hearing loss, even if you are wearing a hearing device.

It can help to think about what you can do to help yourself in these situations. For example, can you ask the speaker to write down what they have said?

Remember that if you are tired, or unwell, you will likely find it more difficult to concentrate on following a conversation and you might not hear as well.

Tips for communicating with a person with hearing loss

A person with a hearing loss will struggle to hear at times, even with a hearing device. This is normal and to be expected – a hearing device can help a person, but it cannot cure the underlying hearing loss. Your understanding and consideration of this will help them a great deal.

Try not to get frustrated if somebody can’t hear you – they are asking you to repeat yourself because they value what you have to say.

Speak clearly and don’t shout

Shouting will make your voice distorted and hard to understand. Instead, speak clearly and if necessary, slightly slower than normal. If you do need to raise your voice, project your voice the way you would if you were speaking to a person on the other side of the room. This usually sounds clearer than shouting.

Face the person

When talking to a person who has a hearing loss, make sure you face them. This is helpful because they can watch your face for extra clues about what you are saying, and the volume of your voice will be louder when you are looking at them.

Try not to cover or hold objects in front of your mouth, as this will make it hard for a person with a hearing loss to see and read your lips.

Reduce the distance between you and the person

The ideal listening distance for a hearing impaired person is less than two meters from the speaker. Avoid talking to a person with a hearing loss from a different room.

Reduce background noise

Reduce background noise if you can – turn off the radio or television, close the door leading onto a busy street, pick a quieter restaurant to dine in.

Rephrase the sentence

Rephrase what you are saying if you need to. If a person with a hearing loss asks you to repeat something you said, repeat it once – if they still cannot understand you, think of a different way to say the same thing. This is something most people will naturally do, even for those with normal hearing.