Top 10 Tips

These are the top ten tips when communicating with a hard of hearing person

1. Make sure that background noise is at a minimum
2. Make sure you have their attention and they are looking at you
3. Ideally be between 1 and 2 metres of the person you are speaking to
4. Always look at the face of the person
5. Make sure that the light is on your face and you do not obscure your face or mouth
6. Speak normally but more slowly and distinctly
7. Do not shout
8. Use facial expressions and hand gestures if it is helpful
9. If a sentence is not heard, do not keep repeating it, but try to re-phrase the sentence or as a last measure write it down
10. Be patient! – lots and lots of patience is needed