Short Courses & Events / Archive

Vocal Effort and Fatigue: What are the Research Insights for Voice Clinicians?

Tuesday 27th May 2025, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)

Elevated vocal effort is one of the most common symptoms reported by patients in the voice clinic, yet its measurement and management remain inconsistent. Vocal effort and vocal fatigue are closely linked, but their interplay remains poorly understood. While vocal effort refers to the perceived exertion required to produce voice, vocal fatigue manifests as a decline in vocal function over time, often resulting from sustained effort. However, individuals experience and compensate for these symptoms differently, making assessment and treatment challenging.

Survey results from speech-language pathologists who regularly treat voice patients indicate that over two-thirds of clinicians report vocal effort as a frequent complaint, with approximately 25% identifying it as the primary concern. Despite this high prevalence, few clinicians use a dedicated vocal effort measure, and standardized assessment tools remain lacking. Understanding how vocal effort fluctuates within and across individuals, particularly in relation to vocal fatigue, is essential for improving clinical management.

This research-based presentation will examine how vocal effort relates to voice production and vocal demands, offering empirical insights into its role in perceived vocal fatigue. It will also cover definitions, measurement protocols, and strategies for reducing variability in assessment. Additionally, current research methodologies aimed at improving clinical assessment tools will be discussed to support more reliable and valid measurement of vocal effort and fatigue.

While this presentation is grounded in research rather than clinical practice, it aims to bridge the gap between research findings and their application in voice clinics. By understanding the variability in vocal effort perception and the challenges in its measurement, clinicians can better assess and manage this prevalent symptom. Future directions will focus on developing clinically tractable methods to quantify vocal effort and fatigue, ultimately improving treatment strategies and vocal health outcomes for patients.

🏷️ Price £30 (UK VAT inclusive)
🎥 Recording automatically sent to all who book (even if you cannot attend live)
▶️ Rewatch as many times as you like
📜 Certificate of attendance available

Eric J. Hunter

Eric J. Hunter is the Chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Iowa, home to two top 10 graduate clinical training programs as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. His research focuses on occupational voice use, particularly voice disorders in teachers...

CPD Course Logo

Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.

Learn More

Sorry, this is an archived short course...

We have plenty of upcoming short courses coming soon. See details of some of them below or look at the full list of short courses.

A neurodiversity-affirmative approach to the voice!
Wednesday 29th October 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

A neurodiversity-affirmative approach to the voice!

Hilary Davies

In recent years, the music therapy profession has begun to consider the application of the neurodiversity paradigm to music therapy practice, in particular In relation to autism, and an increasing amount of literature embracing this perspective has been published. This lecture, delivered from a lived experience perspective, will provide an explanation of the key concepts around neurodiversity - particular consideration will be given to the use of the voice, both one's own but also to the neurodivergent individual’s particular ways of using language, song and vocal sounds.

Creative Articulation
Thursday 30th October 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)

Creative Articulation

Annie Morrison

Most of us have little idea of HOW we speak, or what to do to make speech more muscular. Join Annie Morrison (creator of the 'Morrison Bone Prop') for this two hour session on Creative Articulation, a holistic and haptic approach to the touchings and feelings of the articulators in the dance of speech. Seeing articulation as a purely mechanical skill is detrimental to an actor's process: it is crucial to understand what language is doing on a biological level.

The Belt Voice in R&B/Soul Singing: Vocal Characteristics & Physiology
Tuesday 4th November 2025
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
(London Time)

The Belt Voice in R&B/Soul Singing: Vocal Characteristics & Physiology

Dr Matt Allen

The belt’s got soul! This course offers a deep dive into the vocal artistry and biomechanics of R&B/soul singing, with a particular focus on the belt voice—a powerful and expressive vocal technique central to the genre. Drawing from over 80 years of stylistic evolution, the course explores how R&B/soul singing has shaped contemporary commercial music and investigates the unique vocal traits that define its sound.