1. Communication Strategies & Conversational Styles Chapter 7
Perry C. Hanavan, Au.D.

2. Belonging, Independence, Mastery, Generosity
“For successful conversation between any two people, there must be mutual interest, cooperation, and sensitivity. For successful conversation between a normal-hearing person and a hearing impaired partner, the same basic requirements exist. Greater time, effort, and awareness may be required, however, to reach the same level of understanding.”
NP Erber, 1993, p 109

3. Communication Strategy
A course of action taken to enhance communication
facilitate
repair

4. Communication Training
Instruction provided to a person with a hearing loss to maximize his or her communication potential

5. Conversation Sharing ideas Relating experiences Telling stories
Expressing needs
Instructing
Influencing
Create meaning
Build understanding
Establishing intimacy

6. Conversational Rules
Implicit rules guide the conduct of participants in a conversation
Typically cultural established conventions

7. Rules of Conversation Agree to share one another’s interests
Ensure all share in talking
Participate in topic
Take turns talking in organized fashion
Try to be relevant to topic discussion
Not too verbose…succinct messages
Dr. Sam Trychin

8. Hearing Loss Characteristics
Disrupted turn taking
Modified speaking and listening style
Modified turn taking style
Inappropriate topic shifts
Less rich content
Superficial content
Frequent clarification
Violation of implicit social rules…speech too loud
Disrupted grounding

9. Question Select the 2 classes of strategies in communication:
Belonging
Facilitative
Mastery
Repair

10. Classes of Strategies Facilitative instructing, structuring Repair
specific tactics

11. Reception of Messages
Talker
Message
Environment
Listener

12. Facilitative Strategies
Strategies that influence the talker
instructional strategies
the listener asks the talker (communication partner) to change the delivery of the message (assertive)
slow down
it is difficult to lipread when you cover your mouth
could you face me

13. Facilitative Strategies
Strategies that influence the message
Message-tailoring strategies
phrasing remarks to constrain a response of a speaker
Did you go fishing or boating?
Are you afraid of snakes?
Metacognition – considering in one’s mind how to say something
Acknowledgment gesture – listener providing feedback to communication partner via head nod or shake

14. Facilitative Strategies
Strategies that influence the environment
Constructive strategies
tactic designed to optimize the listening environment for communication
Let’s go into the living room to talk
Let’s sit where it is more quiet
Let’s step over here where there is more light
Moving closer to speaker
Avoiding rooms with reverberation
Avoiding places with visual distractions

15. Facilitative Strategy
Strategies that influence reception (listener)
Adaptive strategies
methods of counteracting maladaptive behaviors that stem from hearing loss
relax
taking a deep breath

16. Facilitative Strategy
Strategies that influence reception (listener)
Attending strategies
methods of counteracting maladaptive behaviors that stem from hearing loss
watch the speaker’s lips
focus on the speaker

17. Facilitative Strategy
Strategies that influence reception (listener)
Anticipatory strategies
methods of preparing for a communication interaction
observant of situation clues
makes predictions about message
predicts speakers style

18. Facilitative Strategies
Talker
Instructional
Strategy
Message
Tailoring
Acknowledge-ment
Strategy
Environment
Constructive
Strategy
Listener
Adaptive
Attending
Anticipatory
Strategy

19. Instructional Strategies Worksheet (Talker)
______________________________

20. Tailoring (Message) Strategy
________________________________

21. Constructive Strategies (Environment)
_______________________________

22. Adaptive, Attending, Anticipatory Strategies (Listener)
__________________________________

23. Repair Strategies Communication breakdown
when one communication partner speaks a message and the communication partner does not recognize the message

24. Detecting Communication Breakdown
Choose Course of Action
Use Repair Strategy
Disregard Utterance
Bluff

25. Repair Strategies Receptive repair strategy Expressive repair strategy
tactic used by the listener (with hearing loss) when the message presented by a communication partner is not understood
Expressive repair strategy
strategy used to rectify a communication breakdown that occurs because the person with a hearing loss (speaker) produces an unintelligible utterance

26. Specific Receptive Repair
repeat all or part of message
indicate the topic of conversation
rephrase message
elaborate message
simplify the message
confirm the message
write
fingerspell

27. Question Not an example of a non-specific strategy: Huh What Pardon
I got the first part of the sentence

28. Nonspecific Expressive Repair
What
Huh
Pardon

29. Six Basic Principles of Conversational Repair
ONE: Use of requests for clarification improves understanding between conversational partners (e.g., Tye-Murray, Purdy, Woodworth & Tyler, 1990).
TWO: Specific training in the use of repair strategies is effective (Tye-Murray, 1991).
THREE: Some requests for clarification are considered specific, or contingent (e.g., requests for confirmation) whereas others (e.g., neutral queries) are considered non-specific, or non-contingent (see, Table 2).
FOUR: Contingent requests for clarification are more likely to sustain interaction over multiple turns than non-contingent requests (Kenworthy, 1984).
FIVE: Strategies that elicit rephrasing by the speaker are more likely to repair the communication breakdown (Gagne & Wyllie, 1989).
SIX: Requests for specific clarification are viewed more favorably by the speaker than non-specific requests (Gagne, Stelmacovich, & Yovetich, 1991; Caissie & Gibson, 1997). In other words, both interactants communicate more effectively when more specific, or contingent, repair strategies are employed. (Kenworthy)

