Patricia Kricos, Ph.D. Professor Audiology in the Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders at the University of Florida, Gainsville, addressed the Delray/Boynton Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America this past Friday at the South County Civic Center. It was their final meeting of the season until they will reconvene September 19.

Professor Kricos, a warm, friendly educator in her late 50’s, presented valuable communication strategies helpful to hard of hearing people and those they communicate with--"The Two to Tango." Whether with a spouse or significant other; or in general conversation with others, a hard of hearing person should communicate politely with person’s speaking to them.

Mark Ross, a venerable audiologist with a severe hearing loss himself, once said: “When someone in the family has a hearing loss, the entire family has a hearing problem.” Communication is a two way street, and both the listener with the hearing loss, and his or her communication partner, can play a role in reducing the problems that may arise during a conversation. Here are samples of some of the communication strategies that may significantly reduce conversational difficulties proposed by Professor Kricos. Space limitations preclude us from reporting her entire valuable discourse.

Don’t try to hide your hearing loss. Listener: Acknowledge your hearing loss so people will be more likely to look at you when talking and speak clearly. There may be fewer misunderstandings if your conversation partner knows you have hearing difficulties.

Communication Partner: If someone you are conversing with wears hearing aids and/or tells you they have a hearing loss, do not shout or exaggerate your mouth movements. Just speak clearly, a little bit slower and a little bit louder while facing the person. Pausing between phrases will help the listener to process what you are saying.

Polish your concentration skills. Listener: Pay extra attention to talker. Try to hone your listening skills. Watch the talker’s mouth instead of looking down.

Communication Partner: Realize it can be a strain for people with hearing difficulties to listen for long periods of time. They may tire more easily than other listeners and may want to leave earlier than you do from group events like parties and family dinners.

Be prepared. Listener: Anticipate difficult listening situations and plan ahead. Dining out? Recommend a restaurant that you know is relatively quiet and familiarize yourself with the restaurant’ menu, which can often be found online.

Communication Partner: Think of ways ahead of time to minimize communication problems. Try to arrive early at a lecture, for example, so the two of you can get a good seat close to the podium.

Use effective clarification strategies. Listener: Avoid saying “Huh?” or “What did you say?” when you have heard at least part of what the speaker was saying. Instead, try saying something like “I know you said you are talking about the new house you are building, but I didn’t catch where you said the house is located.” This way the talker does not have to repeat everything that was said.

Communication partner: When the listener has missed something you said, try repeating what you said one time, using clear (but not exaggerated) speech. If the person still does not understand, try rewording. For example, if the person did not understand you when you said, “It’s not polite to boast”, repeat it once, then reword your sentence to “It’s not nice to brag.”

Try to determine the source of your difficulty. Listener: Practice analyzing “why” you are having difficulties with a particular talker, then make specific requests, politely of course. Does she have a soft voice? Rather than saying “Say again?” try asking her to “speak a little bit louder please.” Does he speak too fast? Ask him to “please slow down a bit so my ears can keep up with what you are saying!” If she has turned away from you while talking, don’t say, “I didn’t hear you.” Instead, use a specific request such as “Please face toward me when you speak.” If she is talking with her hand over her mouth, say “Could you please put your hand down” instead of “I Can’t make out what you’re saying.”

Communication partner: The best way to speak clearly for people with hearing loss is to face them, speak a little bit more slowly, a bit more loudly, and with natural voice intonation, not a monotone. Try not to cover your mouth when you are talking, because that prevents your partner from taking advantage of lip cues.

Professor Kricos, shown here with HLAA member Ada Tucker, concluded by playing a game of Wheel of Fortune. She spun the wheel after asking a person in the audience a question of what they would do in a particular hard of hearing situation. The numbers on the wheel went from 1 to 6. Where the wheel stopped the person would provide from one to six answers to the question.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Chapter President Oscar Segal invited Professor Kricos back for a return lecture, preferably during the height of next season. She readily accepted.

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