Acoustic Design: a Feel-Good Space for Hearing and Understanding!

When it comes to having a conversation with a person with hearing loss, you can use several communication strategies. These little touches or changes in the way you interact with others can make all the difference for those who have difficulty understanding speech. In addition to what you can do in terms of conversation, lip movements, or gestures, some improvements in space design can also be implemented to assist with communication.

Acoustic design aims to improve the sound quality of a room. A well-laid-out space will, among other things, limit the reflection of sound waves off the walls and reduce disruptive noises and distractions as much as possible.

Here are some tips to improve the acoustic experience in different situations.

For Comfort at Home

Evidently, it is always better to have conversations in small rooms with low ceilings. That way, voices and surrounding sounds will produce less echo. In a large, less-furnished room, reverberation is more likely, as the sound will easily bounce off the walls.

Before starting a discussion, make sure to reduce noise in the environment by turning off certain noisy appliances (e.g., range hood) and the television or radio. Close the door of the room you are in to further distance yourself from sources of sound generated in other rooms.

If possible, we recommend choosing a round rather than rectangular table in order to seat people closer together. Room lighting can also have a significant impact on speech comprehension, especially if the person with hearing loss relies on lip-reading.

decorating the walls with picture frames can reduce the reverberation that hinders

For More Enjoyable TV Watching

It is also possible to optimize television viewing with a few adjustments to enhance the experience. As with conversation, the size of the room will have an impact on sound quality. You should also avoid sitting too far from the television. Visual input obviously plays an important role in contextualization and understanding. Subtitles can be a valuable comprehension aid, especially if the film is in another language.

With this in mind, it is important to make sure that the screen is neither backlit nor too bright. Some TVs offer sound adjustment settings that can help reduce or increase certain frequencies. Why not test out different sound settings? It may be possible to find one that is just right for your listening needs.

For an Outstanding Restaurant Outing

Dining out can be much more enjoyable if you ensure to choose an establishment with optimal acoustics.

A smaller restaurant with less sound travel makes conversations clearer and more audible. Where we choose to sit also affects our speech comprehension. In fact, why not ask to be seated farther away from the kitchen, in a more private section?

Furthermore, choosing a high-backed booth rather than a standard table will help reduce noise and make speech easier to decode.

Here again, lighting plays an important role in communication, since, as previously mentioned, a well-lit face makes it easier to lip-read and decode the speaker’s facial expressions and gestures.

Sometimes, a few small changes can greatly improve conversation for people with hearing loss. A little attention to detail or special care can enrich a conversation and lend meaning to a moment together.

For more information, talk to an audiologist.