How often have you been nervous giving a presentation or even speaking in front of a group of your peers? I know I have countless times, especially when I was younger. Now that I’m a returning student and have age and a little maturity on my side, I tend to care a little less about how my peers see me. It doesn’t get rid of all the jitters, though. Last week when I was reading Sail the 7 Cs, I came across a program that Microsoft offers that can help with this issue, Presenter Coach.
Presenter Coach is a speaking coach. You can run your presentation or speech through this program without it recording you. Rather, it has AI listening to your voice and cadence and gives you real-time feedback. What you might get is suggestions to slow down or speed up your speech, sum up your slides instead of reading them word for word, or use more inclusive language instead of filler words like um. It can also read your body language. Are you making eye contact with your audience? Lastly, are you using too many repetitive words? This program is so beneficial for everyone.
Presenter Coach is used with PowerPoint. You open your presentation in PowerPoint, click on the slideshow tab, and then you’ll see Rehearse with Coach. Once you click that, you can choose Begin Rehearsing. Once you start, you will see immediate feedback at the bottom of the screen. In the end, you will get a full report on how you did. You can practice as often as you want until you feel comfortable presenting.
This program can be used by anyone, not just those uncomfortable in front of others. If you want to see how to improve or maybe just want to see what kind of presenting you are, this tool is for you. Presenter Coach has something for everyone. Perhaps you want to improve how to effectively communicate. Having a speaking coach can help you get to your speaking points clearly. Having a speaking coach can help you overcome your fears and increase your confidence. The more you practice the better you’ll become. Being able to communicate will help you anywhere in life so this is a lifesaver!