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Initially introduced in July 2019, the PowerPoint Presenter Coach is now available on Mac, Windows, web, iOS, and Android. The Presenter Coach evaluates various aspects of your presentation, from the language you use to your addressing style, offering valuable advice. However, a Microsoft 365 subscription is required to access this feature.
- Learn more: How to Sign Up for Office 365
Microsoft goes the extra mile by introducing new insights as the service operates, focusing on presentations you're conducting on Teams or Zoom. During your presentation practice, Presenter Coach observes your body language: if you consistently look away from the camera, the Coach reminds you to interact with the audience using eye contact. Specifically, the Coach aims to see your face clearly and ensure your eyes are directed at the camera.
Additionally, Presenter Coach listens to your speech patterns to determine if you're overusing specific words or phrases, repeating them excessively, speaking too quickly, or too slowly. If you do, Presenter Coach provides prompts to help you improve.
Finally, Presenter Coach assesses your pronunciation and offers suggestions through pre-recorded pronunciation guides. In a blog post, Microsoft acknowledges that this feature may spark some controversy. Feedback is optimized for what the company calls 'Common American English,' but Microsoft will also provide an option to disable feedback in case you disagree with the suggestions or find them unhelpful.
Perhaps, Presenter Coach will also include features that Microsoft originally planned, such as alerting you if you inadvertently use inappropriate language in your presentation.
To use Presenter Coach, open your PowerPoint presentation. In the Slide Show tab, click Rehearse with Coach. Then, click Start Rehearsing to begin your presentation and check Show real-time feedback if you want guidance concurrently. With real-time guidance enabled, the Coach will remind you if you use filler words like 'um' or 'uh' too frequently.
At the end, you'll see a summary presentation practice report with feedback from the Coach. For privacy reasons, Microsoft will delete the feedback after you complete it, and they won't store a record of your presentation.
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