Voice Power


Book Description

Ever wonder what makes us buy from a certain salesperson or prefer one TV news announcer over another? In each case, a human voice is subtly captivating our ear and commanding our attention. Now celebrity voice coach Renee Grant-Williams reveals the trade secrets behind those persuasive voices and shows readers how to apply positive vocal techniques to business and personal situations. Much more than a guide to proper breathing or voice projection, this is a life-altering ""owner's manual"" to unleashing and directing the powers of communication within one's speaking voice. By exploring the rich connections between singing and speaking, Grant-Williams helps readers: Evaluate their ""VoicePower"" quotients Literally breathe new life into their voices Tap the amazing power of consonants?and silence Deliver sales pitches virtually guaranteed to sell Turn a voice mail message (incoming or outgoing) into a personal calling card Become more confident, persuasive presenters and public speakers.




Voice Technology in Healthcare


Book Description

In this book, the editors review information from the top though-leaders in this space and examine real-world case studies of the outcomes and potential of voice technology in healthcare.




Do You Speak American?


Book Description

Is American English in decline? Are regional dialects dying out? Is there a difference between men and women in how they adapt to linguistic variations? These questions, and more, about our language catapulted Robert MacNeil and William Cran—the authors (with Robert McCrum) of the language classic The Story of English—across the country in search of the answers. Do You Speak American? is the tale of their discoveries, which provocatively show how the standard for American English—if a standard exists—is changing quickly and dramatically. On a journey that takes them from the Northeast, through Appalachia and the Deep South, and west to California, the authors observe everyday verbal interactions and in a host of interviews with native speakers glean the linguistic quirks and traditions characteristic of each area. While examining the histories and controversies surrounding both written and spoken American English, they address anxieties and assumptions that, when explored, are highly emotional, such as the growing influence of Spanish as a threat to American English and the special treatment of African-American vernacular English. And, challenging the purists who think grammatical standards are in serious deterioration and that media saturation of our culture is homogenizing our speech, they surprise us with unpredictable responses. With insight and wit, MacNeil and Cran bring us a compelling book that is at once a celebration and a potent study of our singular language. Each wave of immigration has brought new words to enrich the American language. Do you recognize the origin of 1. blunderbuss, sleigh, stoop, coleslaw, boss, waffle? Or 2. dumb, ouch, shyster, check, kaput, scram, bummer? Or 3. phooey, pastrami, glitch, kibbitz, schnozzle? Or 4. broccoli, espresso, pizza, pasta, macaroni, radio? Or 5. smithereens, lollapalooza, speakeasy, hooligan? Or 6. vamoose, chaps, stampede, mustang, ranch, corral? 1. Dutch 2. German 3. Yiddish 4. Italian 5. Irish 6. Spanish




The Voice in the Machine


Book Description

An examination of more than sixty years of successes and failures in developing technologies that allow computers to understand human spoken language. Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey famously featured HAL, a computer with the ability to hold lengthy conversations with his fellow space travelers. More than forty years later, we have advanced computer technology that Kubrick never imagined, but we do not have computers that talk and understand speech as HAL did. Is it a failure of our technology that we have not gotten much further than an automated voice that tells us to "say or press 1"? Or is there something fundamental in human language and speech that we do not yet understand deeply enough to be able to replicate in a computer? In The Voice in the Machine, Roberto Pieraccini examines six decades of work in science and technology to develop computers that can interact with humans using speech and the industry that has arisen around the quest for these technologies. He shows that although the computers today that understand speech may not have HAL's capacity for conversation, they have capabilities that make them usable in many applications today and are on a fast track of improvement and innovation. Pieraccini describes the evolution of speech recognition and speech understanding processes from waveform methods to artificial intelligence approaches to statistical learning and modeling of human speech based on a rigorous mathematical model--specifically, Hidden Markov Models (HMM). He details the development of dialog systems, the ability to produce speech, and the process of bringing talking machines to the market. Finally, he asks a question that only the future can answer: will we end up with HAL-like computers or something completely unexpected?




The Power of Voice in Schools


Book Description

For nearly four decades, Russ Quaglia has been laying the groundwork to inform, reform, and transform schools through student voice. That deep commitment is reflected in this inspirational book. Quaglia and his coauthors at the Quaglia Institute for School Voice & Aspirations deftly synthesize the thoughts and feelings of hundreds of thousands of stakeholders and offer a vision for schools where everyone's voice matters. They posit that students, teachers, administrators, and parents must work and learn together in ways that promote deep understanding and creativity. Making this collaborative effort successful, however, requires widespread recognition that all stakeholders have something to teach, and they all have a role to play in moving the entire school forward. We must abandon the "us versus them" fallacy in education; there is only "us." To that end, The Power of Voice in Schools offers a way forward that can be used in any school and * Addresses the importance of everyone's voice in the school community. * Articulates the lessons learned from listening to these voices over the past decade. * Suggests concrete, practical strategies for combined teams of students, teachers, parents, and administrators to make a difference together. This book reflects the dream of a true partnership in listening, learning, and leading together. When the potential of voice is fully realized, schools will look and feel different. Cooperation will replace competition and conflict, collaboration will replace isolation, and confidence will replace insecurity. Most important, the entire school community will work in partnership with one another for the well-being of students and teachers.




