A caring response to common hearing difficulties at Quaker Gatherings
ACKGROUND
noises and less-than-ideal acoustics are often encountered in settings, such as college campuses where Quaker gatherings are held, making it difficult for many Friends to hear well in group discussions. Also, many Friends with varying degrees of hearing impairment come to these gatherings; they represent part of our collective wisdom, and we need to include them as much as possible. a)
Please be mindful of the need to speak loudly and clearly enough to be heard by everyone on the group. This is a basic courtesy, like legible handwriting. b)
Be willing to repeat or rephrase as needed without showing exasperation. Project an attitude that is positive, relaxed, and respectful. c)
Keep hands away from your face when speaking. d)
Speak slowly and distinctly, with extra stress on key words. Pause between sentences. This often comes naturally when you are conscious of wanting to be understood and not just focused on expressing your thoughts. e)
Speak at a volume appropriate for the person who is seated farthest away from you. (If you have to be reminded repeatedly that you aren’t being heard, imagine that you are talking to someone out in the hallway.) f)
Look at the entire group while speaking, but particularly at those identified earlier as hearing challenged. g)
Use facial expressions to mirror not only the meanings of your words but how you feel about them. h)
Look for signs that people are having difficulty (hands cupped behind ears, quizzical looks, passiveness, etc.) and adjust your speaking accordingly.
Additional responsibilities for group facilitators
Leaders of workshops and informal gatherings have additional responsibility for dealing with potential hearing problems in the meetings they facilitate: 1)
If possible, visit the assigned room well before the meeting is to take place and assess the background noises; make plans to mitigate those problems. Turn down blowers, close doors or windows where noise is entering, etc. If the situation is severe, ask to be moved to a better location. (Moving outdoors may be worse.) 2)
In groups larger than a dozen or so people, consider arranging chairs in concentric circles rather than one big circle, to reduce the distances between main speaker and listeners. 3)
When breaking up into small groups, avoid locating circles of chairs in the same space, where each group will begin speaking louder and louder to be heard over the other. Find other rooms nearby if possible. 4)
At the beginning of a meeting, ask people who already know they are soft-spoken or hearing-challenged to identify themselves, and rearrange seating as needed to accommodate them. Place people who tend to be soft-spoken next to the wall or chalkboard so their voices will gain some bounce from the hard surface. Place hearing-impaired persons where they can see the faces of those who are soft spoken. 5)
After introductions, lead a review of tips for better oral communication, including those listed in a) through h) above.
B
6)
Call the group’s attention to current background noises that may require everyone to speak much more loudly than they normally do. 7)
Ask participants to refrain from crosstalk and interrupting others. Ask speakers to wait until general chatter and laughter after a comment have subsided before resuming speaking. Ask participants to avoid adding to the background noise by scraping chairs, riffling through papers, or searching for something in a purse or backpack while others are speaking. 8)
Ask participants to raise their hands and wait for facilitator to call on them before speaking. Point to the person who is next, so that a hearing-challenged person can look in that direction before the person starts to speak. If there is an abrupt change in the topic, you may need to explain this so that hearing-challenged persons aren’t confused. 9)
Try not to stand with your back to a window where the backlighting will make it hard for people to seek your face. 10)
Use flip charts or a chalkboard to record main ideas. If handouts are being used, don’t expect participants to read them and listen to you at the same time. 11)
Intervene when other speakers apparently aren't being heard. Ask for repetition, or rephrase what is said for others. Be a good model of projection and clarity. 12)
Ask the hearing-challenged persons identified earlier to periodically give feedback on how well you and the others in the group are being understood. If you are a hearing-challenged person, you many need to take the initiative. Tell the workshop leader and others about your special needs. See that you are seated where you have the best chance of hearing. Ask someone to change seats with you if necessary. Consider using a 3x5 note card with "
Please speak LOUDER
" (
or more D I S T I N C T L Y
) written on one side and "
Please say that again
" written on the other, both in large, bold letters that you can hold up as needed.
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E
all need to be able to turn up the volume of our voices as conditions require, especially when we gather in circles without the aid of amplifiers. Consider the way that sign makers adjust the “visual volume” of their messages by using a range of type sizes according to how far away the signs are from most viewers. A sign that is readable from two feet away in 12-point type (the size used in the text of this paper), may need to be
twice
as big,
or 24 points, to be readable from eight feet away. To be readable from across the room, a sign may need letters that are
four times
as big, or 48 points (that’s two-thirds of an inch high). When lighting is poor (or the viewer is visually-impaired) the type may need to be 72 points (one inch) or larger. The same rule of thumb can be applied to oral communication: When you’re talking to someone in a small group, you generally need to speak
twice as loud
as when you’re talking to someone at arm’s length. If you’re in a larger group, your voice may need to be
four
or more times as loud.
If there are echoes and background noises, or if some listeners are hearing-impaired, you may need to project even more. Developing the ability to project your voice may take practice, even coaching from friends and family, but this is standard practice for stage actors. They may feel at first like they are shouting, but to their appreciative audience it sounds quite normal!