Transcript Professional Voice Users

Professional Voice Users
Presented by: Nikki Tessari
Professional Voice Users
Anyone who requires a certain voice
quality to have an effect on others
 This includes public speakers and
singers
 If voice is damaged within these
professionals: it can be detrimental to
their careers and how they are perceived
by those around them
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Professional Voice Users
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Professional speaking voice falls into two
categories:
Normative
Emotive
More likely to have problems related
to abuse from overuse
Often use their voices to motivate or
encourage others to engage in some
kind of activity
Includes: Telephone operators,
telemarketers, TV and radio
broadcasters, executives, and
teachers
Includes: Conductors, actors,
ministers, politicians, aerobic
instructors, drill instructors, and
athletic coaches
Common Problems
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They put ridiculous demands on their voices
Little tolerance for illnesses and unrealistic
expectations: “the show must go on”
Many have inadequate and inappropriate
training
Singers and Actors may have two jobs: leads
to excessive vocalization
Posture issues
Demands of Various Careers
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Telemarketers
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Broadcasters
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Worked in fixed head/body position
Lower-pitched voice to sound forceful
In dirty and dusty studios for long stressful hours
Don’t take many sick days
Salesmen
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Boredom and fatigue along with psychological problems of constant rejection
Poor posture from sitting in inappropriate chairs with no headset
No training in breath support
Perform under pressure: no sales=no income
Carry heavy bags through the airport
Spend hours in airplanes with dry air and loud background noise
Teachers
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Work in old musty environment
No amplification
Often present to a nonreceptive audience=stress
Bogart-Bacall Syndrome
James A Koufman, M.D.
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Named after Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall
Condition most common in singers, actors, and radio
and TV personalities
These people speak with a fundamental frequency
that is too low, poor breath support, and laryngeal
muscle tension
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Causes muscle tension dysphonia
Distinguishing characteristics: Walter Cronkite to Peter
Jennings
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More common in women: social pressure to compete with
men
Vocal Abuse, Misuse, and Overuse
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Abuse
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Misuse
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Yelling, screaming, and singing loudly
Causes nodules, contact ulcers, and vocal fold swelling
Avoid screaming at all times: when performing and not
performing
Abuse with professionals is inappropriate and neglectful
More habitual: speaking out of range and character voices
(BBS)
If they sound like they are straining, they are: point out the
obvious
Overuse
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Can happen to anyone: individuals must know their limit
Most common when suffering from infection/virus
General Voice Problems
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Aging
 Takes more effort to stay fit as you age
 Pressure to work later in life: living longer, social
security, breakdown of family
 Dentures, tongue thinning, TMJ, posture, hearing
loss
 Accidental Injuries
 Be safe: use seatbelts and common sense
 Abusive Injuries
 Drinking, smoking, drug use
General Voice Problems (cont’d)
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Infections/Diseases
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Head colds, tonsillitis, laryngitis, sinusitis,
bronchitis, pneumonia all can damage a career
Limit exposure by avoiding closed, crowded, poorly
ventilated spaces: such as elevators
Alter lifestyle to prevent lung cancer and high blood
pressure
Medication
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Can have effects such as: drying, sedation, mood
changes, and anxiety
Drink lots of water
Treatment for the Professional
Voice User
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Preventative care/ Vocal hygiene
Instructional care for maximal
performance
Reversal of dysfunction and pathology
Vocal Hygiene
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Proper care and use of the vocal mechanism:
preventatives
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Increased vocal cord lubrication
Nasal breathing: so air can be filtered, purified, and
properly humidified by the nose and sinuses
Avoid irritants, smoking, heavy drinking, and dust
Use diaphragm breathing
Maximize relaxation throughout body
Identify and avoid vocal abuse
Use easy on-set phonation
Instructional Care
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This is for the professional who wants to
maximize his/her vocal function: range,
pitch, loudness
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Inform about all aspects of:
Vocal hygiene
 Normal phonatory process/ vocal mechanism
 Breathing techniques
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May obtain information from a SLP for goals
and techniques to work on
Reversal of Dysfunction and
Pathology
Must first see laryngologist to rule out a
laryngeal pathology
 The SLP will be working with
hyperfunctional/ hypofunctional activity in
the vocal mechanism
 Must identify the poor vocal behaviors
and work to eliminate them
 If therapy is not effective, the client may
develop nodules or polyps
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A Team Approach
May all work together to preserve a
career: despite less than perfect health
 Professionals include
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Primary Physician
 Otolaryngologist
 Speech-Language Pathologist
 Voice Coach
 Job Supervisor
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The Speech-Language
Pathologist’s Role
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After the client has been examined by the
laryngologist, the SLP must:
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Take baseline voice documentation
Do an acoustical voice analysis
Perform therapeutic manipulation: “unloading”
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Therapy done to remove any temporarily compensatory vocal
behaviors
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Obtain optimal breath support
Soften the hardness of glottal attack
Reduce the rate of speaking
Reduce laryngeal and neck muscle tension
Make an independent diagnosis
Perform speech/voice therapy
Determine dismissal criteria
What the Patient Needs
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A caring professional who understands that
their voice is their career
 An understanding of their weaknesses, their
diseases, and their medications
 Should be encouraged to take as few risks as
possible, exercise regularly, get plenty of rest,
and minimize stress
 This information and treatment should lead to
a long career as a professional voice user!!
Resources
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Mitchell, S.A. (1996). Medical problems of professional voice users.
Comprehensive therapy, 22, 231-238.
Koufman, J.A., Blalock, D.P. (1988). Vocal fatigue and dysphonia in the
professional voice user: bogart-bacall syndrome. Laryngoscope,
98, 493-498.
Neely, J.L., Rosen, C. (2000). Vocal fold hemorrhage associated with
coumadin therapy in an opera singer. Journal of Voice, 14, 272277.
Rarnalingam, R. (1997). Care of the professional voice. Help, Health
Library. Retrieved on April 19, 2003 from,
http://www.healthlibrary.com/news/news15dec/story1.htm.
Watts, C.R., Clark, R., & Early, S. (2001). Acoustic measures of
phonatory improvement secondary to treatment by oral corticosteroids in
a professional singer: a case report. Journal of Voice, 15, 115-121.
Wate Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Center for Voice
Disorders. Retrieved on April 19, 2003, from
http://www.thevoicecenter.org/medicine_vocal_arts.html