Speech intelligibility checklist

Louder is not clearer. Before anyone quotes on more power, define what is actually making speech hard to understand in this room.

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Project nameSite or spaceDateProject or change managerCompleted by

Critical — define these first

Nothing else can be scoped, quoted or compared until these are answered.

Room dimensions, ceiling height and floor area — recorded, not estimated.

Primary surface materials for floor, walls and ceiling — listed.

Furthest listening position from the sound source — measured in metres.

Typical occupancy when the space is in use, and lowest occupancy.

Background noise sources present during use — air conditioning, traffic, adjacent rooms.

Whether speech intelligibility has ever been assessed, by whom and when.

Who currently cannot hear, and where in the room they sit or stand.

What the space is used for, in order of how often each use occurs.

Whether the existing system is amplified, and what it consists of.

Work through each trigger. If it applies to your site, the item becomes critical.

If the room has hard floors and no acoustic treatment — define whether treatment is in or out of project scope.

If the space is used for both speech and music — define which takes priority when the two conflict.

If the room adjoins other occupied spaces — define acceptable sound spill into them.

If amplification already exists — define its age, coverage pattern and last service date.

If people with hearing loss use the space — define what hearing access exists today.

If the ceiling is high or vaulted — define whether speaker mounting positions are accessible.

If the room is used for recorded or streamed events — define the audio feed requirement.

Not required, but each one makes the next conversation shorter.

Measured figures, if any exist, e.g Signal to Noise Ratio.

Floor plan and reflected ceiling plan.

Photographs of the space both full and empty.

A recording of a typical announcement taken from the worst listening position.

Any complaint records or written feedback about sound quality.

Comparing quotes by equipment list rather than intelligibility, usability and support.

Specifying a room for streaming and recording without checking it works for the people in it.

Never testing whether the system works for actual users.

Notes

Completed bySignedDate

1Anything left blank in the critical section is a gap, not an oversight. It will surface later, usually during installation.

2Bring the completed sheet to a site review. It replaces about half the meeting.

3If a conditional trigger applies and you are unsure how to answer it, that is exactly what the review is for.

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Related checklists

This checklist is general guidance. Requirements vary by project, jurisdiction, building classification and approval pathway.