“Turn on some music. It will help me hear you better,” said no one ever who has hearing loss. But, maybe that isn’t right. When the background is too quiet, people tend to lower their voices and speak in hushed tones. Think of a library or a quiet reception area at a doctor’s office. In a louder space like a bar or coffeehouse, people instinctively raise their voices to be heard above the background noise.
It got me wondering. Is there a happy medium where soft background music can optimize a listening situation? I decided to give it a try.
Let’s Put on Some Music
It will depend on your degree of hearing loss and, of course, your communication partners, how many people are gathered, and the setting, but recently, for me, a little background music made it easier for me to enjoy a nice “quiet” evening with a small group of friends.
When everyone arrived, no music was playing. This is usually considered best practice—lights up, noise down—but in the quiet, I struggled to follow the dialogue. The silence felt like a weight in the room, inhibiting my guests and keeping the overall volume of the conversation low.
Let’s put on some low music, I suggested, and when I did, magic happened.
Everyone raised their voice, just enough to be heard over the music. Nobody was shouting, but they were all speaking more freely. And enunciating more completely. And better yet, it happened naturally, without constant reminders and listening fatigue.
While probably not the right move for every get-together, especially one with many people attending, playing some light background music in an already quiet space may be worth a try.
Communication Best Practices for Hearing Loss
Background music or not, communication best practices are an important part of good conversation. While both sides of the equations must use them, for people with hearing loss, it is often our communication partners who must make the most effort.
Share these tips with them.
Tips for Communication Partners
1. Provide Context: Context makes it easier to take the sounds we hear and adapt them into words that make sense in the conversation.
2. Get Our Attention First: Hearing takes concentration. Make sure we are paying attention before you speak. If not, we are playing catch-up before the dialogue even begins.
3. Keep Faces Visible: We use visual cues to fill in the blanks of what is not heard. This is called speechreading. Keep your mouth uncovered, and make sure that your face is well-lit.
4. Enunciate Clearly and Speak at a Steady Rate: Volume is only part of the problem. Clarity of the sound is key. Speak clearly, and maintain a regular pace of speech.
5. Take Turns Speaking: It is harder to “hear” multiple speakers at once, especially when using visual cues. Speak one at a time and whenever possible, face the person with hearing loss.
6. Repeat or Rephrase Gracefully: When asked for a repeat, do so with a smile. If you are still not understood, try using different words or spelling a particularly challenging word.
7. Ask What You Can Do: Each listening situation is unique. Ask the person with hearing loss what else you can do to make it easier for them to understand.
Want More Communicating with Hearing Loss Tips?
For more best practice tips, read Hearing Loss Communication Dos and Don’ts or refer to the Hearing Hacks section of my co-authored book Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss.
Readers, what is your experience communicating with background music?
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Sometimes I put on music when I’m reading to drown out my tinnitus but I never thought about how people instinctively speak up when there’s background noise! Thanks for tip.
Thanks for sharing what works for you as well.