Ben kicked off his new member talk by sharing a bit about his roots and hobbies. The youngest of four siblings, he grew up in Gloversville, New York, historically known as the glove-making capital of the country. Outside work, he’s an avid hockey fan, comic book reader, and proud rescuer of two cats, Jonathan and Scotty.  A neighbor inspired Ben to pursue audiology, leading him to earn degrees from Herkimer County Community College, SUNY Fredonia, and Illinois State University. From there, he gave the room an insightful, practical look at how hearing works. Ben holds a Doctor of Audiology (Au.D) degree. He explained that our ears collect sound vibrations, but it’s our brain that has to process and decode them. Ben stressed that simply hearing is passive, whereas understanding takes active effort—especially in noisy rooms. With common high-frequency hearing loss, vowel sounds stay loud, but consonant sounds like s, f, and th drop out, making voices sound muffled or mumbled.

While hearing aids amplify sound and use tech like AI to manage background noise, Ben noted they aren’t an overnight cure-all and can’t replace active listening. He wrapped up with a few great everyday communication tips: face the person speaking, cut down background noise, speak clearly, and rephrase your sentence instead of repeating the same missed words.