Lessons from deaf

http://www.purposefairy.com/64696/7-important-lessons-deaf-people-can-teach-you-about-communication/

I agree with this article.  I added in what I have learned from wearing hearing aides.  

1. Maintain eye contact

Really, I have to watch a person talk so talking on the phone is very difficult.  I need to 'see' what someone says.  If the other person turns away, I figure the conversation is over.  I am genuinely confused when I am accused of walking away from a conversation.  

2. Don’t interrupt, follow the protocol

I still have to be careful not to do this.  I learned a lot from KavinCoach listening intently to what I said.  Many times he would remain quiet after I spoke to give himself time to think about what I said before answering.  I also learned by not interrupting the other person will share more information.

3. Be straightforward, down to the point and as concise as possible

Long involved stories are difficult to follow.  I also tend to be brief and to the point.  I am accused of not being social with not enough small talk.  I also can't hear voice variations that indicate sarcasm or joking.  Say what you mean and mean what you say is very helpful for me. 

4. If you don’t understand something, ask

I ask questions for clarification often.  Phone numbers and other bits of information I repeat back to make sure I heard correctly.  Too often I found out how wrong I am.  Unfortunately, some people think I am a complete idiot for doing this. 

5. Cut yourself from distractions

Having the TV or radio on makes it almost impossible for me to converse.  Other difficult places are restaurants, movies, crowded malls or any where else that is noisy.  Trying to whisper information in church is almost useless too.  (I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!!)

6. Be expressive and articulate

Using hands and body language along with the speech is helpful.  Communication is a whole body experience.  Mumbling is not communicating, it is talking to yourself with an audience.  Talking slower and louder doesn't always help, articulation does.   

7. Observe, learn and get extra information from what you see and feel

 Not hearing much I tend to rely more on what I see.  I tend to pick up nuances from behavior more than content of the words.  When content does not agree with behavior, I tend to pay more attention to the behavior then the content.  This actually comes in very helpful in discerning real intent.   

Hearing Aides make a huge difference in my life.  I some times wish I had a T-shirt that says, "I'm not ignoring you, I really am deaf."  I like writing and texting simply because there is a smaller margin of error in understanding what is said.  I like the quote that we are given two ears but only one mouth for the intention that we should listen twice as much as we talk.