Vocal Zoom Fatigue

Does your voice get tired after talking on Zoom or other virtual platforms for a long time? If yes, then maybe you are experiencing vocal zoom fatigue.

What the heck is that? It is a new phenomenon and more and more people complain about. The research does not even know how talking on virtual platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Facetime or WhatsApp affect our voices and vocal health. So the important question is: how do you prevent your voice from getting tired?

I will be answering these questions in this post so keep on reading.

What is zoom fatigue?

You’ve probably heard about zoom fatigue because many of us spend more time on virtual platforms than ever before. Zoom fatigue is a new term and it refers to feeling mentally and physically exhausted when spending a substantial amount of time on video conferencing platforms.

What is vocal zoom fatigue?

It is also a new term, which is used among voice professionals and it refers to a feeling of being vocally tired after using your voice on virtual platforms.

I can very much relate to vocal zoom fatigue. Back in March, when I started to use Zoom and other virtual platforms more than ever before in my life, I also experienced vocal fatigue. I had to changes things because I was not able to do my job.

But the truth is that this is a new phenomenon and the research does not know much about talking or singing on virtual platforms and how it affects vocal health. So, I had to find my own ways and solutions and I am going to share some of them with you in this video.

What are zoom vocal fatigue symptoms?

Examples of tired voice symptoms are:

• the voice quality declines during speaking or singing,
• your voice may get progressively hoarse or breathy
• you can loose your voice at some point
• you may need to exert more vocal effort to achieve the same level of voice use, 
• you may experience pain in your throat.

In summary, if your voice becomes progressively weaker and you are unable to perform vocal tasks that you were able to do in the morning, you may be experiencing voice fatigue symptoms.

Do we really get more tired when talking or singing on video platforms compared to face-to-face communication? And if so, why is that?

The research does not know yet, but we know that people who use non-face-to-face means of communication such as call centre workers are very prone to vocal health problems, and they have been clients of voice clinics for years. So, we can learn from them.

Here is my opinion:

The way we use our voices on video conferencing platforms is different from voice use in one-to-one communication. The difference is not only the amount of time we spend talking, but most importantly it is the quality of voice production we use.

On video conferencing platforms, we are missing a lot of communication signals and cues that the person on the other side heard us or understood, so we adjust the way we speak accordingly. We do everything possible to make ourselves understood by the other party. We change the way we speak or sing.

This change includes not only loudness but also pitch, rate, and duration of syllables. We use more breath pressure to be louder, which puts more strain on the vocal folds. We use more muscle effort. We use more exaggerated articulation, facial expressions, which may tire our muscles needed for speaking and singing. 

Luckily, there are many things we can do to change that. Here are 3 tips to avoid vocal fatigue when speaking or singing on the virtual platforms like zoom.

(Of course, there are many more tips so if you need more help with your vocal issues, join our free FB group called Breathing Room for Voice, where you can ask more questions. Click this link to request access.

Tip #1 Keep The Vocal Folds Hydrated

Hydration is a very obvious tip. It’s the basic vocal hygiene rule whether you speak or sing online or offline.

You can hydrate in two ways:

• drinking plenty of fluids
• steaming.

If you are having vocal fatigue issues or if you are a professional voice user, you should be steaming every day. 

Tip #2 Change Your Body Position

I believe that alignment plays a huge role in how our voices can perform. The problem is that we are mostly unaware of our bodies. 

The very first step in changing our body alignment is to become aware. If you are spending a lot of time on the computer or your phone, be very mindful of your posture. Check in with your posture regularly.

After every virtual session or after sitting for a prolonged period of time, I stand up, I stretch and I give myself a little bit of massage. It’s a simple and fast way to release tension from your neck, shoulders and voice. 

Tip #3 Don’t Talk Too Loud

Have you heard about the Lombard reflex? It is an involuntary tendency of speakers or singers to increase their vocal effort when using their voice in loud noise to enhance the audibility of their voice. We can apply this concept to talking or singing virtually because we are trying to be understood by listeners on the other side. 

First of all, become aware of how loud you are. No need to raise your voice on Zoom. Instead, ask the other person to turn up their volume on the computer. You can use good microphone and headphones to improve the audio quality. Make sure that you are video conferencing in a quiet room, where you don’t need to compete with outside noise.

BONUS TIP

How do you know when you crossed that line between healthy voice use and vocal fatigue? If a vocal task makes you feel an itch, scratch and tickle, makes you cough or clear throat, you know that you used too much vocal effort. Your voice is telling you to stop, take a break or change the way you are producing the sound. It’s as simple as that.

Learn more about vocal zoom fatigue in this video:

Link to the video: https://youtu.be/Zk_K5tFzCBM