You arrive at your company’s annual holiday party and you’re immediately bombarded by noise. You can feel the beat of the music, the thrum of shouted conversations, and the click of glasses.
It makes you miserable.
You can’t hear anything in this noisy setting. The punch lines of jokes are missed, you can’t make out conversations and it’s all very disorienting. How can this be enjoyable for anyone? But then you look around and see that you’re the only one that seems to be having difficulty.
This likely sounds familiar for people who are dealing with hearing loss. The office holiday party can introduce some unique stressors and as a result, what should be a fun occasion is nothing more than a dour, solitary event. But don’t worry! You can get through the next holiday party without a problem with this little survival guide and perhaps you will even enjoy yourself.
Why holiday parties can be stressful
Even when you don’t have hearing loss, holiday parties are a distinct blend of stress and fun (particularly if you’re an introvert). If you struggle to hear when there is a lot of background noise, holiday parties come with distinct stressors.
The noise itself is the most prevalent. To put it into perspective: Holiday parties are your chance to loosen your tie and cut loose. As a result, they are usually rather noisy affairs, with lots of people talking over each other all at the same time. Could alcohol be a factor here? Yes, yes it can. But it can also be really loud at dry office parties.
Some interference is produced by this, especially for individuals with hearing loss. That’s because:
- There are so many people talking at the same time. It’s difficult to pick out one voice from many when you have hearing loss.
- Talking, music, clinking dishes, laughing, all in the background. Your brain has a difficult time separating voices from all of this information.
- Indoor events tend to amplify the noise of crowds, meaning an indoor office party is even harder on your ears when you have hearing loss.
This means that hearing and following conversations will be difficult for people with hearing loss. At first glance, that might sound like a small thing.
So… What is the big deal?
The big deal is in the networking and professional aspect of things. Although office holiday parties are social events in theory, they’re also professional events. It’s normally highly encouraged to go to these events so we’ll probably be there. Here are a couple of things to think about:
- You can network: Holiday parties are an ideal opportunity to network with employees from other departments or even catch up with co-workers in your own department. It’s a social event, but people will still talk shop, so it’s also a networking event. You can use this event to forge new connections. But it’s more challenging when you’re dealing with hearing loss and can’t understand what’s going on because of the overpowering noise.
- You can feel isolated: Most individuals are reluctant to be the one that says “what?” all the time. Isolation and hearing loss often go hand and hand because of this. Asking family and friends to repeat themselves is one thing but colleagues are a different story. They may mistake your hearing loss for incompetence. Your reputation could be compromised. So, instead, you may simply avoid interactions. No one likes feeling left out.
You may not even realize that you have hearing loss, which will make this an even bigger issue. Typically, one of the first indications of hearing loss is the inability to hear in crowded settings (such as office parties or crowded restaurants).
You may be caught by surprise when you begin to have trouble following conversations. And you may be even more surprised that you’re the only one.
Causes of hearing loss
So how does this take place? How do you develop hearing loss? Typically, it’s due to age or noise damage (or age and noise damage). Essentially, as you age, your ears most likely experience repeated injury as a result of loud noises. The stereocilia (tiny hairs in your ears that detect vibrations) become compromised.
That damage is permanent. And the more stereocilia that die, the worse your hearing will be. In most instances, hearing loss like this is permanent (so you’re better off protecting your hearing before the damage happens).
Armed with this knowledge, you can make that holiday party a bit more enjoyable in a few ways.
How to enjoy this year’s office party
Your office party offers some considerable opportunities (and fun!), so you’d rather not skip out. So, when you’re in a loud setting, how can you improve your ability to hear? Well, here are some tips to make your office party go a little better:
- Refrain from drinking too many adult beverages: Communication is less successful as your thinking gets fuzzy. Simply put, steer clear of the alcohol. It’ll make the whole process much easier.
- Look at faces: And possibly even spend some time hanging around people who have really expressive faces or hand gestures. The more context clues you can pick up, the more you can make up for any gaps.
- Try to read lips: You will get better at this the more you practice. And it won’t ever be perfect. But reading lips might be able to help you fill in some of the gaps.
- Have conversations in quieter places: Maybe try sitting on a couch or around a corner. When the background noise gets really loud, sitting behind stationary objects can provide little pockets that are slightly quieter.
- Take listening breaks: Take a 15 minute quiet break every hour. This will help prevent you from getting totally exhausted after having to listen really hard.
Of course, the best possible solution is also one of the easiest.: invest in a pair of hearing aids. These hearing aids can be personalized to your hearing needs, and they can also be discrete. Even if you opt for larger hearing aids it will still be better than asking people to repeat what they said.
Before the party, get your hearing examined
If possible, take a hearing test before you go to the 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.
