Most people know that communication gets harder the louder your environment is; you’ll have a harder time talking to a friend at Mutiny Bar Ocala than at the park. If you have hearing loss, those environments can make speech comprehension near impossible.
Learning how to choose the right environments for your conversation is the first step in improving speech comprehension.
The More Important the Conversation, the Quieter the Environment
One of the most important rules for communicating with hearing loss is to choose the volume of your environment based on the type of conversation you expect to have. For example, if it’s been a long time since you saw a friend and you have a lot to catch up on, choose a quieter environment, like a coffee shop or your home. The less you talk, the louder your environment can be; if you’re going dancing, any bar or club will be fine because you won’t be talking much (as long as it isn’t so loud that it will damage your hearing).
Don’t Forget the Visuals
You rely on lip movements and body language to aid speech comprehension more than you may realize. Because you use visual cues in a conversation, it’s best to choose environments with good lighting and direct sightlines. A few things that could interrupt that visual information include:
- Low lighting
- Tall flowers at a table
- Sitting too far from the person you’re speaking to
Before you choose the restaurant, bar or coffee shop to catch up with friends, think about how well you’ll be able to see your friends and what volume you can expect. Remember, the more important the conversation, the more these factors matter.
The Benefits of Hearing Aids
Approximately 28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from hearing aids.1 These helpful devices are an excellent addition to any listening environment. They collect, amplify and send sound directly to your ears. If you already have hearing aids, call Beneficial Hearing Aid Center to schedule a service appointment. We’ll clean your devices and check their programming to ensure they’re working their best.
If you haven’t started hearing loss treatment, call us for a test and treatment consultation!
Sources
1 National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (2024). Quick statistics about hearing. National Institutes of Health. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing