You’re bombarded by noise as soon as you get to the yearly company holiday party. You can feel the beat of the music, the thrum of shouted conversations, and the clattering of glasses.
It makes you miserable.
In such a loud setting, you can’t hear anything. The punch lines of jokes are getting lost, you can’t make out conversations and it’s all really disorienting. How can anybody be enjoying this thing? But as the evening continues, you see that you’re the only person having trouble.
For people who suffer from hearing loss, this likely sounds familiar. Unique stressors can be introduced at a holiday office party and for somebody who is coping with hearing loss, that can make it a solitary, dark event. But have no fear! You can get through the next holiday party without a problem with this little survival guide and maybe you will even have a good time.
Why holiday parties can be stressful
Even when you don’t have hearing loss, holiday parties are a distinct combination of stress and fun (particularly if you’re an introvert). For people with hearing loss or if you struggle to hear with loud background noise, holiday parties provide some unique stressors.
Most notable is the noise. To put it into perspective: a holiday party is your team’s chance to let loose a little bit. In an environment like this, people tend to talk at louder volumes and usually all at once. Alcohol can absolutely play a part. But it can also be really loud at dry office parties.
For those with hearing loss, this noise creates a certain amount of interference. That’s because:
- Office parties include lots of people all talking over each other. It’s difficult to isolate one voice from many when you have hearing loss.
- Plenty of background noise, laughing, clinking dishes, music, and so on. Your brain has a hard time isolating voices from all of this information.
- When you have hearing loss, indoor parties like office parties can make it even more difficult to hear because sound tends to become amplified.
This means anyone with hearing loss will experience difficulty hearing and following conversations. At first glimpse, that might sound like a minor thing.
So… What is the big deal?
The big deal is in the networking and professional aspect of things. Although office holiday parties are theoretically social events, they’re also professional events. It’s usually highly encouraged to attend these events so we’ll probably be there. This means a couple of things:
- You can network: It’s not uncommon for people to network with co-workers from their own and other departments at these holiday events. Work will be discussed, even though it’s a social event it’s also a networking occasion. You can use this event to forge new connections. But it’s much harder when you have hearing loss and can’t make out what’s happening because of the overpowering noise.
- You can feel isolated: Most people are reluctant to be the one that says “what?” constantly. Isolation and hearing loss frequently go hand and hand because of this. Even if you ask your friends and family to sometimes repeat themselves, it’s different with co-workers. Maybe you’re worried they will think you’re incompetent. Your reputation may be damaged. So, instead, you might simply avoid interactions. You’ll feel left out and left behind, and that’s not a fun feeling for anyone!
You may not even know that you have hearing loss, which will make this an even bigger challenge. 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 may be alarmed that you’re having difficulty following the conversation. And when you notice you’re the only one, you may be even more alarmed.
Causes of hearing loss
So what causes this? How does hearing loss happen? Age and, or noise damage are the most prevalent causes. Basically, as you get older, your ears likely experience repeated damage as a consequence of loud noises. The stereocilia (fragile hairs in your ears that detect vibrations) become damaged.
These little hairs won’t heal and can’t be repaired. And your hearing will keep getting worse the more stereocilia that are damaged. Your best bet will be to protect your hearing while you still have it because this type of hearing loss is normally permanent.
Armed with this knowledge, you can make that holiday party a little more enjoyable in a few ways.
How to enjoy this year’s office party
Your office party presents some considerable opportunities (and fun!), so you really want to go. So, when you’re in a loud setting, how can you improve your ability to hear? You can make that office party better and more enjoyable using these tips:
- Look at faces: Try to spend time with people who have very expressive faces and hand gestures when they talk. You will be able to fill in information gaps using these contextual clues.
- Keep the alcohol drinking to a minimum: Communication is less successful as your thinking gets blurry. The whole thing will be much easier if you go easy on the drinking.
- Take listening breaks: Every hour, take a 15 minute quiet break. This will help stop you from becoming completely exhausted after trying to listen really hard.
- Have conversations in quieter places: Possibly try sitting on a couch or around a corner. When the background noise gets too loud, sitting behind stationary objects can provide little pockets that are slightly quieter.
- Try to read lips: You will get better at this the more you practice. And you will most likely never perfect this. But reading lips may be able to help you make up for some of the gaps.
Naturally, the best possible solution is also one of the simplest.: get fitted for a pair of hearing aids. These hearing aids can be personalized to your hearing needs, and they can also be discrete. Even if you go with larger hearing aids it will still be better than asking people to repeat themselves.
Get your hearing assessed before the party
That’s why, if you can, it’s a smart idea to have your hearing checked before the office holiday party. Due to COVID, this may be your first holiday party in several years, and you don’t want to be surprised by your inability to hear!