For many people with hearing loss, phone conversations are one of the most frustrating parts of daily communication. You might do well face-to-face, yet struggle to understand even familiar voices once they’re coming through a phone speaker. This challenge isn’t uncommon, and it has everything to do with how hearing loss affects the way you process speech.
Why Phone Conversations Are Harder With Hearing Loss
You naturally rely on facial expressions, lip movements, gestures and body language to fill in gaps when speech sounds are unclear. On the phone, those visual cues disappear. All that’s left is sound, and phone audio is often compressed, distorted or missing important speech frequencies. For someone with hearing loss, that combination can cause words to blur together and make it harder to grasp their meaning.
The good news is that there are practical strategies and hearing loss treatments that can make phone conversations far more manageable.
Four Tips for Easier Conversations
Try the following to make your next conversation easier:
- Use hearing aid streaming features. Many modern hearing aids are compatible with smartphones, connecting directly via Bluetooth® technology. Your hearing aids will deliver clearer sound that matches your specific frequency needs.
- Choose a quiet location. Background noise is one of the most significant barriers for people with hearing loss. In busy environments, the brain has to work overtime to separate speech from other sounds. For example, you’ll have a harder time understanding the speaker when you’re in a noisy line at Celtic Cup Coffee Roasting than you will at a library. Whenever possible, take calls in a quiet room. Reducing competing noise allows your hearing aids and brain to focus on the conversation itself.
- Request rephrasing when needed. Because each cell in your ear that transmits sound to the brain focuses on a specific frequency, hearing loss doesn’t affect all sounds equally. High-pitched consonants are often the first to fade. Because of this, repeating the same sentence word-for-word may not help. Instead, ask the speaker to rephrase what they said using different words. This often provides new sound cues your brain can process more easily.
- Slow the conversation down. Don’t hesitate to ask the other person to slow their speaking pace slightly. Clear, steady speech can significantly improve understanding during phone calls.
If phone conversations continue to feel exhausting or confusing, it may be time for a hearing check or an adjustment to your hearing aid. Contact Hearing Center Silver Spring to schedule your appointment.