Lip reading is a special talent that takes patience and time to master. However, everyone, even those with perfect hearing, occasionally read lips. While it can be a bit difficult to fully lip read because languages have nearly identical sounds, a little patience and sensitivity can help you understand what the other person is saying without hearing a word.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Understanding How to Read Lips
Step 1. Know that you need to focus on both context and the visual cues of the lips
Only some of the sounds can be recognized by the eye. There are so many words and syllables that are so similar that we can't tell them just by reading our lips. Most people who are able to read lips say that in practice, this ability is not just lip reading. Words are not simple, and muscle movement, mumbling, accent, and mouth covering make “reading” impossible. Once you learn to make lip reading a part of your communication, you will not only have the tools, you will be more successful.
In Better Hearing Australia's annual lip-reading competition, most participants only scored 40–50%. Few participants who reach 90% and above are successful because of using context and guesswork
Step 2. Read sentences, not words
Understanding word for word will be very difficult. Most lip readers know that long words and sentences are easier to read than short ones because long phrases allow you to fill in the blanks through context. By focusing on whole sentences, you can skip a few words here and there and still understand what people are saying.
Step 3. Watch gestures and facial expressions to understand tone and nuance
The eyes and mouth are very expressive, usually even more so than the tone of voice. Don't just pay attention to the speaker's lips because facial expressions provide important contextual clues that determine not only the sentence, but also its delivery.
- Lip tugging (smiles or small grimaces) usually indicates worry, fear, or anxiety.
- Raised eyebrows also tend to indicate anxiety or stress.
- Wrinkled eyebrows and forehead indicate feelings of displeasure or anger.
- Wrinkles at the edges of the eyes indicate happiness and joy.
- Turning the head to the side usually indicates discomfort or even hostility. A bowed head indicates nervousness, embarrassment, or a reluctance to communicate.
Step 4. Study body language and posture to understand nonverbal cues
When you're lip-reading, you're trying to translate one sense (hearing) into another (sight), and that's hard to perfect. The best lip readers use everything, including body language, to predict mood, tone of voice, and conversation theme. While not perfect, the following list includes many basic pointers:
- Closed arms tend to indicate anger or aggression. Open arms indicate friendliness, closeness, and honesty. Open and closed feet also convey similar connotations.
- The way people direct their shoulders and hips usually indicates their priorities or who they are comfortable with.
- Leaning toward you implies closeness and connection. Leaning away generally indicates discomfort or confusion.
- A wide open posture conveys confidence, strength and dominance. Body slouching indicates a lack of self-confidence.
- There are many nuances, subtle differences, and interpretations involved in body language, and no situation is the same. However, when used in conjunction with lip reading, you can learn a lot very quickly in most situations.
Step 5. Know what syllables look similar to avoid common mistakes
There are many sounds in the language. Unfortunately, only a few can see the difference. The sounds in the following list are a bit tricky because they are pronounced with the same mouth shape or are misunderstood. Remember that the letters in brackets indicate the sound that causes confusion when read, not the letter itself.
- & [p]
- [k] & [g],
- [t] & [d],
- [f] & [v]
- [s] & [z]
- [n] & [ng]
Step 6. Use the words you know to estimate the unknown words
Basically, you're given an incomplete map and asked to fill in the blanks, and don't always manage to fill it out correctly. However, it is much more effective than finding every word and sound. Lip readers know that it takes them a second to “reconstruct” a sentence before responding so they can speak more fluently and get past the problem.
Step 7. Ask people to speak a little slower if you can
Be honest with the other person and ask him to speak slowly. Chat points are not to impress people with your abilities, but to chat. Words that are spoken slowly and with clear pronunciation will be much easier to read and understand in context.
Method 2 of 2: Practice Lip Reading
Step 1. Watch TV and focus on the lips of the person speaking
Start with the news because newsreaders speak clearly and are always looking at the camera. If you have a hearing loss, turn up the volume and listen. You will be able to associate the “voice” with the movement of the lips. If you are completely deaf, turn on captions (closed captions or CC) as lip-reading guidelines.
Step 2. Say the letters of the alphabet, sing a song, or quote something in front of a mirror
Focus on the movement of your lips when you make different sounds/words. Slow down and try difficult syllables or similar sounds (like p, b, and m) to get used to the word and visual combinations. By reading aloud, you can link syllables to lip reading.
Step 3. Ask your friend to help by speaking clearly, slowly, and facing you
Unfortunately, most conversations don't take place in television studios. To improve lip reading skills, start with your friends. Let them know you're learning to lip read, and they can help by speaking clearly, slowly, and staring at you. As they progress, ask them to speak at a normal pace.
Step 4. Consider taking a lip reading course
Lip reading courses are provided by a supportive and relaxed community. Usually, you'll practice with difficult syllables and tricks, then split into groups for conversation. If you don't have a course like this in your city, look for an online course so you can shape and develop your skills.
Step 5. Have confidence in your abilities and force yourself to chat
The best way to learn lip-reading in a general setting is to apply it directly. You may be nervous, but remember that very few people will get angry, irritated, or react negatively when they find out you're lip-reading. Communication goes both ways, and people will be happy to help you learn, as well as repeat sentences you don't understand.
Tips
- Try it with friends and family. After that, guess what the people in the coffee shop or train said.
- At first you will find it difficult to understand sentences because many words look the same when they are spoken (ball, pattern, pore) so you will have to look for clues from the rest of the sentence to figure it out.
- When watching TV, make sure you're watching humans, not cartoons. Cartoon mouth movements are unrealistic, sometimes just up and down and don't form words.
- When people scream, their mouths widen and it's hard to see what they're saying.
- Watch a TV show or movie you already watch and are familiar with (we usually have a favorite show we watch over and over again), but turn the volume down. Watch how the actors speak and see if you can follow the lines by paying attention to their mouths/lips.
- Using songs from TV shows or videos is not a reliable technique for beginners learning to lip read because words and syllables are usually exaggerated, lengthened, or shortened to fit the melody. Singers also usually include mumbling, or emphasizing or pronouncing words in unusual ways.
- Don't give up if you run into trouble. After many failures, you will succeed. Don't lose your willpower, just wait.
