Use Appropriate Timing and Emphasis

Like all feedback, the effectiveness of speech output depends on timing and emphasis. A good deal of information can be communicated in the pace, volume, and pitch used when something is spoken. If you use a text-to-speech engine as your character's voice, most engines let you set the speed, pauses, pitch, and emphasis of words or phrases. You can use these attributes to indicate interest and understanding of the character as well as direct the user's attention or indicate your character's intent. For further information on how to set speech attributes, see Microsoft Agent Speech Output Tags. If you are using sound files as your character's output, consider these factors as well in your recorded audio.