Voice Analysis

For my speech, the context is that I am presenting it in front of my peers and a superior. I know that I am going to receive a grade on how I perform so there is more pressure to do well. In contrast, when I was just casually talking to my sister about borrowing a dress there is no pressure to perform well. The environment in a classroom is much more structured and intimidating than my sister's bedroom. The average pitch for my speech was 70.72 and the average loudness was -23.76. For my recorded conversation, the average pitch was 66.13 and average loudness was -26. My loudness differed because in my speech I wanted to make sure that everyone could clearly hear what I was saying and understand my message. When just speaking with my sister, it is not as important that she hear my every word. My pitch was slightly higher for my speech because it was a formal setting, and I was nervous. The average pitch for my sister's voice was 67.2 and the average loudness was -26.4. This was very similar to my pitch and loudness in our conversation. There was no need to speak extra loudly or be more or less excited because the conversation was not of anything important.

In general, the speech sounded very planned and scripted, which it was. It sounded a bit more forced and uncomfortable than my recorded conversation. There was more on the line for my speech, so I put pressure on myself to do well, causing my pitch to be more elevated. When speaking with my sister, there is no pressure and in a casual conversation my voice sounded much more natural. While my sister is older than me, I would not consider her my superior. Our pitch and loudness were pretty equal because we are equals. There are very few expectations and social norms when speaking to a family member, besides respect. I do not have to speak in a certain way to ensure that they take me seriously and listen to what I say. The environment of my conversation is very calm, as none of her roommates were home there was not much going on. Her apartment gives me a sense of home, much more so than the dorms. It was a very intimate setting, but the conversation could have taken place in the same manner with other people around or in a different location because it was a simple question. However, when giving my speech the environment it much more intimidating. I am speaking to my peers, but also my teacher who is my superior. I have to speak in an educated manner that will be respected. There are the norms of being appropriate in a classroom, which do not exist when speaking to my sister. To deliver a more effective speech I would try to focus more on sounding more comfortable so that it does not sound like I am questioning what I am saying.