Just Use the Mic
This morning, I went to yoga.
And in a 60-minute class, I heard maybe six words the teacher said. (Good thing I know the routine.)
Why?
No microphone.
Now, I’m mildly hard of hearing. Not dramatically. Not visibly (unless you know me well enough - then you can tell when I have lost the thread). Just enough that when sound isn’t clear, I lose it.
And before someone says it — yes, I have hearing aids.
And no, I can’t wear them in hot yoga… unless I’d like to destroy another very expensive pair. (Ask me how I know.)
Also, hearing aids also don't do great work in noisy rooms. High ceiling rooms. Echo'ey spaces. Restaurants.
I can go on.
(Side note for those of you who complain about how your parents or grandparents "just won't wear their hearing aids," consider why they don't. Do you really think they / we don't want to hear?)
But here’s the thing:
This isn’t about me.
This Is Bigger Than You Think
Here’s what most people don’t realize:
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, about 20% of adults over 40 experience some level of hearing decline, often gradually and invisibly. The percent increases as age increases. (Too many concerts back in the day? For some of us, probably yes.)
So if you’re speaking to a room of 50 people?
It's highly possible that at least 10 attendees might be struggling just to hear the words what you are saying. Never mind your message.
When you are a speaker / educator / manager / leader....
It is not a stretch to say that, over time, dozens — if not hundreds — of people are working harder than they should just to hear you.
And many won’t say a word about it.
We Accommodate What We See
In most environments, we’re quick to support visible needs.
Mobility access. Visual access. Environmental comfort.
But hearing?
Hearing is often invisible.
And the burden quietly shifts to the listener:
Move closer
Pay more attention
Try harder
Ask people to repeat themselves (again and again... and again)
Or worse — miss out entirely.
You’re Not Losing People Because They Don’t Care
When people can’t hear you clearly, something very specific happens.
At first, they try.
They lean in. They strain. They attempt to piece together what you’re saying.
And that costs them cognitive energy.
In HPI we call this "Environment Overpowers Intention."
Meaning, the best intentions (to focus, pay attention, really participate) get lost when the environment makes acting on the intention harder than it needs to be.
Because human being's resources and energy are finite. And the basics get first dibs.
So what happens?
Energy that should be going toward understanding your message is instead spent trying to decode your words.
And the listener gets tired.
And eventually, they stop trying.
They don’t make a scene. They don’t raise their hand. They just… check out.
Not because they don’t care.
Because they can’t keep up.
The Hidden Cost of “I Don’t Need a Mic”
Here's the deal.
If you’re speaking to a group — whether it’s a yoga class, a workshop, a staff meeting, or a conference — you’ve already decided what you have to say matters.
So why risk people missing it?
One of the most common responses I hear is:
“I have a loud voice.” “I have teacher voice.”
It’s not enough.
How well someone else can hear you isn't your decision to make.
You cannot guarantee that every person in the room can hear — and more importantly, process — what you’re saying.
But if you have a microphone available?
That dramatically increases the odds.
Amplification Is Leadership
This isn’t about preference.
It’s not about whether you like using a microphone.
It’s about removing barriers.
If you have the opportunity to use amplification — use it.
Not because you need it.
Because someone in the room does.
And more than that — because everyone benefits when your message is clear, consistent, and easy to receive.
Final Thought
When we have the privilege of standing in front of people…
It’s not about us.
It’s about them.
And leadership — real leadership — is about making sure the people we're there to serve can actually receive what we came to share.
Please share with someone who needs to hear this today.
