Boosting student confidence with Speaker Coach and Progress – A podcast with Microsoft Education

Microsoft’s Samantha Fisher sits down with Darren Hemming to explore the exciting new updates in Speaker Coach and the introduction of Speaker Progress.

Samantha is a Product Manager at Microsoft Education and has been working on the new Speaker Progress learning accelerator that is being rolled out worldwide.

The importance of public speaking confidence for students

Confidence in public speaking is vital for a student’s future success.

In fact, according to National Association of Colleges and Employers, 96% of businesses see oral and written communication as an essential competency but – scarily – only 42% of employees are proficient in these skills.

“If we can help students develop those skills when they’re young, when they’re in school, help them build their confidence when they’re young, that will help them in their futures, in their careers,” explains Samantha.

What is Speaker Progress in Microsoft Education?

Speaker Progress is designed to help students develop confidence in their public speaking skills while providing educators with an efficient way to facilitate and monitor progress.

Samantha demonstrates the new tool during the podcast:

Create assignments with Speaker Progress

During the podcast, Samantha demonstrates how teachers can create a Speaker Progress assignment within Teams.

Educators can set various parameters, such as the number of attempts, time limits and whether students should receive a rehearsal report after each attempt.

These reports categorise feedback into top strengths and opportunities, providing detailed insights into areas like pace, filler words, pronunciation and body language.

Real-time speaker coaching for learners

Students benefit from immediate feedback while rehearsing their presentations. The tool offers tips on avoiding filler words, maintaining proper distance from the screen, and speaking at an appropriate pace:

“It’ll actually coach me in real-time as I’m making mistakes. I already got a tip to avoid filler words, such as ‘um’.”

Real-time coaching helps students refine their skills before presenting in front of a class, reducing anxiety and building confidence.

Targeted and constructive feedback on speaking skills

Teachers can also view detailed reports of their students’ performance, including charts showing pace over time and specific feedback on body language and pronunciation. This enables educators to provide more targeted and constructive feedback, focusing on the content and quality of the presentation rather than technical aspects.

“Speaker Coach mostly focuses on the technical aspects of presenting… so I can focus on the quality of the presentation and the content,” explains Samatha.

“In the report shown at the end of rehearsing a presentation, we actually group top strengths and top opportunities.”

Speaker Progress is more than just a tool for improving classroom presentations; it’s a vital resource for preparing students for their future careers. By integrating advanced coaching technology into Teams, Microsoft is equipping students with the skills they need to succeed in an ever-changing world.

Effective communication and presentation skills are crucial not only in academic settings but also in the professional world.

Not using Microsoft 365??

At Cloud Design Box, we help schools and trusts maximise the potential of Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, creating central hubs in SharePoint that streamline communication, foster collaboration and enhance teaching and learning. Get in touch to find how we can support your school or MAT.