Maintaining Communication in Masks

When the National State of Disaster was declared in March, few, if any, would have expected that in October we would still be navigating our way through the COVID-19 minefield with no set end date or vaccine in place.

Although the lockdown regulations have been relaxed with resultant increases in movement of persons and permitted capacity in venues, it remains mandatory for everyone to continue wearing a mask when in public in order to limit the risk of exposure. With the steady rise in the numbers of infected people, as well as the death rates as seen in the past couple of days, it’s evident that now is not the time for anyone to relax or set aside that mask, despite any discomfort brought on by the continued wearing of such, especially with the rise in temperatures.

Apart from the fact that masks are not the most comfortable piece of clothing, especially when worn for a long time, one cannot dispute the fact that communicating when wearing a mask is not easy, actually its quite often awkward, regardless of whether its face to face or over the phone communication.

Conversing with masks on, may be difficult due to:

• Masks are not only a barrier for the virus, but they also tend to hinder the clear transmission on our voices, the thicker the mask, the more muffled the voice.

• Social distancing coupled with the use of a mask almost always hinders the flow of conversations.

• Conversations are more than just what one says, the speaker’s facial expressions enhance conversations and provide the essential unspoken cues which we often rely on for our conversations to flow.

• Whether you have a hearing impairment or not, more often than not apart from deciphering facial expressions we employ a certain degree of lip reading during the course of the conversations. This is especially so when there is background noise hampering the conversation.

Communication is described as “the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium.” Communication is a crucial aspect of our existence and while some communication faux pas may make for a good laugh the last thing anyone wants is to jeopardise lives or even risk losing our jobs due to incorrect/ineffective communication. When the factors vital to easy flow of conversation are somewhat hindered, communication becomes impaired. No doubt to counter this, you may at a point in time find yourself unintentionally tugging at your mask or even taking it off completely in order to ensure a smoother flow of conversation.

It’s evident that masks are going to be a part of our lives for a long time to come and it is important to use them correctly to ensure that they are effective. In the same way that we have made adjustments to how we communicate by enhancing our written communication as well as adapting to virtual communication platforms through applying accepted etiquette, we need to adapt to and enhance our communication in masks.

1. Be patient with yourself and others.

2. Increase your voice volume when speaking, i.e. speak a little louder, but do not shout.

3. Reduce your rate of speech, speak a little slower and check in with your listener to ensure that you are being heard/understood. But do not keep asking “can you hear me?” that can seem to be condescending.

4. Where possible reduce background noise e.g. move to a quieter spot or schedule the conversation for a quieter time.

5. Request clarification regarding the information you did not hear so that only the key

information is repeated. Instead of saying “what?” “huh?” “please repeat”; make your query more direct e.g. “Sorry, I didn’t get the amount.”

6. Make sure that both you and your communication partner are facing each other while maintaining social distance. Sound (including speech sounds), travels forwards, so facing each other will help reduce unnecessary noise loss.

7. If you are often in conversation with people who have a degree of hearing loss or auditory processing difficulties, consider getting a mask with a clear panel over the mouth. While these are not fool proof, they do provide slightly more information for the listener.

8. The use of a properly fitting, fully protective clear plastic face shield is also very useful in order to ensure that people who employ lip reading as a means of communication, are not left out of conversations while ensuring the safety of the individuals. Just do not forget to maintain social distancing during the conversation.

9. If you are struggling with most masked conversations, even in quiet environments, perhaps consider having your hearing tested by an audiologist. The body is amazing and its possible that you’ve been relying on visual and non-verbal cues to help you hear, when in fact the beginnings of a hearing loss are present.

10. If all else fails, consider changing the method of communication from verbal to written. You may even follow the verbal communication with a written confirmation of the main points of the conversation or the resolutions taken in order to ensure that nothing gets lost. This also helps as it serves as a reference point long after the conversation has been forgotten.

Mask or no mask we need to keep on communicating, it’s up to us to ensure that the communication is effective at all times.

“Communication- the human connection- is the key to personal and career success” – Paul J. Meyer

This article contains information from an article by Naomi Brick.