Our research shows many people aren’t confident in communicating with people who have hearing loss, or British Sign Language (BSL) users.
Here are some easy changes you can make when communicating with deaf people and people with hearing loss to be more inclusive, shared by our communities.
Three simple ways to start
1. Get my attention
Use simple gestures like waving to get my attention.
2. Face me
Please face me when you talk to me. Lots of people rely on lipreading to some degree to understand.
3. Be patient
Don’t be afraid to repeat or rephrase and try something different.
More communication tips
Here are some more tips from our community on how you could improve your communication:
Ask someone how they want to be communicated with
Not all deaf people and people with hearing loss are the same. Different individuals may need you to make different changes when communicating with them in order to understand what you are saying.
Re-phrase what you said
If someone doesn’t understand you, repeat what you said or phrase it differently, use plain language.
Face the person you’re speaking to
Make sure you are facing the person you are talking to and speak clearly – avoid shouting, speaking too fast or unnecessarily slow.
Use an interpreter
You should always follow the advice of the person with communication needs. If that’s booking an interpreter or speaking to a friend or relative.
Write it down
Use pen on paper, text on device screens, or whiteboards to write what you want to say.
Get their full attention
Use simple gestures such as pointing or waving to get someone’s attention.
Reduce background noise
In a noisy place, move to a quieter area if possible.
Join our campaign
Other tools to help with communication
- Download our Communications Tips poster (PDF, 76KB)
- Explore these live speech-to-text apps that are available with varying levels of accuracy, depending on background noise and speed of conversation.
- Use Video Relay Services, such as SignVideo (previously ‘InterpreterNow’), for communicating with people whose first or preferred language is British Sign Language.
- Read our guide about how to make your events more inclusive.
Communication at work
If you want to better support your employees, customers or colleagues in the workplace, find our top tips below.
