Struggling to communicate with a friend or relative who has hearing loss is common and can lead to feelings of frustration and loneliness.

When speaking to a person with hearing loss, following these simple tips will help to make communication a little easier.

Create ideal listening situations
At home, when starting a conversation, make sure the TV is turned down and there is no other background noise. At dinner try to avoid talking whilst clearing plates and creating noise. Wait until you are in the same room and facing each other to speak rather than trying to shout from the kitchen.

Speak clearly and slowly without covering your mouth
Covering your mouth puts a barrier between the sound and the listener, it also prevents a person from reading your lips.  Speak slowly and clearly without shouting. Shouting can distort the sound and make it more difficult to understand.

Use well-lit quiet spots
When in public places, such as restaurants, ask to be seated at a table with good lighting and away from the entrance or kitchen where it is quieter.

Face each other
Being in front of somebody and close to them means they can read your facial expressions and gestures making it easier for them to understand what you are saying

When in group conversation make sure only 1 person speaks at a time
Try not to talk over somebody else and if more than 1 conversation is happening within the group perhaps move over to 1 side and face the person you are talking to.