If you have a hearing loss, you can help your colleagues communicate success-fully with you by following the advice below.
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Tell about your hearing loss |
It is better to tell your colleagues about your hearing loss than to let them believe that you are arrogant and will not bother to answer them. It affects their self-respect, which is not a good basis for a healthy work environment.
Tell about your hearing aids |
Tell your colleagues that you wear hearing aids – this will remind them to speak clearly.
Teach your colleagues some hearing tactics |
Explain why it is important that they catch your attention and look directly at you when they address you. Even the most well-intentioned colleagues can forget this, in which case you have to tell them again - with a smile
Assistance from a particularly good colleague |
Find one or more colleagues who you feel understand your situation. They could give you some key words during meetings to facilitate understanding, inform new employees about your hearing loss, or offer support when things are difficult.
Thank your colleagues for their help |
Tell them what was particularly helpful in the specific situation.
Introduce a special signal |
A special signal can be used to tell your colleagues that you have not understood a given message.
You are probably not the only one |
Please remember that one out of ten has a hearing loss. In a workplace with many employees, this means that you can’t possibly be the only one with a hearing loss – although you may be the first one to speak openly about it. It may be helpful for other colleagues with hearing impairment to know that there are others in the same situation.
