Vocal hygiene in the age of COVID-19

Do you find yourself yelling at the computer during back-to-back Zoom meetings at the office? When wearing a face mask, does your voice become fatigued from repeating yourself because no one understands what you are saying?

You are not alone, said Andrew Keltz, CCC-SLP, a voice pathologist at the Yale Voice Center at Greenwich Hospital located at 55 Holly Hill Lane in Greenwich. Keltz is part of a team of voice experts that includes Michael Lerner, MD, the center’s medical director and a laryngologist specializing in voice.

Wearing a mask and conducting Zoom meetings, as opposed to in-person gatherings, play important roles in protecting ourselves and others from the spread of COVID-19. “But they also pose challenges when it comes to receptive and expressive communication,” said Keltz.

For instance, people with hearing impairments may experience problems with receptive language because they can no longer read lips or view a person’s facial expressions for nonverbal cues.

Research suggests people expend more effort to speak when wearing a mask, which can lead to vocal fatigue and put them at greater risk of developing voice problems. “When you wear a mask, you often find yourself speaking more loudly and working harder to use your voice,” said Keltz.

The same extra effort holds true when speaking on video platforms, such as Zoom, studies show. “People overcompensate for the distance by yelling. They work a little harder to vocally express themselves,” Keltz said.

To facilitate clear communication and preserve your voice, Keltz offers these tips:

• Strive to improve clarity rather than loudness to achieve better communication without straining your voice. Slow down your speech slightly and exaggerate your articulation. This gives the signal a little more time to reach the listener, and improves efficient voice production.
• Try inserting an ear plug into one ear while on video calls. Research suggests that with one ear occluded, you are less likely to increase your vocal loudness in response to external noise. When you are wearing one ear plug, you are more conscious of hearing yourself and you may find it easier to monitor how loudly you are speaking.
• When on a video conference, make sure to optimize the computer’s sound settings and use a microphone that works well.
• Follow general vocal hygiene such as maintaining adequate hydration. Drinking water hydrates the voice from within. To hydrate the voice externally, use a room humidifier, breathe steam in the shower, or use a personal steam inhaler.
• Rest your voice. Build in moments of rest if your voice demands are high on a certain day to avoid becoming taxed and fatigued. Vocal budgeting is a valuable piece of the puzzle. If you have Zoom meetings all day at the office, you may want to skip that phone call on your drive home so you can give your voice a chance to rest and recover.
• Prepare your voice for an important presentation. It’s not unreasonable to do a little vocal warm-up by humming gently a few times to wake up your voice.

“If you still find your voice isn’t functioning the way you need it to in order to perform your job or participate in your community in the ways you want,” added Keltz, “then it may be time to see a doctor or therapist who specializes in voice.”