You’re halfway through a story when the person across from you says, “Sorry, what was that?”
So you do the obvious thing: repeat the exact same sentence, only louder. Maybe much louder.
It’s an understandable instinct – but it’s not always the most helpful one.
If you have full hearing, communicating with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing occasionally requires a few adjustments. Nothing dramatic. Mostly, it comes down to making the conversation easier to follow and asking what works best for the person you’re talking with.
And these small adjustments matter to a lot of people. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15.7% of U.S. adults aged 18 and older reported some difficulty hearing in 2024.
Start by Getting Their Attention
Calling out a question while walking away, rummaging through a cabinet, or staring into your laptop – those are great ways… to make a conversation harder to follow. Instead, first get your companion’s attention. Face them when you speak, and keep your face visible. Facial expressions and mouth movements provide useful visual information alongside the words themselves. Good lighting helps, too.
You don’t need or want to turn this into some intense staring contest. Just avoid delivering the important part of the conversation to the refrigerator.
Speak Clearly, not Theatrically
Raising your voice can help in some situations, but shouting usually doesn’t. Neither does dramatically stretching every syllable as though you’ve suddenly joined a very bad Shakespeare theater company.
Just speak clearly, at a natural or moderate pace. If something isn’t understood, try rephrasing it rather than repeating the same words again and again. That simple switch can make a surprisingly big difference.
Avoid the Background Noise
Restaurants, office kitchens, TVs, traffic, music, and five people talking at once all compete with conversation. When possible, move your conversation to somewhere quieter, turn down the television, or choose a seat away from the speakers, kitchen, or other noisy spots. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders specifically recommends reducing background noise when talking with someone who has hearing loss.
Use Another Format if it Helps
Sometimes, spoken words simply aren’t the easiest option. For an address, appointment time, name, confirmation number, or other detail where accuracy matters, write it down or send a text. That saves everyone the “Was that 15 or 50?” encore. Speech-to-text tools, captions, and other visual communication options can help, too. At work, that might mean captioning a meeting or sharing important instructions in writing afterward.
Most Important: Ask
Hearing loss varies widely, and so do people’s communication preferences. One person may want you to face them. Another may ask you to slow down slightly. Someone else may prefer captions, writing, sign language, or a combination. You don’t have to guess. A simple “What works best for you?” usually gets you much further than turning up the volume and hoping for the best.
Good communication has never been about performing perfectly. It’s about making sure the conversation works for the people having it.
