Chaya Nanjundeswaran Guntupalli, a professor of speech language pathology at ETSU, is giving teachers tips on how to better communicate to students while wearing masks.
Guntupalli completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees in audiology and speech language pathology in India.
“You know what, I always tell this to my students: if you’re stuck on a highway and you don’t have your cell phone and you call your mom, your mom knows it’s you from a random phone based on your voice,” said Guntupalli. “Your voice is like your fingerprint. So, it is your identity and we all take it for granted.”
As she started her doctorate, she wanted to focus on integrating the fields of voice and exercise physiology. So, she started studying vocal fatigue and looking at why some individuals with vocal fatigue get better with voice therapy and why others do not.
Guntupalli is now lending her knowledge of the voice to help teachers during the pandemic.
Masks are currently hindering effective communication by covering up facial expressions.
“If I have to emphasize something or I want you to do this, my facial expression usually will be able to say so, but now we’re taking away the facial expression,” said Guntupalli. “So, our voice is going to play that role of communicating that information that you’re communicating.”
Alongside lack of facial expression, the volume of a teacher’s speaking voice is also affected, which causes them to have to project their voices even more.
Guntupalli’s top tips for improving communication through a mask are to choose the correct mask — one that that is not too tight and allows your articulators to move freely — and to be precise when articulating information.
Also, it is important for people to maintain vocal health by resting their voices and staying hydrated.
To watch Guntupalli’s video seminar for teachers, visit https://etsu.zoom.us/rec/play/ux5F3r33C6sHCcPUUXb3haiorDo3rxdyr9fAaeEJEuyGdNRg57EJUktK-JqKwnY7bpFNUR1t6Il80eHg.1Ons9Fsh6vWiy5Jr?startTime=1598817074000&_x_zm_rtaid=DgTk05kmT-GaVt-I7zXgkg.1599763011058.9a091b32ddd1de5379ec02f51239e395&_x_zm_rhtaid=884.
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