An upcoming publication questions the typical communication styles of the Deaf population – comparing it to the styles of the Hearing population. Unless you’ve experienced both, you may not be aware of the difference. Even if you have spent time in the company of both, you may not have consciously noticed the difference.
If you’re reading this as a hearing person, thinking about communication with your hearing friends, family, peers……consider how often you notice the following.
1. The person you’re speaking with seems to be distracted….looking at their watch…looking around the room…only partially engaged.
2. You sometimes feel rushed to make your point because you’re used to being interrupted.
3. The person you’re speaking with will often interrupt before you’ve had an opportunity to finish your sentence.
4. Someone in the room sneezes or drops a book or creates a noise which leads to distraction. Attention must be regained.
You get the idea. This is what we’re used to in the world of noise and many voices.
In contrast, if you’ve communicated with a Deaf person, one who may be reading your lips or your sign language, you may be caught off-guard by the intensity of their total attention. Communication is clear, or it continues until it is clear. Unless it’s an emergency, interruption is rare. Random noises have no affect on the conversation. You have the luxury of finishing your sentence.
A book is in the works, written by Bruno Kahne. Bruno is a Belgian living in France and has gained attention for providing courses around the world. The focus of these courses? Teaching Hearing people to communicate as well as the Deaf. The Deaf have learned to communicate without words and have possibly ‘gained’ something rather than ‘lost’.
Click here to learn more about the exceptional communication skills of the Deaf.
October 18, 2013 at 3:11 pm
After 7 years of research and writing the book is now available on Amazon. The title is “Deaf Tips, Powerful Communication.” I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
January 31, 2014 at 2:15 pm
After seven years of research and five years of writing, “Deaf-Tips, powerful communication” has just been released. I hope you will enjoy reading it.