For some people with Parkinson’s disease, speech problems such as reduced volume or speech imprecision affect their ability to participate in everyday activities. The problem can be mild – just a quiet voice when you are tired – or quite severe, with family and friends noting that your speech is very difficult to understand. Dr Megan McAuliffe (NZ Institute of Language, Brain & Behaviour) and Professor Tim Anderson (Van der Veer Institute of Parkinson’s and Brain Research) are collaborating with colleagues in the USA and Australia to find out how these speech problems affect the daily lives of people with Parkinson’s disease. This research aims to develop a tool that will enable us to measure the extent of these difficulties. Ultimately, we hope it will result in better communication and health outcomes for all people affected by Parkinson’s.