Awareness

PACE – A simple way to support HoH people

Jo created PACE as an easy reminder for anyone talking to a hard of hearing (HoH) person:

• P – Patience
• A – Attention
• C – Clarity
• E – Ear contact

These four words capture the key communication tips recommended by deaf-awareness organisations and hearing-loss guides.

P – Patience

Hearing with HoH ears takes more effort. Even simple conversations can be tiring. Patience means:

• Giving people time to process what you’ve said before repeating or moving on.
• Re‑phrasing instead of saying the same words louder and louder.
• Staying calm when communication breaks down – focusing on fixing the message, not blaming the person.

A – Attention

Most deaf‑aware guidance starts with the same rule: get the person’s attention first. Attention means:

• Gently waving, saying their name, or tapping their arm or shoulder before you speak.
• Waiting until you are in the same room, facing them, instead of shouting from a distance.
• Making sure the environment helps – good lighting on your face, less background noise if possible.

C – Clarity

Clarity is more important than loudness. Shouting often makes speech harder to understand and more stressful to listen to. Clarity means:

• Speaking at a natural pace, with clear but not exaggerated lip movements.
• Using plain language and short sentences; avoiding jargon and long, tangled explanations.
• Repeating once, then re‑phrasing if it still isn’t understood.

E – Ear contact

“Ear contact” is our way of saying: talk to the person in a way their ears and eyes can actually use. With hearing loss, people rely on both sound and visual cues (lip‑reading, facial expression, gestures). Ear contact means:

• Facing the person so they can see your mouth and expressions – not talking while looking away, turning your back, or walking off.
• Keeping your mouth and face visible (no hands, phones, cups, or masks blocking your lips where possible).
• Positioning yourself sensibly – not too far away, and not with bright light or sun directly behind you so your face is in shadow.

How to use PACE

You can encourage people to:

• Remember PACE before any important conversation – “Patience, Attention, Clarity, Ear contact.”
• Use PACE at home, at work, in social spaces, and in services like shops, cafés, clinics and schools.
• Share PACE with friends, colleagues and family as a simple way to become more deaf aware.