The manipulation of magnetic properties electronically is of great importance in modern computing. Current technology uses electric currents which draws a relatively large amount of power. An alternative scheme uses electric fields to control the magnetic properties via the magnetoelectric effect and this could reduce energy dissipation by as much as a factor of 100. One promising material is HoMnO3. Here, an applied electric field distorts the crystal structure, changing the magnetic interactions and consequently the magnetic state. To understand these properties and design materials with improved performance it is necessary to understand the coupling between them. We aim to measure the structural excitations in HoMnO3 and by combining this with careful modelling understand this coupling with implications for the design of future materials.