You’re assaulted by noise as soon as you arrive at the annual company holiday party. The din of shouted conversations, the clanging of glasses, and the pulsating beat of music are all mixing in your ears.
It makes you miserable.
You can’t hear anything in this loud setting. You can’t follow conversations, you can’t hear the punch line of any joke, and you’re completely disoriented. How can anybody be having fun at this thing? But then you look around and see that you’re the only one that seems to be having difficulty.
For individuals with hearing loss, this most likely sounds familiar. Unique stressors can be introduced at a holiday office party and for someone 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 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 unique combination of stress and fun (especially if you’re an introvert). If you struggle to hear when there’s a lot of background noise, holiday parties come with 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. This means they are usually rather noisy affairs, with everybody talking over each other all at once. Could alcohol be a component here? absolutely. But it can also be really loud at dry office parties.
Some interference is created by this, particularly for people with hearing loss. That’s because:
- There are so many people talking simultaneously. One of the side effects of hearing loss is that it’s extremely difficult to pick out one voice from overlapping conversations.
- Talking, music, clinking dishes, laughing, all in the background. Your brain has a difficult time isolating voices from all of this information.
- When you have hearing loss, indoor parties such as office parties can make it even more difficult to hear because sound can become amplified.
This means anyone with hearing loss will experience trouble hearing and following conversations. At first glance, that might sound like a minor thing.
So… What is the big deal?
The professional and networking aspect of things is where the big deal is. Even though office holiday parties are theoretically social events, they’re also professional events. At any rate, attendance is usually encouraged, so here we are. Here are a couple of things to think about:
- You can network: It’s not uncommon for people to network with co-workers from their own and other departments at these holiday events. People will still talk shop, even though it’s a social event it’s also a networking occasion. This can be an excellent chance to forge connections. But when you’re dealing with hearing loss the noise can be overwhelming and it can become challenging to talk with anyone.
- You can feel isolated: Who wants to be that person who’s always asking people to repeat what they said? This is one reason why hearing loss and solitude frequently go hand-in-hand. Even if you ask your family and friends to sometimes repeat themselves, it’s not the same with co-workers. Perhaps you’re concerned they will think you’re not competent. And that can damage your work reputation. 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. The inability to hear clearly in noisy settings (such as restaurants or office parties) is usually one of those first signs of hearing loss.
You could be caught by surprise when you start to have trouble following conversations. And when you notice you’re the only one, you might be even more alarmed.
Causes of hearing loss
So how does this occur? How do you develop hearing loss? Age and, or noise damage are the most common causes. Your ears will typically experience repeated injury from loud noise as you get older. The fragile hairs in your ear that detect vibrations (called stereocilia) become compromised.
These little hairs won’t heal and can’t be healed. 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 type of hearing loss is normally irreversible.
Knowing all that, there are ways you can make your holiday office party a bit less uncomfortable!
How to enjoy this year’s office party
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 improve your ability to hear? Well, here are some tips to make your office party go a little better:
- Take listening breaks: Take a 15 minute quiet break each hour. This will help prevent you from getting completely exhausted after having to listen really hard.
- Keep the alcohol drinking to a minimum: If your thoughts start to get a little fuzzy, it’s a good bet you’ll be unable to communicate effectively. The whole thing will be much easier if you go easy on the drinking.
- Find a less noisy place to have those conversations: Possibly try sitting on a couch or around a corner. In some cases, stationary objects can neutralize a lot of noise and give you a slightly quiet(er) pocket, and you’ll be able to hear better during loud ambient noise.
- Try to read lips: You will get better at this the more you practice. And you will probably never perfect this. But some gaps can be filled in with this technique.
- Look at faces: Try to spend time with individuals who have really expressive faces and hand gestures when they talk. The more context clues you can get, the more you can fill in any gaps.
Of course, the best possible solution is also one of the simplest.: get fitted for a pair of hearing aids. Hearing aids can be subtle and customized to your particular hearing needs. Even if you opt for larger hearing aids it will still be better than asking people to repeat themselves.
Before the party, get your hearing tested
That’s why, if you can, it’s a good idea to have your hearing tested before the office holiday party. You may not have been to a party since before COVID and you don’t want hearing loss to catch you off guard.
