Hearing Tactics
Practical behavioural strategies employed by a person with hearing loss to optimise listening conditions in everyday situations, such as positioning oneself near a speaker or reducing background noise.
Full Definition
Hearing tactics are listener-controlled environmental and behavioural adjustments that individuals with hearing loss use to facilitate communication without altering the signal at the device level. Examples include sitting with one's back to a window to improve the speaker's visibility, asking conversational partners to face them before speaking, turning off background music, and selecting quieter venues for important conversations. In aural rehabilitation programmes, hearing tactics training is delivered alongside device orientation and communication strategies to form a comprehensive management approach. Editors should distinguish 'hearing tactics' (listener-managed strategies) from 'communication strategies' (which encompass both listener and partner behaviours) and from 'assistive listening devices' (technological solutions).
Usage
Usage note: Prefer 'hearing tactics' over 'listening strategies' in UK clinical documents to align with established aural rehabilitation terminology. Always distinguish from 'communication strategies', which is the broader category.
In Context
- "The rehabilitation group session covered hearing tactics such as room positioning, lighting optimisation, and managing reverberation in social environments." — Group aural rehabilitation session plan
- "Hearing tactics are particularly valuable when amplification alone cannot overcome the listening challenges posed by a reverberant environment." — Patient education booklet