30. Patronizing Communication Style with Older Persons
Talking only about restricted topics
Using directive speech
Using childlike expressions
Speaking very slowly
Exaggerating nonverbal signals
Paraphrasing frequently
Decreasing grammatical complexity
Talking about fewer topics

31. Bilingual Children and Repair
When using sign, greater diversity in repair strategies were used.
Most, T. (2003). The use of repair strategies: bilingual deaf children using sign language and spoken language. American Annals of the Deaf. 148:4,

32. Adjacency pairs: linked speaking turns
You Say, I Say
Adjacency pairs: linked speaking turns
Hearing Loss Partner Comm. Partner
message repetition response
provide information response
feedback response
nonspecific repair strategy-
request for information repair strategy-
confirmation repair strategy-

33. Topic Shading
When a new emphasis is derived from an ongoing topic of conversation such that the topic remains the same but the relevant details shift
Jan: (has HL) I’m going to Phoenix today.
Rob: Are you flying or driving?
Jan: Flying
Rob: I need to get my tickets for Orlando.
Jan: What?

34. Research
67% at a family gathering, a party or social meeting likely to pretend (bluffing) to be understanding while keeping quiet
Most individuals ask communication partner to repeat a message verbatim following a communication breakdown rather than other repair strategy
Message restructuring rather than repeating improves understanding
Non-specific repair strategies (huh, what?) beneficial in some contexts

35. Likely to Use Repair Strategies
Those using repair strategies less likely to
feel frustrated with speechreading skills
Avoid social interactions
Those less likely to use repair strategies tend to
Have attained lower levels of educations
Have experienced a sudden hearing loss
Received minimal benefit from their listening devices

36. Mentioning a Hearing Loss
Can be beneficial
May result in conversation center on hearing loss
May be factor why persons with hearing loss reluctant to reveal hearing loss

37. Conversational Styles
Passive conversational style
withdraws, bluffs, avoids
Aggressive conversational style
hostile, belligerent, bad attitude
blames others
denies, dominates, interrupts
Assertive conversational style
takes responsibility for managing communication
respects the rights of their communication partner
openly and honestly expresses needs and emotions

38. Communication Style Assertive Passive Aggressive Least stressful
Faces problems
Gains respect of others
Claims rights; is respectful of others' rights
Makes own choices
Possesses self-confidence
Stress-producing
Avoids problems
Allows self to be manipulated by others
Gives up rights
Lets others choose
Lacks self-confidence
Blames or attacks others instead of solving problems
Takes advantage of others, is often feared and avoided.
Disregards others' rights
Chooses activities for others
Often hostile, demanding, and egotistical

39. Communication Style

40. Communication Behaviors
Interactive
assertive communication style
Non-Interactive
passive communication style
Dominating
aggressive communication style
Dr. Sam Trychin

41. Assertiveness Training
Key Elements:
Ways to indicate a hearing loss
Means to request a change in the communication environment
Ways to suggest how the communication partner can facilitate the patient’s understanding of spoken messages
Means to provide positive feedback to communication partners to reinforce desirable behaviors

42. Assertiveness Training
STEP ONE: Realize where changes are needed and believe in your rights
STEP TWO: Figure out appropriate ways of asserting yourself in each specific situation that concerns you
Example:
Situation: You have just been introduced to someone, but it is very noisy and it is difficult to understand their speech.
Response: As soon as appropriate, ask, “It is very noisy and I am having difficulty hearing you, can we move where it is quiet?
Poor responses: Let it go and try to avoid situations and say huh and what. An aggressive response would be to blame him/her, "You don't speak up very well, you seem to mumble?"

43. Assertiveness Training
Increase the cooperation between person with hearing loss and communication partner
Ways to indicate a hearing loss
“I have a hearing loss and may not understand.”
Ways to request a change in the communication partner
“The lights are dim. Could we move to another room.”
Ways to suggest how the communication partner can facilitate understanding of spoken message
“It helps me understand if I can see your face.”
Ways to provide positive feedback to communication partners to reinforce desirable behaviors
“I appreciate your talking to me face to face.”

44. Examples
Dr. Sam Trychin
HearWell
Dr. Mark Ross (Assertiveness)

45. Assignment During the next two days:
1. analyze your communication behavior
2. analyze 2 people you communicate with daily and determine their style
3. select the communication style you prefer others use
4. Read: A Conversational Approach to Aural Rehabilitation