Five ways to improve your hearing

Visual cues

​Visual cues (lip-reading and body language) form 55% of communication and help the brain to process speech sounds faster and more effectively.

Distance

In challenging listening environments, it helps to shorten the distance between you and the speaker. This might mean choosing a seat closer to the speaker in a meeting or closer to a loudspeaker at a conference.

Contextual clues

If you know the topic of the conversation, it will be easier to expect or guess the words you’ve missed.

Attention / Active listening

When you are tired, or multi-tasking, your attention is divided and you may miss a few words. Just as with hearing loss, you can become so used to not hearing everything that “tuning out” becomes a habit. Focus your attention on listening and engage actively in conversation.

Silence

Communicating in noisy environments (shopping malls, restaurants, parties) is difficult for all of us. Make use of the tips above, or ensure that important conversations are held in quieter environments.