title: The effectiveness of a voice training program for telemarketers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To use a randomized design to evaluate the effectiveness of voice training programs for telemarketers via multidimensional analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-eight telemarketers were randomly assigned to two groups: voice training group (n=14) who underwent training over an 8-week period and a nontraining control group (n=34). Before and after training, recordings of the sustained vowel /ɛ/ and connected were collected for acoustic and perceptual analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on pre- and posttraining comparisons, the voice training group presented with a significant reduction in percent jitter (P=0.044). No other significant differences were observed, and inter-rater reliability varied from poor to fair.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that voice training improved a single acoustic dimension, but do not change perceptual dimension of telemarketers' voices.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Veiga de Almeida, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. agoaoliveira@gmail.com
authors.forename: Andréa Gomes
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Nelson
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gouveia
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Behlau
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D040541:Marketing / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013067:Speech Perception; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D013689:Telephone; D013997:Time Factors; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D014833:Voice Quality; D014834:Voice Training; D055815:Young Adult