Speaker Progress in Microsoft Teams for Education

Today’s guest blog comes from Samantha Fisher, Microsoft Education Product Manager.

We are very excited to announce this. Speaker ProgressThe latest Learning Accelerator is now available worldwide! Speaker Progress helps students build confidence and reduce anxiety in their presentation skills by providing AI-based real-time coaching and feedback on public speaking skills such as pace, pitch, filler words, and more. Speaker Progress also saves educators time and creates more independent practice opportunities for class presentations.

We know that communication skills are fundamental future-readiness skills that help students prepare for the workplace. National Association of Colleges and Employers 98% of companies consider communication skills a top priority for college graduates entering the workforce, but only half of these graduates are considered proficient in these skills. Communication skills have also been identified as a key skill that students need in recent years. Compete and Succeed in the AI ​​Era. Speaker Progress can help students build confidence and refine their communication skills through real-time coaching and ample practice opportunities.

Speaker Progress is accessible in Teams for Education. In Teams Assignments, educators can create new Speaker Progress assignments, and students can practice their presentations and see real-time feedback and rehearsal reports at the end of each attempt. Read on to learn how to create, submit, and review Speaker Progress assignments.

Educator Creative Experience:

Educators can create Speaker Progress assignments and customize the Speaker Coach tips that students see. They can also set time limits, number of attempts, and customize other settings.

We are very excited to announce this. Speaker ProgressThe latest Learning Accelerator is now available worldwide! Speaker Progress helps students build confidence and reduce anxiety in their presentation skills by providing AI-based real-time coaching and feedback on public speaking skills such as pace, pitch, filler words, and more. Speaker Progress also saves educators time and creates more independent practice opportunities for class presentations.

We know that communication skills are fundamental future-readiness skills that help students prepare for the workplace. National Association of Colleges and Employers 98% of companies consider communication skills a top priority for college graduates entering the workforce, but only half of these graduates are considered proficient in these skills. Communication skills have also been identified as a key skill that students need in recent years. Compete and Succeed in the AI ​​Era. Speaker Progress can help students build confidence and refine their communication skills through real-time coaching and ample practice opportunities.

Speaker Progress is accessible in Teams for Education. In Teams Assignments, educators can create new Speaker Progress assignments, and students can practice their presentations and see real-time feedback and rehearsal reports at the end of each attempt. Read on to learn how to create, submit, and review Speaker Progress assignments.

Student Presentation Experience:

Students can record their presentations and receive real-time feedback from Speaker Coach on content, delivery, and audience engagement. With educator permission, students can view rehearsal reports to highlight their greatest strengths and opportunities.

Speaker Coach provides real-time feedback on the following areas while students practice, allowing them to make corrections in real time. This real-time coaching is powered by AI and helps students build confidence and improve with each attempt.

speed: Speaker Progress recommends that speakers speak at a rate of 100 to 165 words per minute. If you speak too fast or too slow, Speaker Progress will tell you to slow down or speed up.

Vertex: Speaking in a monotone can make it harder for your audience to stay engaged or know what to focus on. To keep your audience engaged, Speaker Progress adjusts volume and pitch to remind you to emphasize key words and phrases.

Filler words: When telling a story to an audience, a confident tone of voice helps make your message persuasive. AI identifies filler words like “um” and “like” and encourages students to take a breath and avoid them.

Repeated language: Speaker Progress uses a database of about 200 common words and phrases. If you use a particular word too much, Speaker Progress will suggest synonyms.

Sensitive phrases: Remind students to avoid profanity and culturally offensive language, and offer alternative words if they accidentally say an inappropriate word.

Body Language: Speaker Progress’s body language critique provides feedback that you can use to better connect with your audience and minimize distractions. Students are reminded to face the camera, keep their faces clean, and maintain an appropriate distance from the screen.

Educator Review Experience:

New features coming soon:

And this fall, the team is adding new features including screen recording support and more languages! Screen sharing lets students share presentation content while viewing notes and getting real-time feedback!

Learn more about Speaker Progress:

Mike Tholfsen’s Speaker Progress YouTube video:

For a more in-depth explanation of Speaker Progress, how to use it in the classroom, and a live demo of all its features, check out Mike’s awesome YouTube video.

business hours:

Come join us during our office hours, the first Wednesday of every month at 8:30am Pacific/11:30am Eastern, to talk to our product team directly and ask them any questions you may have. To join our office hours, please go to: https://aka.ms/SpeakerProgressOfficeHours At a specified time. We would like to communicate with you and hear your feedback!

Microsoft Learn Courses:

There is a Microsoft Learn Course for educators who want to level up their Speaker Progress knowledge and earn credit for it! This course will walk you through how to use Speaker Progress in the classroom to help students gain confidence in their presentation skills. Access it here: Developing Confident Presenters with Speaker Progress – Training | Microsoft Learn

Supporting Documentation:

We have a support document for educators and students on how to get started with Speaker Progress. Check it out at the link below.

Getting Started as an Educator: Getting started with Speaker Progress for educators – Microsoft Support

Getting started as a student: Getting started with Speaker Progress for students – Microsoft Support

We’d love to hear your feedback on Speaker Progress! Try it out and let us know what you think.

Samantha Fisher

Product Manager

Microsoft Training