that oral communication is just as much a matter of transmitting intention by means of tone (emphasis, loudness, melody..) as of transmitting information by means of words. wsieber

Which I am convinced is the method used by cats and dogs "who understand every word I say to them" (as claimed by over-proud owners.)

i need to see peoples faces, and other visual clues to easily understand them.of troy

I guess that nearly everyone - even those with good hearing - uses a certain amount of lip-reading. Those of us whose hearing is "a little dull" (or more!) use it more than others.
But I agree with you, body language is also a big help.