By now all of us have had the experience of trying to have a conversation with someone else while we’re wearing a mask. Whatever is said is muffled by the mask, which can be frustrating as we try to make ourselves understood but also catastrophic communication-wise when one of the people trying to talk has a hearing issue or there is any background noise.
Many of us, even if unconsciously, rely on lip-reading when we talk to others, and the masks in general-use make that impossible. Masks with clear panels over mouths are becoming more plentiful, however, and that will help people see more of the face of someone speaking, which will be a big plus for discussions.
It is unclear how soon masks with clear panels will be available to all, or even if that they ever will be, or how, in practice, they effect speech muffling.
A recent trip to the European Union revealed how many employees will deal with mask muffling. At meetings in the EU, frustrated conversationalists often pulled down their masks to make important points and soon, because just like window shades which when pulled down are seldom raised again, the masks of everyone participating in a conversation were pulled away from mouths and noses.
Eventually, it seems likely that masks that do not impede speech will be developed. Until then, however, space design can compensate somewhat for mask-related communication issues. One quick fix is providing access to many, many white boards anywhere people might be trying to have a conversation so text and images to support points being made can be drawn on them. Depending on disease-curbing protocols in place, it may be easiest to issue all “discussants” their own whiteboard pen, which they would carry with them, instead of providing a single pen, linked to the board, in some way, for use by all.
Also, people who need to write/draw during conversations will require a horizontal surface to put down whatever is in their hands when, and if, spontaneous conversations occur. Being able to put things down will not only ensure people have a hand for writing, but also enable the people who are talking to gesture, which can help communicate important ideas.
In areas where there will be conversations, cutting the volume of white noise or similar soundscaping will help with muffled discussions, but will make it more distracting for individuals and groups not involved in a conversation to work nearby. This can be compensated for, at least partially, by creating clear “conversation zones” and providing as much acoustic shielding as possible between people in those conversations and those who are not.
Scientific evidence indicates that wearing masks can save lives. Workplace design can help keep masks where they can do their jobs, over people’s noses and mouths.
Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.