Best face masks for speaking clearly

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“Excuse me, what was that again?” It’s a phrase that I repeat a lot these days.

My hearing is not that bad. So if I have a hard time understanding others during the pandemic, what should it be like for elderly grandparents and others with hearing loss, especially with so many people double masking?

A new study published Wednesday in PLOS One tackled the problem by comparing four ways of masking: using two different types of cloth masks, a surgical mask and an N95 mask, which filters 95% of the small virus particles. The study did not investigate double masking.
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“In the context of the pandemic, we were motivated to take a closer look at this issue, as there had been little previous research on how different types of masks affect speech,” said study author Joseph Toscano, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences who leads the cognitive sciences program. from Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

“With a lot of background noise, the surgical mask was found to be the least likely to interfere with speech recognition,” said Dr. Jawad Fares, a postdoctoral researcher in the department of neurological surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago.

“The findings of the study are important in light of the current pandemic as it recognizes the communication challenges we are facing,” said Fares, who was not involved in the study.

Worldwide problem

Statistics have shown that nearly 25% of people ages 65 to 74 and 50% of people over 75 in the United States have hearing loss – where they wouldn’t be able to hear a vacuum cleaner, dog barking, or even a baby’s crying.
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And it’s not just the elderly. Worldwide, about 466 million people suffer from hearing loss – 34 million are children, according to the World Health Organization. One in eight people in the United States aged 12 or older has some form of hearing loss in both ears.

Many people with hearing loss – and even some who don’t – rely on lip reading to follow conversations. That tool is, of course, removed during the pandemic through the use of masks.

The good news is that when background noise was limited, as is typical of many everyday environments, the study found that fabric, surgical, and N95 masks could effectively transmit speech, Toscano said.

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If the background noise was so loud that it could interfere with speech understanding, “we found that a surgical mask worked better than other communication masks,” Toscano said.

“The finding that surgical masks are less of a problem than fabric or N95 masks is interesting,” said NIDCD’s Tucci. “However, these (surgical masks) are not always available to the public, and the use of these masks was discouraged early on in order not to disrupt delivery for use in medical facilities.”

Surgical masks

Designed for use by surgeons and other healthcare professionals, surgical grade masks are disposable, loose-fitting, designed to help block “large particle droplets, splashes, sprays or splashes that may contain germs (viruses and bacteria) from reaching your mouth and nose, ”said the US Food and Drug Administration.

Genuine medical grade masks are made from three layers of non-woven fabric, usually made of plastic. The colored top layer of the fabric is made from spunbond medical grade polypropylene, a resin polymer that has been heat bonded into a web-like structure.

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Surgical masks also have small flexible wires to hold the mask in place and are often tied behind the head or tied with ear straps. Such masks can only be used once. If they are dirty or if breathing becomes difficult, the mask should be carefully discarded and replaced, according to the FDA.

Clear masks are also an option

The NIDCD and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that teachers and caregivers wear clear masks or cloth masks with a clear plastic panel when interacting with young children learning to read, students learning new languages, or those with hearing loss or disabilities.

This would certainly apply to care in hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities, and within mixed-generation families. Now it looks like there could be a new option, Tucci said, as the study found that “intelligibility is better with surgical masks.”

“It is worth emphasizing to the public that if they have difficulty communicating – for example, if they have a close relative or friend who has difficulty hearing – it would be worthwhile to use surgical masks or masks with a buy transparent panel, see if that helps, ”she said.

Helpful hints

There are also many other ways to improve communication.

Try to avoid loud background noise first. Turn off the television, music, and other distractions, or move to a quieter area.

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Modulate your voice so that your speech is intentionally clear and accurate. This approach was just as easy to understand with a mask on as it was when the mask was off, a separate new study published in Cognition found. Speaking in this way is much more understandable than casual or emotionally charged and hurried speech.
“Changing speaking rate and vocal intensity is also helpful,” said Fares, who co-authored a December 2020 study on coping strategies to facilitate communication with face masks.

That means you should slow down the pace of your speech, even if you are excited or upset.

Speak in person. Another good technique is “contacting the communication partner directly,” said Fares. This ensures that the “communicator has the receiver’s attention with nothing blocking the field of view in between.”

Use non-verbal cues. This is crucial for clear communication, experts say.

Face masks cover only the middle and lower part of the face, Fares said, so speakers can use their eyebrows, eyes, and upper cheeks to improve understanding.

Surgical masks were best for communicating in noisy environments, the study found.

“For example, the emotion of happiness is usually perceived when the corners of the lips are raised. With face masks, happiness can be caught in the face by focusing on the wrinkles at the edge of the eyes,” said Fares. “The eyebrows have been shown to help convey emotional expression and nonverbal communication.”

Take grief, for example. People tend to lift the inner corners of the eyebrows, with loose eyelids, Fares explained.

“Expression of anger emphasizes the downward and central movement of the eyebrows and the bright eyes. The expressions of surprise and shock are usually formed by raised eyebrows,” he said.

Exercise can also facilitate communication. Nod in agreement, raise a finger to ask for a chance to speak, or lean forward to show commitment. Watch the other person closely for signs of confusion, such as lack of eye contact or body collapse.

Don’t be afraid to stop and ask the other person if they have any problems. Make sure they understand the conversation, the NIDCD recommends. It’s also okay to jot something down or use a talk-to-text application on a smartphone to facilitate communication.

Don’t take off your masks. Whatever you do, just don’t do it, experts say.

“First and foremost, the focus should be on the effectiveness of the masks to prevent the spread of the virus,” Toscano said. “Our study suggests that concerns about speech communication are not in themselves a compelling reason not to wear a mask in everyday situations.”

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