You’re assaulted by noise as soon as you arrive at the yearly company holiday party. You can feel the pumping music, the thrum of shouted conversations, and the click of glasses.
It makes you miserable.
You can’t hear anything in this loud environment. You can’t follow conversations, you can’t hear the punch line of jokes, and you’re completely disoriented. How can anybody be having fun at this thing? But as the evening goes on, you see that you’re the only person having trouble.
This probably sounds familiar for people who are dealing with hearing loss. Distinct stressors can be presented at a holiday office party and for a person who is coping with hearing loss, that can make it a solitary, dark event. But don’t worry! You can get through the next holiday party without difficulty with this little survival guide and perhaps you will even have a good time.
Holiday parties can be stressful, here’s why
Holiday parties can be a unique mix of fun and stress, (if you’re introverted this is particularly true) even if your hearing is healthy. For individuals who have hearing loss or if you struggle to hear with loud background noise, holiday parties provide some unique stressors.
The noise itself is the most prevalent. Think about it like this: Holiday parties are your chance to loosen your tie and cut loose. In a setting like this, individuals have the tendency to talk at louder volumes and frequently all at once. Could alcohol be a factor here? absolutely. But it can also be quite loud at dry office parties.
Some interference is produced by this, particularly for people with hearing loss. That’s because:
- There are so many people talking simultaneously. It’s not easy to pick out one voice from many when you’re dealing with hearing loss.
- Plenty of background noise, laughing, clanking dishes, music, and other noises. Your brain doesn’t always get enough information to isolate voices.
- When you have hearing loss, indoor parties like office parties can make it even harder to hear because sound can become amplified.
This means anybody with hearing loss will experience difficulty hearing and following conversations. At first glimpse, that might sound like a small thing.
So… What is the big deal?
The big deal is the professional and networking aspect of things. Office holiday parties, though they are surficially social events, a lot of networking occurs and connections are made. At any rate, attendance is often encouraged, so here we are. Here are a couple of things to consider:
- You can network: Holiday parties are the perfect chance to network with employees from other departments or even meet up with co-workers in your own section. It’s a social event, but work will be discussed, so it’s also a networking event. This can be a fantastic opportunity to forge connections. But it’s harder when you’re dealing with hearing loss and can’t understand what’s happening because of the overpowering noise.
- You can feel isolated: Who wants to be that person who’s always asking people to repeat what they said? Isolation and hearing loss frequently go hand and hand because of this. Asking family and friends to repeat themselves is one thing but colleagues are a different story. Maybe you’re concerned they will think you’re not competent. Your reputation may be damaged. So, instead, you may simply avoid interactions. No one enjoys feeling left out.
This can be even more problematic because you may not even realize you have hearing loss. Typically, one of the first signs of hearing loss is the inability to hear in crowded settings (like office parties or crowded restaurants).
As a result, you might be surprised that you’re having a hard time following the conversation. And you may be even more alarmed that you’re the only one.
Causes of hearing loss
So what is the cause of this? How do you develop hearing loss? Most commonly, it’s caused by age or noise damage (or age and noise damage). Your ears will typically take repeated damage from loud noise as you get older. The stereocilia (tiny hairs in your ears that sense vibrations) become damaged.
These tiny hairs won’t heal and can’t be repaired. And the more stereocilia that kick the bucket, the worse your hearing becomes. Your best bet will be to safeguard your hearing while you still have it because this kind of hearing loss is usually permanent.
Knowing all that, there are ways you can make your holiday office party a bit less uncomfortable!
Tips to make your office party more fun
Your office party presents some significant opportunities (and fun!), so you really want to go. So, when you’re in a noisy setting, how can you hear better? Well, here are a few tips to make your office party go a little better:
- Find a quieter place to talk with people: Try hanging out off to the side or around a corner. In some cases, stationary objects can neutralize a lot of noise and offer you a slightly quiet(er) pocket, and you’ll be able to hear more clearly during loud background noise.
- Look at faces: And maybe even spend some time hanging around people who have very expressive faces or hand gestures. The more contextual clues you can get, the more you can make up for any gaps.
- Keep the alcohol drinking to a minimum: Communication is less successful as your thinking gets blurry. In other words, steer clear of the alcohol. It’ll make the whole process a lot smoother.
- Try to read lips: You will get better at this the more you practice. And you will most likely never perfect this. But some gaps can be filled in with this technique.
- Take listening breaks: Take a 15 minute quiet break every hour. By doing this, you can avoid becoming totally exhausted from straining to hear what’s happening.
Of course, there’s an even more ideal option: invest in a pair of hearing aids. Hearing aids can be subtle and customized to your particular hearing needs. Even if your hearing aids aren’t small, you’d rather people notice your hearing aids than your hearing loss.
Get your hearing tested before the party
That’s why, if possible, it’s a smart idea to get your hearing assessed before the office holiday party. You may not have been to a party since before COVID and you don’t want hearing loss to sneak up and surprise you.
