Better Communication Tip #3

Day three of a week of better communication tips from Dr. Salazar: repeat once then rephrase if needed.

If a listener has difficulty understanding something you said, repeat it once. If they are still having difficulty, find a different way of saying it. Use different words with the same meaning. For example: “I am going to the grocery store." Repeat once and then rephrase. “I am going to the supermarket." Another option is to ask what the person did not understand and just repeat that phrase or word. For example, "grocery store" is what was not understood, so just repeat those words.

Most people with hearing loss prefer this approach and do not want someone to say "never mind" then stop trying to communicate.