Lipreading

Lipreading is also referred to as speechreading. It is the art or skill of understanding what a person says by watching lip, jaw, and tongue movements as well as facial expressions and gestures. You do not have to hear each and every individual sound or word to understand speech. A hard of hearing person can use their remaining hearing, eyesight and knowledge of language.

Lipreading classes train the hard of hearing to:

be aware of speech sounds which can be seen on the lips
recognize speech patterns, phrases and the grouping of syllables and their corresponding shapes and movements as seen on the lips
make use of the context in which words occur
make maximum use of the environment – good lighting and reduction of background noise make lipreading easier
Develop good listening skills

Lipreading is a skill and like any other skill requires training and diligent practice. A hard of hearing person can do the following to help them lipread more effectively:

make their needs known to other people by explaining that they are hearing impaired and that they are trying to lipread. Most normal hearing people will make every effort to accommodate their needs.
when possible, the hard of hearing person should ask to be briefed on lectures or conversations before they actually begin. This will give them a head start by allowing them to anticipate the context of the conversation
be alert and attentive. A hard of hearing person may become tired if they have to lipread for a lengthy period of time. Where possible, regular breaks should be scheduled to allow them to rest between conversations
eliminate sources of noise
make sure the room is well lit and situate themselves so that they can see the speaker's face.