Step 1: Context
Whenever we are lipreading, knowing the context gives us a much better chance of lipreading accurately because we can anticipate and interpret more easily and accurately.
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Don’t be afraid to ask what the current topic is (a polite ‘Are we talking about X?’ to the person beside you, may do the trick).
Lipread sentences, not single words. Trying to pick up every single word is almost impossible. Longer phrases allow you to fill in the blanks through context.
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By focusing on the whole sentence, you can comfortably miss a few words here and there and still understand what was actually said.
Step 3: Patterns of Lip Movements & Shapes
Getting to know which lipshapes look similar will help to avoid common mistakes. With practise you can become quite accomplished at recognizing the movements and shapes.
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We will be learning the common confusion groups.
Step 4: Facial Expressions
Notice facial movements and expressions to understand tone and mood. The eyes and mouth are incredibly expressive.
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Don't just look at someone's lips, as the rest of their face offers important contextual clues to determine not only the sentence but how the sentence is said.
Step 5: Use What You Know & Anticipate
Use the words you do know to figure out the ones you don't. You're basically given an incomplete map and asked to fill in the blanks. When we are speaking we know what kind of word will follow another. This helps us to anticipate e.g. ‘I’ will usually be followed by a verb – I am, I went, I have etc.
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Step 6: Body Language
Study body language. You're trying to translate one sense (sound) into another (sight), and this is a tricky task to perfect.
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The best lip readers use everything to their advantage, including body language, to gauge mood, tone, and themes of conversation.
Step 7: Practice Well Known Words & Phrases
Look at yourself in a mirror or on your camera phone, say words, talk out song lyrics, recite something. The whole time focusing on what your lips look like when they make different sounds/words. Slow down and try out tricky syllables or related sounds to get used to the combination of word and visual. By saying the words out loud as you read, you help internalize the syllable for future lip reading.
Step 8: Lateral Thinking
We can use lateral thinking to make an educated guess. We can gain evidence from the situation we are in to help us to lipread. Are we … with a friend / in a waiting room / at a social event / in a meeting / seeing an announcement on the TV? Our life experience can help!
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Step 9: Use Lipreading to Clarify What You Hear
Most of us hear something however little. We need to use our lipreading skills to make sense of what we hear. Make good use of your amplification – hearing aids, auditory implants.
Step 10: Rhythm of Speech
When we speak, we use rhythm, stress and intonation to help us convey our message. Even if we can’t hear this we can see the difference in how the words are said and use this to help us even more with our lip reading.
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Imagine you can see a friend who says, ‘Hello how are you?’. You will recognise this almost instantly because it is so familiar.
Step 11: Substitute to Make Sense
We know that some words look very similar, so if we can quickly substitute a similar looking word we can make sense of the sentence.
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In a biology class it is likely to be a ‘furry animal’ not a ‘fairy’ one.
Step 12: Be Confident & Have A Go!
Be confident in your skills and have a go. You may feel nervous, but just remember that very, very few people are going to get angry, upset, or otherwise negative when they find out you're lip reading. Communication is a two-way thing-- and people will be willing and happy to help you learn and repeat sentences you've missed.
