Our Campaigns — Communication Tips
Communication Tips
Everyday deaf people experience communication barriers that can make accessing services and shops a problem.
This is because lots of staff don’t have the time available to communicate properly with deaf and hard of hearing customers during busy times.
As a result of this we regularly receive feedback about;
- Shop assistants ignoring deaf and hard of hearing Customers to serve a hearing person
- Deaf people not getting what they ordered or asked for because communication is not effective
- Other customers shouting, getting annoyed and upset because of the time staff are spending with a deaf or hard of hearing person
- One of the most important things to remember is to be patient. Communication is always better between people when they are relaxed and calm.
To develop a full and well rounded understanding of deafness and deaf issues we would recommend a deaf awareness training course.
bid services run fully accredited deaf awareness courses. For information on the deaf awareness courses available or for help and guidance about communication please email info@bid.org.uk.
Campaigns
To help make communication better we are recommending 10 things you can do to make a big difference when communicating;
1. Try to be open and communicate naturally
2. Use gesture and body movement to help explain where something is located or when directing someone
3. Make sure the person has a clear view of your face and the lighting is good - this helps with lip-reading and clearly shows your facial expression
4. Reduce background noise and use your loop system – this is especially helpful for hearing aid users
5. Have a pen and paper ready
6. Try not to use jargon – keep it short and simple
7. Do not shout
8. Do not exclude the deaf person – address them directly
9. Be patient and make time to communicate
10. Don’t give up - if you are not understood the first time, try again using a different method of communication