An industrial human-machine interface device that permits speech-controlled navigation through a menu using a speech-recognition processor. The speech-recognition processor is coupled to a microcontroller and a display. The microcontroller is interfaced with a power metering device which monitors a power signal in a circuit. To obtain a reading of a characteristic of the power signal, the operator speaks a spoken keyword into a microphone of the human-machine interface device. The speech-recognition processor converts the keyword into an identification word which is outputted by the processor to the microcontroller. The microcontroller polls the output of the processor, and upon detection of an identification word, executes a function associated therewith. Menu navigation among consecutive or nonconsecutive menu levels is performed by speaking one or more predetermined keywords. The speech-recognition processor can recognize the keywords independent of the speaker or may be trained for speaker-dependent recognition.