Have you ever gone on a long walk at Broad Run Park and felt exhausted afterward? Have you felt the same sort of feeling after a lengthy conversation? If so, you’re familiar with a phenomenon known as listening fatigue. To combat listening fatigue related to hearing loss and be a better conversation partner, we recommend following the nine tips below.
1. Face Your Conversation Partner
You should try to avoid having a conversation side-by-side with someone or from another room. Instead, make an effort to face them so that you can better hear and read lips, facial expressions and gestures.
2. Find Good Lighting
Again, visual cues are important. Having a conversation in the dark can be challenging, so try to find brightly lit venues for important meetings.
3. Turn Your Good Ear Forward
If you have one ear that hears better than the other, turn it toward your conversation partner so you can better pick up their voice.
4. Move Closer
The ideal distance between conversation partners is three to five feet. If you’re worried you’re making the other person uncomfortable with how close you are, ask them.
5. Concentrate on What Is Said
It’s easy to get in your head or find distractions when having a conversation. Instead, try concentrating hard on what ideas the person is trying to convey.
6. Don’t Pretend You’re Following Along
If you try to bluff and act like you’re following along when you’re not, you may miss important information. If you feel like you’ve missed something, ask!
7. Ask Specific Questions
It’s better to ask specific questions about what you think you misheard or didn’t understand than simply say “I didn’t follow that” or “I couldn’t hear you.”
8. Advocate for Yourself
Nobody knows your communication style and preferences better than you. If you need something from your conversation partner, speak up. They’ll be happy to accommodate you so you both get the most out of the conversation.
9. Invest in Hearing Aids
If you have hearing loss and haven’t yet invested in hearing aids, or if you have an old pair you no longer wear, it’s time to call up your audiologist and make the investment in some state-of-the-art devices so you can maximize your communication. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call The Hearing & Speech Center today.
