User's Manual

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Tips for Better Communication Tips for Better Communication
Your hearing care professional will recommend an appropriate
schedule to help you adapt to your new hearing system.
It will take practice, time and patience for your brain to
adapt to the new sounds that your hearing system provides.
Hearing is only part of how we share thoughts, ideas and
feelings. Reading lips, facial expressions and gestures can
help the learning process and add to what amplification
alone may miss.
Please review the following simple communication tips:
For You
• Move closer to and look at the speaker
• Sit face-to-face in a quiet room
• Try different locations to find the best place
to listen
• Minimize distractions
• Background noises may be frustrating at first; remember,
you have not heard them for a while
• Let others know what you need; keep in mind that people
cannot “see” your hearing loss
• Develop realistic expectations of what your hearing
instruments can and cannot do
• Better hearing with hearing instruments
is a learned skill combining desire, practice
and patience
For Your Family and Friends
Your family and friends are also affected by your hearing loss.
Request that they:
• Get your full attention before beginning to speak
• Look at you or sit face-to-face in a quiet room
• Speak clearly and at a normal rate and level; shouting can
actually make understanding more difficult
• Rephrase rather than repeat the same words; different
words may be easier to understand
• Minimize distractions while speaking