{"id":1964,"date":"2023-02-23T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-23T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/education\/blog\/2023\/02\/23\/strengthen-presentation-skills-with-speaker-coach\/"},"modified":"2024-05-31T16:41:57","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T23:41:57","slug":"strengthen-presentation-skills-with-speaker-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/education\/blog\/2023\/02\/strengthen-presentation-skills-with-speaker-coach\/","title":{"rendered":"Strengthen presentation skills with Speaker Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Concise and clear speaking is an essential communication skill that employers value. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers<\/a>, approximately 96 percent of businesses view oral and written communication as an essential competency but only 42 percent of employees are proficient at these skills. In classrooms there is always someone presenting information. Whether students are engaging in discussion or giving reports, or educators are presenting new material or conferencing with students, presentation skills are critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaker Coach<\/a>, a Microsoft Learning Accelerator<\/a>, enhances both foundational and workplace skills. With a focus on public speaking, Speaker Coach uses innovative technology that automatically analyzes a speaker\u2019s communication style and helps them present information more effectively. Whether they are a native speaker or an English Language Learner, any student will benefit from the practical feedback and custom reports that highlight areas of strength and ways to improve delivery. Speaker Coach helps students not only build critical skills, but they also develop confidence in their speaking abilities while practicing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Intelligent, automatic help is one of many reasons why educators choose to use Speaker Coach with their students. Like other Learning Accelerators, Speaker Coach offers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n More importantly, Speaker Coach incorporates good pedagogy. Students oversee their own learning by following detailed, pragmatic feedback that can be applied to the task at hand: improving communication clarity and enhancing public speaking skills. The analysis also enables students to learn whenever and wherever it is most convenient without needing someone else to participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From individual support to following a curriculum pacing guide, educators have more teaching commitments than time to complete all that is required of them. That makes Speaker Coach a valuable tool for educators; it frees time for other tasks because students can use Speaker Coach\u2019s automatic feedback instead of direct teacher intervention. Mike Thomas, Senior Digital Learning Analyst for Springfield Public Schools, believes that Speaker Coach and other Learning Accelerators positively impact teaching in his district:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n School is 180 days at six hours a day, and we must prioritize what is being taught. By having these tools available, it puts less focus trying to always deliver. It gives students the ability to learn for themselves. With tools like Reading Progress, Immersive Reader, and now Speaker Coach, I think we can take that student empowerment to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\nMike Thomas, Senior Digital Learning Analyst for Springfield Public Schools<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Get feedback on your presentation<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaker Coach in PowerPoint provides suggestions while a student speaks, and it delivers a tailored, final report that is packed with ways to improve their delivery. Using a computer\u2019s camera and microphone, Speaker Coach analyzes key qualities of effective communication:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to automatic, real-time suggestions while practicing, Speaker Coach generates a personalized report that can be used as a learning tool. Each report is customized to the speaking session, contains interactive feedback and analysis, and is privately shared so that students can securely review suggestions without the pressure of having another person listen and critique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rehearsal report summarizes your performance and provides actionable feedback<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Because Speaker Coach automatically listens and analyzes multiple aspects of a presentation, students can use it at school or at home without someone else participating. Speaker Coach is like a teaching assistant who is always available and willing to offer constructive feedback in a judgement-free environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Students in Spring Public Schools in Springfield, MA have been using Speaker Coach to practice and prepare for classroom presentations. Educators are already seeing improvements in how ideas are communicated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaker Coach is giving the students the confidence to be able to present in front of others and share their voice.\u201d<\/p>\nMelissa Zeitz, Digital Literacy and Computer Science Teacher for Springfield Public Schools\u00a0<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Rehearse with Speaker Coach<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n To start using Speaker Coach in PowerPoint:<\/p>\n\n\n\nDesigned for student-driven learning and educator freedom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Perfect your next PowerPoint presentation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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