Do Loud Fitness Classes NEED to Take a Toll on Instructors’ VOICES? Part TWO.

January 20, 2020

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Do LOUD Fitness Classes NEED to Take a Toll on Instructors’ VOICES? Part TWO.

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Read Part One for a good foundation on this topic. Before we tap (it back) into ways to achieve healthy projection & achieve effective “vocal spice” (ways to dynamically use your voice instead of just “loudly”), let’s talk about the Lombard Effect. This is defined as an involuntary tendency of speakers to increase their vocal effort when speaking in loud noise to enhance the audibility of their voice. It is ideal to learn to “control” this effect, but research has also suggested that after you are exposed to the Lombard Effect, you may speak with more intensity & vocal effort in other settings (habituating the vocal behavior resulting from this effect). Read: it’s possible that if you are continuously exposed to background noise & your voice is “untrained” on how to control this effect that is prompting you to use vocal effort & increased loudness when in the “noise”, you will habituate this voice use pattern whenever you speak, therefore creating/using inefficient voice use patterns that negatively impact voice quality, voice reliability, & vocal endurance. Whether or not we are aware, we ALL know the Lombard Effect—just recall the last time you tried to have a conversation at a loud bar, restaurant, or sporting event. OR consider your consistent familiarity w/this effect if you are a fitness instructor motivating & coaching clients over loud music OR if you are a performer singing over your band’s loud instrumentals.

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A 2018 article by Bottalico reported that participants became disturbed by noise (“starting point” of the Lombard Effect) around 52dB of loudness of background noise & began to raise their voice (& perceive vocal discomfort) at 57dB. Previous research shows that the “starting point” of the Lombard Effect can range between 40-50dB of loudness w/the vocal effort range at levels slightly higher than this. To put things in perspective, typical noise levels in restaurants range from 60-80dB & a study in Laryngoscope by Sinha et al (2016) found that the average “noise” level during 15 indoor cycling classes where sound was recorded was around 113dB!

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The Lombard Effect is an important concept for occupational voice users because it explains why it’s easy to strain/raise the voice over “noise” (music, weights, bikes, machines, restaurant noise, loud talking, TVs, etc.). Specific to #fitpros, MUSIC IS IMPORTANT. Learning to “control” your response to the Lombard Effect by accurately calibrating mic & music, tuning into the sound of your own voice versus assuming you need to shout over the noise, using nonverbal cues & body language, incorporating silence/enjoying the music, & also varying your voice via “vocal spice” will reduce the negative impact of the Lombard Effect on your voice & improve your vocal success. Stay tuned for more as we dive deeper into this topic!