As our workforce becomes more diverse not only in terms of racial lines, but in terms of lifestyles such as those who have disabilities or impairments, it is more and more important to educate ourselves to become more productive and civic in our dealings with our fellow individuals.

Of course you do not want to go overboard or out of your way in making someone feel "special"- as that could have the opposite effect.

However very few if any individuals, in this case those who are hard of hearing, will get mad at you for exercising the following common sense, and practical behaviors in everyday living.

1. If you find yourself being asked to repeat yourself after you've felt you enunciated it in about 40 different accents and tones, it may be time to simplify things. Perhaps use simpler language or move to a quiet booth where you can speak without any outside interference. Also consider writing down the basic ideas or create a drawing to complement what you are saying.

2. Is the person in question feeling a bit exhausted after a difficult day's work? Or perhaps he or she has been feeling under the weather lately? This probably is not the best time to recite the entire speech verbatim from the State of The Union Address you saw on TV last night. Perhaps this can wait another day or two when they are at their 100% health.

3. To maximize your chances of being heard the first time. Make sure that the person in question is not pre occupied with something else. Perhaps he or she is doing some paper work, or may look like they've got something on their mind. In these cases make sure to get their full attention if possible so that they are all ears for you when you speak. Otherwise reschedule for a conversation later on.

Hopefully these 3 tips have opened your eyes and ears to how simple yet productive following some "protocol" in front of your neighbors will be to your overall daily interactions as well as producing relationships that yield bountiful fruit in the long run.