Lip Reading – 9 Tips To Try It Today

9 Tips and 16 resources to learn lip reading

“See with your ears and hear with your eyes.”
Ken Kesey. American novelist, essayist, and counter-cultural figure

All sighted people lip-read. Lip reading is a skill we possess inherently; at the same time, it is a skill that can be learnt deliberately and mastered with practice.

While communicating, we follow the speakers’ lip movements to process their speech more effectively. We do this without even realizing it. When enjoying dinner at a noisy restaurant, we lip-read to understand our friends.

We lip-read to catch every word of the lecturer who is standing far from us in the lecture room. We do lipreading when learning a foreign language. Even infants* practice lip reading – they follow adults’ lip movements to learn how to pronounce letters and words.

What is Lip Reading?

Lip reading, also called speechreading, is the act of using visual cues of the speaker’s lip movements, body language and facial expressions to understand the meaning of what is being said.

We can’t help to be effective in communication. We use the whole arsenal of techniques – conscious and subconscious – to enhance our understanding of the speech we hear.

Effective lip-readers are said to have a listening eye. No surprise, lip reading comes as a lifeboat for deaf and hard of hearing people; the skill is vastly used in the communities they live and work in.

Beyond traditional settings

The use of lip reading, however, has gone beyond everyday situations and a limited number of communities.

New York Times reports that during matches in the National Football League, coaches gave instructions by shielding their mouths after finding out that their competitors used lip reading to steal plays from them.

Another amazing example is Sue Thomas. Exclusive lipreading skills helped her to build a successful career in FBI. Being completely deaf, she was proposed her position after transcribing a mute video dialogue that involved illegal gambling transaction.

Lip Reading – The Basics

Reasons to learn lip reading are quite a few but before getting down to practice, it will be useful to consider the main characteristics that make or break the effectiveness of lip reading.

The speaker and the angle. You should have a clear view of the speaker’s face; otherwise, lipreading becomes extremely difficult or practically impossible.

Certain linguistic and speech factors make lip reading particularly challenging. Mumbling, hard accents, a foreign language you do not master, industry-specific jargon are among the major ones.

Lighting. No matter how hard you try, it is very, very, very difficult to do lip reading in darkness. Make sure the speaker and you are in a sufficiently lit setting.

Context and body language. The more you know about the subject matter being discussed, the better is your lip reading experience. The bad news is – only 30% of meanings can be read on the lips. Having said that, efficient lip readers can get 100% of what is being said. The explanation is simple – the rest of the meaning is understood from context, gestures, facial expressions, etc.

Concentration. No matter how skillful a lip-reader you are, you will fail to communicate with confidence and be actively involved in a conversation if you are tired or stressed. Lip reading itself is very tiring and you will need constant focus to be able to communicate effectively.

Our Tip: Do you generally want to improve your learning skills? Here is a list of the best speed reading courses to develop fast and effective reading skills. You may also benefit from our tutorial on how to speed read.

Lipreading – 9 Tips To Get Started

1. Avoid lip reading single words; lip-read sentences

As you can recognize only 30% of English words by watching a speaker’s lips, you need context to be able to lip-read for thorough understanding. A sentence is the smallest unit that will provide the context you need to figure out what is being said. Even if you fail to understand some words in a series of sentences, you will be able to get the main meaning of the speech.

2. Do not watch solely the lips.

Facial expression and body language provide an immense amount of information. Use that information! Eyes, jaw, brows, arms, legs, body posture, gestures, personal space – each of them will help you fill in the gap of a missing word. Note that by deciphering the emotional side of the communication, you will succeed in the linguistic part more easily.

3. Know your “enemies”.

For a lip reader, certain letter sounds are more difficult to differentiate than the others. While you will easily see the difference between [o] and [k] when someone pronounces ‘only’ and ‘can’, you will have a hard time spotting the difference between the following sounds:
[b] & [p]
[k] & [g],
[t] & [d],
[f], [v], & [th]
[s] & [zzzz]
[m] & [n]

Try it yourself. Look into the mirror, pronounce these pairs, and you will see that they look identical on your mouth and lips. This is another factor that makes sentences and context so crucial in lip reading.

4. Pace is important.

You will find it easier to lip-read when the speaker slows down. If there are no specific reasons for you to feel uncomfortable, always ask the speaker to speak slowly so that you can follow the speech and get the meaning.

5. Watch TV.

A piece of advice that would otherwise seem an attempt to take away your precious time turns into a helpful tip when it comes to lipreading. Especially TV news is a great point to start as newscasters always speak facing the camera and have expressive lip movements.

6. Socialize!

Let your friends, relatives, and colleagues know that you are practicing lip reading. Ask them to help you whenever possible. Make the process fun for all of you!

7. Reach out for a mirror.

No one around at the moment? You can always ask a mirror to help you out. Say different words, recite a poem, say the alphabet – and follow the movements of your lips and mouth.

8. Take a lip reading class.

Google for nearby courses and training that will help you start learning and hone your skills in lip reading. Many organizations and centers are committed to creating equal opportunity communities, so it should not be difficult to find the one that fits your needs.

9. More than a skill – a character.

Lip reading helps develop traits such as persistence, determination, observance, and focus. By learning to read lips, you do not only enhance your understanding of people’s speech in various settings, but you also cultivate a character that will serve you far beyond communicating with people and understanding them.

Resources – Lip Reading

Websites

• Definition – Encyclopedia.com
• lipreading.org/vowel-eyedrills
• lipreadingpractice.co.uk
• wikipedia.org/wiki/Lip_reading
• lipreading.org/tips-for-lip-reading
• wikihow.com/Read-Lips
• lipreading.org/beginners-guide-to-lipreading
• nytimes.com/2016/08/07/magazine/how-to-read-lips.html
• theverge.com/2016/11/24/13740798/google-ai-lip-reading
• 121captions.com/2017/03/29/bad-lip-reading-jobs/

Lip reading tools for Android or iOS

• Playstore: play.google.com/store/apps/details?Readmylips
• iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/app/read-my-lips!/id400621810
• iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/read-my-lips/id325664983

Lip reading games

• Hearing Things Game by Hasbro
• Kims Game – Lipreading Practice
• Come Again?! The Ludicrous Lip Reading Game

Bad lip reading videos

• YouTube Channel

Lip Reading – Conclusion

Wrapping up our guide about lip reading. Acquiring a new skill is an engaging yet challenging experience. The onus for success is on you – the more persistent and motivated you are, the better results you will achieve.

Listening with your eyes will not supplant hearing; however, lip reading is a powerful tool to use in everyday life when hearing is hard or impossible. This invisible skill will help you feel more confident in myriad settings – at work, in social gatherings, while watching TV, sitting in a class, attending a workshop, learning a foreign language, following instructions of your coach, etc.

Let lip reading help you cultivate a strong character and concentration – skills and traits that will prove to be irreplaceable for your personal and professional growth.