Network World


Book Description

For more than 20 years, Network World has been the premier provider of information, intelligence and insight for network and IT executives responsible for the digital nervous systems of large organizations. Readers are responsible for designing, implementing and managing the voice, data and video systems their companies use to support everything from business critical applications to employee collaboration and electronic commerce.




The Voice Catchers


Book Description

Your voice as biometric data, and how marketers are using it to manipulate you Only three decades ago, it was inconceivable that virtually entire populations would be carrying around wireless phones wherever they went, or that peoples’ exact locations could be tracked by those devices. We now take both for granted. Even just a decade ago the idea that individuals’ voices could be used to identify and draw inferences about them as they shopped or interacted with retailers seemed like something out of a science fiction novel. Yet a new business sector is emerging to do exactly that. The first in-depth examination of the voice intelligence industry, The Voice Catchers exposes how artificial intelligence is enabling personalized marketing and discrimination through voice analysis. Amazon and Google have numerous patents pertaining to voice profiling, and even now their smart speakers are extracting and using voice prints for identification and more. Customer service centers are already approaching every caller based on what they conclude a caller’s voice reveals about that person’s emotions, sentiments, and personality, often in real time. In fact, many scientists believe that a person’s weight, height, age, and race, not to mention any illnesses they may have, can also be identified from the sound of that individual’s voice. Ultimately not only marketers, but also politicians and governments, may use voice profiling to infer personal characteristics for selfish interests and not for the benefit of a citizen or of society as a whole. Leading communications scholar Joseph Turow places the voice intelligence industry in historical perspective, explores its contemporary developments, and offers a clarion call for regulating this rising surveillance regime.




5 Voices


Book Description

Discover your leadership voice and unlock your potential to influence others 5 Voices is the code for unlocking your capacity to have honest conversations and build deeper, more authentic relationships with your teams, your families and your friends. In order to lead others effectively, we need a true understanding of ourselves, our natural tendencies and patterns of behavior. In learning what your leadership voice sounds like to others, you will discover what it feels like to be on the other side of your personality, as well as how to hear and value others' voices, namely the Pioneer, the Connector, the Creative, the Guardian, and the Nurturer. Once you understand your own leadership voice, you'll discover how best to communicate with each of the other voices, which will transform your communication at every level of relationship, both personal and professional. In mastering the 5 Voices of leadership, you will increase your emotional intelligence, allowing you to gain a competitive advantage as a leader. You will also be equipped with a simple, easy to remember vocabulary that, when shared, has a track record for decreasing the drama, misunderstanding and miscommunication in all spheres of influence. Are you focused on relationships, values, and people? Or are you oriented more toward tradition, money, and resources? Do you know how others hear your voice? Do you appreciate the contributions of others on your team? This book will help you identify your natural leadership style, and give you a framework for leveraging your strengths. Find your foundational leadership voice Learn to hear and value the voices of others Know yourself before leading others Connect and communicate well with team, family and friends All five leadership voices come with their own particular set of strengths, and all have areas for growth. Understanding both sides of the equation is the key to taking your leadership to the next level and is the secret to increasing your ability to influence your team, family and friends. 5 Voices is a simple key which unlocks complicated relational dynamics and improves the health and alignment of all your relationships.




Speak to Influence


Book Description

The foolproof results of a polished and professional verbal delivery illustrate how the voice can be used to achieve greater confidence, credibility, professional success, and sales in this handbook on applying voice-control techniques used by voice-over artists in business communications. From a comprehensive voice evaluation to a step-by-step voice improvement plan, a range of activities provide information on how to improve diction and articulation, speak with greater warmth and enthusiasm, and make a lasting impression. Practical tips include how to leave a voice-mail message that is 40 percent more likely to be returned and how to make outgoing messages sound professional. Insider secrets about the influence of the spoken word will help speakers acquire and practice the skills necessary to sound more credible, tell great stories, and add a more musical quality to speech by mastering voice pitch and inflection.




Energy Technology


Book Description

Energy Technology is an integral part of the degree, postgraduate & diploma curriculum of various branches of engineering. besides, it is also a compulsory paper for various associate membership examination conducted by professional bodies like institution of engineering (AMIE), Indian Institute of Metals (AMIIM), Indian Institute of Chemical Engineering (AMIIChE), BEE etc. This book has been prepared strictly as per the syllabus of these examinations. Short questions & answer and multiple-choice questions & answers drawn from the examination papers of various engineering colleges and professional bodies examinations given at the end of the book enhances its utility for the student.