Face the Speaker

Lipreading Tip 1. Face the Speaker.

One of the most important things you can do to make lipreading easier is to make sure the speaker is facing you directly.

It sounds simple — but in everyday life it is surprisingly easy to end up talking to someone who is turned slightly away, looking at their phone, or speaking while walking. Even a slight angle makes lipreading significantly harder.

Lipreading relies on being able to see the full shape of someone's mouth, lips and jaw as they speak. The moment someone turns even slightly away, you lose that visual information — and the brain has to work much harder to fill in the gaps. Over the course of a conversation that is exhausting.

Ask the speaker to face you directly. It is completely reasonable — and most people are happy to once they understand why. A simple "could you face me when you talk? It helps me lipread" is all it takes.

Small adjustments like this make a big difference. You are not being demanding — you are communicating what you need clearly and confidently.

This is Tip #1 in our Top Tips for Lipreading series. The Guildford Hard of Hearing Support Group runs lipreading courses for all abilities. Find out more about our 2026 programme here.