The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders reports, “Approximately 15% of American adults (37.5 million) aged 18 and over report some trouble hearing.” Based on this statistic, chances are you have at least one coworker who experiences hearing loss. In this post, we review ways to support a coworker with hearing loss.
Include Them
In order to create a supportive work environment, you need to include your coworker in activities. For example, you can invite your coworker to lunch or repeat or rephrase a joke someone told if they look confused. It’s important for you to know that group settings, like conference meetings, are particularly difficult for people with hearing loss to follow along with, so try to include visuals when you can if you’re leading the meeting.
Be Patient
Whenever you’re conversing with your coworker, be mindful that they may have a hard time understanding what you’re saying, and they may ask you to repeat yourself frequently. You need to be patient and not get frustrated. If you do, you’ll find that you can have deep, meaningful conversations with just a little patience.
Use Communication Strategies
Use communication strategies to make the conversation flow better. Some helpful tips include:
- Speaking a little slower and a lot clearer than usual, but still naturally.
- Facing your coworker directly when talking to them.
- Saying their name and getting their attention before you begin conversing.
- Avoiding talking with food in your mouth or when chewing gum.
- Conversing somewhere with good lighting.
- Rephrasing rather than repeating when they don’t understand.
Ask Them Questions
Feel free to ask your coworker questions about their preferred communication strategies and about their hearing aids—within reason. For example, you can ask if there are any other communication strategies you could be using that would be helpful, or you can ask how their hearing aids work. But be sure these are not the only topics of conversation when you’re talking to them!
Don’t Use Labels
If your coworker with hearing loss doesn’t participate in conversations in the kitchen or break room, or if they prefer to hang out in their hotel room during an out-of-town conference, it’s important that you don’t label them as being anti-social or rude. It may be the case that they experience listening fatigue when they’re in complex listening situations, like happy hour at Library Bar in downtown Los Angeles, even though they want to hang out with you and your other coworkers. To learn more or to schedule an appointment with a hearing loss expert, call The House Institute today.