Take the conversation challenge
It’s best if the first conversations you have wearing your hearing aids take place when you’re in a relaxed environment. We recommend that you talk to just one or two people, ideally somewhere with no background noise like the sound of a TV or household appliances. Why not explain to the people you’re talking to how hearing loss can affect communication, and how they can help you in conversations?
Try our useful tips for conversations where there’s more background noise:
- Choose the right place to stand. All hearing aids are designed to pick up the sounds you are facing so it’s best if the person you’re talking to is in front of you. If they’re sitting behind you or to your side, it might be trickier to understand them. Plus, if you’re face-to-face, you can make it easier by lip-reading too.
- If you’re having a conversation in a big group of people, you could remind them of simple things they can do to help you hear better, like speaking clearly and taking it in turns to talk. It might seem like the conversation moves very quickly, but don’t get frustrated if you’re finding it difficult to follow everything. You can always ask someone to sum up what’s been said.
- Keep an eye on your friends’ facial expressions and gestures – they’ll help you if you don’t catch a few words here and there. Most people with hearing loss are already used to doing this.