Column | Marie-Josée Taillefer
Getting Together: an Invaluable Communication Tool
The Need for Human Contact in Communication
Normalizing hearing problems takes constant effort to correct misconceptions and reduce the impact of hearing loss on people’s quality of life. For instance, hearing loss often affects people’s self-image, leading to a loss of confidence and self-esteem. Many fear that they will be seen as less competent, less sharp, or that they will appear older1—prejudices that are no longer valid today.
In our experience, communication channels that allow for direct interaction are the most effective. As humans, we are all programmed to analyze an infinite number of signals aside from speech in a conversation—we consider facial expression, warmth and tone of voice, body language, gestures, and so much more. People with hearing loss generally rely more heavily on these contextual clues when they communicate.3
Awareness is a Communication Issue, Too
This became even more true during the pandemic. While we have all suffered from the lack of socialization, people with hearing loss have faced additional obstacles: beyond the documented challenges that come from everyone wearing masks,4 physical distancing has severely limited opportunities to communicate.
Good communication involves several factors. Communicators need to speak the same language as their audiences, and they also need to be able to reach those audiences using the channels or spaces they prefer. In other words, they need to meet our audience where it is. When it comes to hearing health, conveying messages effectively comes with a unique set of challenges since hearing loss, by its very nature, acts as a barrier to communication. Several studies have shown that deaf and hearing-impaired people have a harder time accessing adequate health information.2 For the past two decades, the professionals practicing in the Lobe clinics have applied a strategy that’s seemingly simple, but requires a great deal of thought and constant innovation to reach people with hearing loss: providing as many communication channels and points of contact as possible. By organizing events that bring people together, both locally and provincially, we have been able to minimize these barriers and help democratize access to hearing health information and care.
6
As the Lobe clinics and hearing health ambassador who has been involved since 2017, I have seen firsthand the importance of direct, in-person interaction in effectively communicating with hearing-impaired people. Conferences and information sessions, awareness days, booths, and other in-person activities are the most effective initiatives. Face-to-face contact is invaluable when it comes to understanding and being understood. Human contact, with its nuances, warmth, and complexity, remains the number one communication and awareness tool.
This photo was taken before the pandemic.
LOBE.CA | © LOBE MAGAZINE 2022
