Has Microsoft stolen my job? How to get the most out of PowerPoint’s new ‘Presenter Coach’ feature.

It turns out that mine is the latest vocation to feel the cold tendrils of Artificial Intelligence creeping in. Just when I thought I had one of those ‘inherently human’ specialisations that could not possibly be replaced by a bot…

That being said, it was probably only a matter of time before Microsoft turned its attention to one of the most anxiety-inducing activities many professionals regularly encounter: live presentation delivery.

How does 365 Presenter Coach work?

Presenter Coach uses your device’s microphone to listen to you rehearse your presentation aloud while you deliver against your slides in Slide Show Mode. As you rehearse, Presenter Coach captures data to be shared in a summary once you finish, with the additional option for real-time feedback.

Within the web version of the application, you can turn on Presentation Coach under the View tab. This cloud feature is currently operating as a Preview version only. Check out this video overview from Microsoft.

This week I had my first play around with the tool, and I must confess, I was impressed, although in this preview release, there are admittedly some limitations:

• It is currently only offered in English, and I’m unsure how it receives various accents, particularly ESL speakers.

• It can only accommodate one speaker presenting per session.

• It is limited to the web version of Microsoft Office so you need to run PowerPoint through your browser, not your desktop application.

• The feedback summary cannot currently be saved, so you need to take a screenshot if you wish to save it.

What does it report?

As a specialist, what I was most interested in is what Microsoft had developed as priority criteria to report against and provide feedback on as ‘best practice’ for presenting. These currently are:

1. Pace – your rate of speech

2. Filler words – including ‘um’s and ‘ah’s

3. Sensitive Phrases – including bias related to gender, race and other protected characteristics

4. Originality (are you just reading off your slides?)

5. Pitch – how well you modulate your voice

6. Speech Refinements – including ‘wordiness’, informal language and grammatical form

In my work with clients, pace, filler words, pitch modulation and whether or not you can confidently talk around your slides, are areas that I frequently recommend further attention due to their ability to enhance clarity, engagement and credibility in verbal delivery. Any insights about how you are tracking against these elements is always useful information, and Presenter Coach’s ‘Your Rehearsal Report’ provides this in easy-to-digest bites.

But what I was really interested to note were the inclusion of criteria 3 and 6: sensitivities to bias and ‘refinements’ of language.

In the age of #blacklivesmatter, #metoo and evolving social awareness related to gender, mental health and age; I love that a founding feature of this tool is to assess whether a speaker is using inclusive language. No individual therefore, needs to bear the emotional load of educating another person on sensitivities across any of these areas; instead the speaker can build capacity through feedback with an ‘unfeeling’ machine, without human judgement. These are the sorts of tasks that AI is perfect for.

However, as a coach who is focused on raising lesser heard voices, I hope the ‘Speech Refinements’ feature does not attempt to train individuals into a binary way of communicating consisting of what is deemed ‘acceptable’ and what is not. For example, if a speaker were to use a phrase or sentence structure that is particular to their region, culture or social group (and appropriate to the audience they are presenting to), this may prompt a correction from Presenter Coach. Indeed, I anticipate this feature is built to shift presenters towards a learned and professionally ‘polished’ delivery. Although this will certainly help many who want to achieve this outcome, all voices deserve to be heard and authentic speech needs to be prioritised. This is one of the many nuances that machines are yet to master.

How should I use it? 

It’s going to take some mindful application. We are human and many of us find public speaking incredibly challenging. At some stages of our presentation preparation, we don’t need any more competing voices and there is no setting in Presenter Coach to dial up or down the real-time feedback. I encourage you to focus primarily on how you will connect with and move your audience rather than becoming the most polished, shiny version of yourself.

When using Presenter Coach, I recommend that you:

1. Be intentional. Remember that this is a tool to apply once you know what you want from it and how you intend to use it. Only bite off as much feedback as you can chew and set aside the rest for later. Before you begin, ask yourself the following questions: Will real-time feedback prompts work for me or will they be too distracting? At what stage of preparation am I ready for feedback, if at all? From previous real-world feedback or coaching, am I aware of which elements will enhance my unique presentation style?

2. Don’t forget your body language. Be aware that Presenter Coach only spotlights a few communication cues and what we receive as audience members is far greater than the six built in criteria. Your posture, stance, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact are pivotal to your face-to-face (and virtual) delivery for sentiment, rapport and projecting confidence. Ensure this is not neglected from your practice.

3. Remember that you have the final say. If this tool is causing obstructions to you finding flow – switch it off. Rehearsal time is for developing confidence before going into your speaking engagement and as audiences, we are interested in authenticity above all else, so let this be your yard stick.
   

So - Has Microsoft stolen my job?

Not quite yet, I don’t think.

 Context is important. As with any tool that helps us to work more efficiently, there needs to be a fit purpose that we are driving towards. And this changes depending on the speaking engagement, audience and desired outcomes. 

There is still a role for a living, breathing speaker coach to play in helping people take stock and navigate this area, but if a shiny new smart tool helps to raise voices and get more people communicating effectively, then I’m all for it.

I encourage you to have a play with PowerPoint Presenter Coach and let me know about your experiences! I’m interested to hear how you might use this tool to support your practice.