As an English teacher, emphasising the importance of effective communication skills is a huge area of the curriculum. Whether it’s a classroom presentation, a graduation speech, or a talk to peers, being able to convey ideas confidently and fluently is crucial for our students in today’s world. Enter the ‘Rehearse with Coach’ feature in Microsoft PowerPoint—a powerful tool that can significantly enhance students’ presentation abilities.
‘Rehearse with Coach‘ is an AI-driven feature available in PowerPoint. It acts as a virtual presentation coach, providing real-time feedback while students rehearse their slideshows. Here’s how it works:
- Private Rehearsal: Students can practice their presentations privately, away from the audience. This helps reduce anxiety and allows them to focus solely on improving their delivery.
- Feedback Metrics: As students speak, Coach evaluates various aspects of their presentation, including pacing, pitch, filler words, informal language, and adherence to slide content. It even detects when someone is merely reading from the slides!
- Rehearsal Report: After each practice session, Coach generates a detailed report. This report highlights strengths, areas for improvement, and specific recommendations. Students receive valuable insights on their performance.
How can ‘Rehearse with Coach’ benefit students you might ask? I have found it to be hugely beneficial in my English classroom while practising for presentations for a number of reasons. Namely for confidence building, time management, and improving overall fluency in student performance.
As we all know, public speaking anxiety is common. Rehearsing with Coach helps students overcome nervousness by providing constructive feedback and encouraging practice. Coach also identifies filler words (such as “um,” “uh,” or “like”) and suggests alternatives. I have found this to be a great tool as part of the coach function, as it makes students very aware of the amount of filler words they are using. This in turn minimises these distractions, and enhances overall confidence.