Relationship between the speech characteristics and effectiveness of telephone interviewers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship among acoustic measures of speech, listener ratings of pitch, loudness, and rate of speaking, and the success rate of telephone interviewers. Six telephone interviewers were selected to represent high and low success rates on the basis of their records of successful completion of survey research interviews. Recordings of the interviewers, three with high success rates and three with low success rates, were acoustically analysed and presented to 18 listeners to rate. The results were as follows: (1) more successful interviewers had higher fundamental frequencies and greater variation in fundamental frequency than less successful interviewers; (2) rate of speaking in syllables per second did not differentiate interviewers but more successful interviewers had shorter pauses than less successful interviewers; (3) more successful interviewers used falling intonation contours and less successful interviewers used rising intonation contours in opening the interview; (4) high and significant correlations were found between F0 mean and pitch ratings, F0 standard deviation and pitch ratings, rate in syllables per second and ratings of rate, mean pause duration and pitch rating, and mean intensity and ratings of rate; (5) high and significant correlations were found between success rate and the acoustic measures of F0 mean and F0 standard deviation; (6) none of the correlations between success rate and listener ratings were significant. These findings indicate the need for acoustic analysis to clarify the basis for listener impressions and to specify the potential acoustic cues to account for listener behaviour.