Discuss the various voice attributes that determine the quality of speech

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The quality of speech is determined by these voice attributes: volume, pitch, tone, tempo,
enunciation, and pronunciation.
a) Volume: For oral communication to be effective, your voice must be heard clearly. Sufficient
volume, achieved through good breath control, is important.
b) Pitch (voice level): A speaker's voice should have a pleasing pitch. Pitch refers to the level
of a sound on a musical scale. Practice can help correct the shrillness of a voice that is
pitched too high or the excessive resonance of a voice that is pitched too low. Another pitchrelated problem is the constant pitch that results in a monotone speech. An effective speaker
varies the pitch of his or her voice to help communicate the message.
c) Tone: The tone of your voice often reveals your attitudes and feelings. A pleasant and
cheerful tone is desirable because it will have a good effect on your listeners. On the
telephone, the tone of your voice must substitute for your facial expression. In addition, you
can use variation in tone, as well as in volume and pitch, to add interest to your speaking
voice. The kind of tone you use should be appropriate for the words and ideas you are
expressing.
d) Tempo: Tempo, the rate at which you speak, should be varied to avoid extremes in either
direction. Most people tend to speak too rapidly. Although you should not speak so rapidly that
your words are not understood, neither should you speak so slowly that your listeners lose
track of what you are saying. Changing the rate contributes to variety, as well as clarity.
e) Enunciation refers to the distinctness or clarity with which you articulate or sound each part
of a word.
f) Pronunciation refers either to the sound that a speaker gives to the letters or letter
combinations that make up a word or to the way in which the speaker accents the word.