To maximally communicate, you need to hear from both ears (binaural hearing) and you need to use your eyes and ears together. You will not communicate well using your hearing aids alone. To facilitate optimal communication, you need to pay attention to the speaker’s gestures and facial expressions! To maximize communication remember to watch the person speaking, reduce the distance between the speaker and the listener, reduce or eliminate background noise and use good lighting. If someone is speaking to you from across the room while the TV is on and while you’re doing the dishes, it will be very difficult to adequately communicate, despite fantastic hearing aids!