As we take precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to keep the people around us safe, a growing number of people are having a harder time communicating.
“A lot of my day is discussing good communication skills,” says 詹妮弗·延命菊他是听力专家之一 奥特鲁的听力学和听力中心. “I wanted to share that discussion with you. By using masks, communication has become more difficult.”
Whether it’s understanding what the cashier is asking you at the grocery store, or struggling to hear what someone is saying from a distance, masks prove to be a bigger challenge for people who are hard of hearing.
创造良好的倾听环境
“Good communication not only includes the way we speak, but the environment we’re in,高恩说。. “A good listening environment includes a quiet one. 通过减少背景噪音, we can have a better signal-to-noise ratio meaning the signal, 或者我们想让别人听到什么, 比我们周围的噪音还大吗.”
It’s a good idea to face the person you’re talking to. By facing them directly, they know who they’re talking to and can watch for any facial cues. Facing someone directly also provides a clear path for the acoustic signal to travel.
“The last and most important thing is to take turns talking,高恩说。. “Having only one person talking at a time establishes a good signal-to-noise ratio. It helps the speaker’s voice be louder than everything else.”
你的说话方式
While the environment can make a huge impact on how well we communicate, 我们说话的方式也很重要.
“It is important for the speaker to be clear and concise with the information they are trying to convey,高恩说。. “放慢你的语速. Speak louder than normal but don’t shout. 没人喜欢被人吼. 并在话题变化时给出提示.”
Providing cues will help the listener correctly fill in information they might have missed. If a listener misses something they may respond with, “huh?或者“什么?”?” It’s a good idea for a speaker to rephrase their statements instead of repeating.
“By rephrasing, we’re giving the listener more cues to draw from to fill in the blank,高恩说。.
辅助设备可以提供帮助
If you notice you or your loved ones are still struggling to communicate, 奥特鲁的听力学和听力中心 can help you look at different assistive devices. Assistive devices include 助听器s, pocket talkers and other technology to help listeners understand what’s being said.
助听器
Hearing aids are small devices you put in your ear. Hearing aids can be set for hearing loss to help adequately amplify sounds for you.
“If you are already a 助听器 user and you struggle to hear and communicate, I encourage you to come in for an adjustment,高恩说。. “Sometimes it’s a pretty easy fix to help you hear better.”
智能手机或平板电脑
We also recommend an app called Live Transcribe. This app dictates what’s being said so the listener won’t miss anything. One of the app’s features allows you to save text to read later. “What this app does is it takes speech and puts it right to text in real time,高恩说。. “I’ve suggested this app for my patients who are significantly hearing impaired and are struggling right now because they cannot lipread.”
语言的口袋里
If someone is visually impaired and unable read text on a phone or smart tablet, 袖珍电话是一个很好的选择. A pocket talker gives a microphone for the speaker to talk into. And the headset for the listener to wear. The volume on the headset is adjustable and able to be increased significantly.
“Having hearing loss can be incredibly isolating,高恩说。. “If you’re sitting around with family and you can’t hear it’s awfully lonely.”
Pocket talkers are relatively inexpensive. 它们经常在网上出售 亚马逊. 奥特鲁的听力学和听力中心 also has pocket talkers available for patients if you’d like to try using one at your next appointment.
“I like this device because it makes you take turns,高恩说。. “Only one person gets to talk into the mic at once and that makes that favorable signal-to-noise ratio.”
在此提供帮助
如果你还有其他问题, or you want to talk about your hearing, please don’t hesitate to call our 奥特鲁的听力学和听力中心. You can also schedule a visit for an adjustment to check where your hearing is at. Call 奥特鲁的听力学和听力中心 at 701.780.6204.
