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In writing the voice script to be recorded by a professional speaker, prepare a document that produces the best recordings possible. Mark the target phrases in a way that is easy for the speaker to recognize. Placing quotation marks around the important phrases is helpful. This is called framing.
Using framing in voice scripts
Human speech is a continuous, uninterrupted signal. It should not be assumed that you can remove a word from one phrase and place that same word in another phrase that is being recorded for a different use. Individual words that you plan to concatenate must be carefully recorded with the proper inflections and sounds framing them.
To achieve a better recording of short words and phrases, use quotation marks to frame those words you want to emphasize. For example, to achieve accurate recordings of the word "enter," use quotation marks in your voice script as follows so that the speaker concentrates on the word "enter:"
"Enter" the pound sign.
Please press "enter."
The following are examples from a well-prepared voice script that uses framing. The information in quotation marks is the information that the professional speaker should focus on, while the remaining information is the framework.
To learn more about our investment opportunities, press the "star key."
"This amount represents" the total balance.
"Please enter" two or one.
You have "a balance of" two hundred dollars.
You can deposit "up to" five hundred dollars.
Analyzing speech inflections
Three types of inflection exist with speech phrases:
Rising inflection is usually used in questions and at the beginning of some words. For example, when you ask, "Can I help you?", the word "you" is spoken with rising inflection.
Medial inflection is usually used in the middle of a word or statement. For example, when you speak the number "302" (as "three oh two"), the "0" is spoken with medial inflection.
Falling inflection is usually used at the end of a word or statement. For example, when you speak "2.0", the "0" is spoken with falling inflection.
Note:
Enhanced Basic Speech formats are available for speaking phrases with rising, medial, and falling inflections. See EBS formats.
Placing frame words
Place words or phrases before and after the word or phrase that you need recorded, if possible. These phrases should be familiar phrases that guide the speaker into speaking the word or phrase with the correct inflection. For example, if you want an accurate recording of the word "and" with medial inflection, you could record the word "and" in both of the following frames:
Installing "and" verifying
Cutting "and" pasting
You can remove the words that frame "and" later since they are not needed. These frame words are important, though, because the frame words enable a speaker to speak the word "and" in the context necessary to ensure that it is concatenated properly when used in a phrase.
Note:
The word "and" is part of the Avaya Enhanced Basic Speech package.
Selecting speech sounds for framing
Words that end with the r or l sounds do not make good framing words because those sounds carry over to the next word. In this example,
December "eighth"
"December" is not a good frame word because it ends in an r sound, which affects the vowel quality of "eighth." A better frame word is "August," as follows:
August "eighth"
Including voiceless speech sounds
By contrast, placing a voiceless stop before and after your target word will help achieve an accurate recording. Voiceless stops are sounds like p, t, and k. When a voiceless stop is spoken, the stream of air is blocked and the vocal cords do not vibrate, resulting in a momentary silence. In the example above, the final t of "August" provides a silence that makes it easy to isolate "eighth."
Other voiceless sounds useful to end or begin a frame or space are f and s.
