Communication Tips for a Better Thanksgiving

The weather is starting to get chillier, and with it comes a host of holiday celebrations—starting with Thanksgiving dinner. Whether you’re attending a small Friendsgiving get-together or heading to a large family event, Turkey Day comes with a lot of loud conversation. If you’re among the 10% of people in the United States living with hearing loss, it’s normal to worry about how you’ll keep up in this communication-heavy environment.

Let’s take a look at a few essential communication tips to help you enjoy this year’s Thanksgiving celebration.

1. Limit Alcohol

Happy family having a small Thanksgiving dinner.

While we tend to think of hearing as a passive act, understanding speech is active. This means that while you might hear speech sounds, your brain may not always process them quickly or perfectly. A good example of this is when the cashier at Gianino’s Pastries gives you a total of $5.70, and you hear $5.17. When you drink alcohol, your memory and speech functioning are impaired—leading to difficulty processing speech correctly. To help combat this, limit yourself to one or two drinks during Thanksgiving.

2. Ask Questions

Don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions if you don’t hear what someone said or feel you may have misunderstood the meaning. Your conversation partner will be happy you cared enough to clarify what they had to say.

3. Find a Quiet Area

Socializing with hearing loss can be mentally exhausting. To help ease your Thanksgiving stress, find a space to decompress during the celebration. Even if it’s just five minutes, a little time alone will help keep you from feeling stressed and exhausted by high-energy communication.

4. Suggest a Movie

If your family and friends usually play games or chat after dinner, consider suggesting a movie as a less communication-heavy way to spend time together. You can even stream sound from smart TVs right to your Bluetooth® hearing aids for a crystal-clear holiday movie experience.

5. Talk About Your Hearing Loss

Telling your loved ones about your hearing loss and asking for a bit of communication help is a great way to ease your stress and strengthen your relationships. A few common communication strategies to request include:

Please face me when you speak
Speak clearly and at a normal pace
Reduce background noise
If I don’t understand, please rephrase
Use gestures or write things down
Be patient

Hearing loss doesn’t need to get in the way of Thanksgiving fun. By employing a few of these strategies, you can enjoy fun conversations and lasting memories. To learn more about managing your hearing loss, contact Advanced ENT & Allergy today.