It can become frustrating and people often get upset when not understood. However, if you are communicating with a friend, patient or a loved one who has had a stroke and they do not understand you, it is not your fault and nor is it their fault.

To aid communication here a few tips so help you:

• Reduce background noise and eliminate distractions when possible.
• Face the individual when talking.
• Listen carefully.
• Pause between sentences.
• Speak in shorter and grammatical simpler sentences but speak with natural intonation and loudness (you do not need to shout!).
• Use non verbal cues to improve communication such as drawings, writing, gestures and facial expression.
• Let the individual know if you are having difficulty understanding him/her.
• Use a slower rate of speech with frequent pauses.
• Do not turn conversation into therapy by correcting or requesting repetition unnecessarily.
• Repeat and rephrase as needed.
• Confirm that you are being understood. Ask simple questions and avoid loaded or multiple questions.
• In a group, one person should speak at any one time.
• Introduce one idea at a time; Change topics slowly.

Remember that communication is a multi-way process. You are one part of that process and what ever you can do to aid good communication will result in a better message being communicated.