09 June 2018

Methods Of Conversing With Your Husband Hard Of Hearing

By Nancy Walker


Sometimes, we take for granted our ability to do normal things like speaking, hearing or seeing or even touching. Some people live very difficult lives and have to find ways of passing messages. Luckily, for people who do not hear, they can be taught how to communicate in sign language. However, there are other ways if a person did not always have this problem. Below are some of the effective methods to communicate to your husband hard of hearing.

When a speaking to a person with difficulty in hearing, it is important to be considerate of this fact. Therefore, before you begin to speak, make a point of catching the persons attention. With normal people, you could just begin to talk but with them, concentration is paramount on their part. To avoid them not following the conversation, it is important to inform them before you talk.

It is obvious that you cannot see in the dark. The same way, a person can sometimes not hear what you might be saying even if their listening aid is on. To make it easier for them, make sure you are always facing them when you speak so that they are able to read your lips. The hearing aid only makes the sound louder for them to hear not clearer.

The hearing aid only controls the loudness of what you are saying. If you, therefore, want to be heard, it is best you try enunciating in your speech. Apart from enunciating, make sure that you speak at a steady pace. This allows the listening party time to try and read your lips and process what is being said. Too slow maybe useless as it may be hard to gather what is being said.

As you already know, concentration is key in order to communicate to a person experiencing difficulty in hearing. Therefore, the background noise should be kept to a minimum. For example, the fan should be kept low or even the AC. If you are going out, you should make a point of choosing a corner booth that is well lit up for the person to read your lips.

At times, it is usually a group of people hanging out. You may be very excited but it is difficult to consider the person with trouble hearing. You should make an effort to face the person as you speak and make sure they can see you. You should also not speak at the same time. Take turns to avoid excluding the person.

At times, you may be needed to repeat saying something a few times before they get it. Sometimes the words you use may prove difficult for them to understand and it is at that point that you will need to rephrase your sentence. If all of that still does not work, try spelling out the first few letters of the difficult word.

Do not treat the person as if they were so delicate. The same way you would find humor when a normal person misunderstands, you should do the same. At the end of the day, it will be a lot of fun and they will be more comfortable speaking to you.




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