Nine Rules To Follow For Family & Friends of Hearing Impaired
- Try not to speak from another room.
- Try not to speak with your back to the person with the hearing deficit.
- Try to speak more slowly.
- Try to speak distinctly.
- Try not to speak in competition with other sounds (TV, radio, running water, etc.)
- Try to get the attention of the person with the hearing deficit before speaking. (Do not start speaking while the person is concentrating on something else.)
- Try to speak face-to-face.
- Try to remove obstructions while speaking (hand in front of face, cigarette in mouth, food in mouth, etc.)
- Remember to be patient ....
Notice that none of these are to yell, shout, and treat them like idiots. Basically, remember your manners and act like what you have to say is important enough for them to hear. So, take the time to effectively communicate that information.
On the phone, when people can't hear me, I'm now in the habit of saying, "I'm sorry, my fault, sometimes I speak too fast."
On a funny note, the audiologist told me that my worst hearing is in the same decibel range where most men speak. (So, maybe I truly have selective hearing.)
