Telephone Tips for Cochlear Implant Recipients

How To Practice Phone Calls

Practicing simple conversations on the phone with a friend or family member will

• boost your confidence when talking on the phone
• allow you to practice listening in a controlled situation
• help you to build a repertoire of conversational clarification strategies
• increase your assertiveness when talking on the phone

Use the list below as a guide, working from easier phone listening tasks to more difficult ones. Choose topics that are interesting and relevant to you to keep your practice fun and engaging. Here are some ways to start practicing with a family member or friend:

• Practice hellos and good-byes.
• Ask your phone partner simple yes/no questions. Your partner should answer with either “Yes, yes” or “No”. Make sure to repeat the word ”yes” so the possible responses differ more noticeably in their length and pitch. The questions you ask could be about anything.
  For example, “Did you go to work today?” and your partner answers either “yes, yes” or “no”.
  Or “Do you like chocolate cake?” and your partner answers either “yes, yes” or “no”.
• Prepare short, simple conversations with written text. Have the conversation on the phone and follow along with your partner’s responses in the text.
• Answer simple yes/no questions about a predetermined topic, for example: “Will you go by train?”
• Answer either/or questions, for example: “Will you go by bus or train?”
• Answer closed-set questions with a limited number of possible answers, for example: “Which day do you want to go?”
• Answer open-set questions about a general topic that will give you a clue about what the answer may be, for example: “Where shall we meet?”
• Practice making an appointment or asking your telephone partner a question.
• Practice using a range of clarification strategies:
  • Ask for repetition: “Can you say that again, please?”
  • Ask for rephrasing of the sentence: “Can you say that in a different way, please?”
  • Ask the speaker to simplify the sentence: “Can you tell me again with a shorter sentence?”
  • Ask for clarification by repeating the message back: “Did you say that you went to the…?”
  • Ask your communication partner to modify their speech, for example: slowing down speech rate or speaking louder.
  • Repeat back what was said for confirmation of the information.
• Progress from simple to more complex conversations. You can start with prepared sentences and move to more open conversation.

Daily Calls

Plan ahead to make your phone calls effective. Here are some tips:

• Before calling, write down information you need to find out and questions you must ask.
• Consider likely topics so you can anticipate vocabulary and questions.
• Use a notepad and pen to write down information.
• Prepare an introduction to inform your phone conversation partners that you use an auditory processor and that they may need to clarify key information.
• Many businesses now offer text messages to confirm appointments made over the telephone. Inquire about whether these services are available.
• In work situations, request to use video conferencing for additional visual cues, and request the agenda ahead of time so you are familiar with what will be discussed and can follow the conversation more easily.
• And try out direct streaming options like AudioStream for your SONNET 2 or the AudioStream Adapter for your RONDO 3.

You can also use Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) to improve speech recognition and ease of listening on the phone. Talk to your audiologist about the range of ALDs available to assist you in phone communication. Practice connecting to ALDs so you feel more confident using them in everyday life.

Assistive Listening Devices include:

• AudioLink
• Telecoil
• Direct connect audio cable
• Bluetooth streaming with a neckloop

By using these strategies, you can make talking on the phone a breeze. You won’t need to panic whenever your phone rings or you need to call to make an appointment or reservation. Keep practicing, and see how your confidence grows.