Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Microsoft has an A.I. coach that can critique your PowerPoint presentations

By

Public speaking, including the delivery of PowerPoint presentations, can be a trial. There’s the need to pace yourself, as well as to avoid reading your slides word for word. Microsoft gets that.

Leaning on the power of artificial intelligence, the company is now launching a public preview of its PowerPoint Presenter Coach, a tool which can help critique your PowerPoint presentation.

Recommended Videos

Available on the PowerPoint web app, the new PowerPoint Presenter Coach is able to give you real-time on-screen feedback on your PowerPoint presentations. When entering rehearsal mode and speaking into a microphone, the tool can evaluate a presenter on three specific factors — and even provide a report at the end with tips on how to improve.

First, the tool is able to analyze pace. During rehearsal, the Coach can detect how fast or slow you’re speaking and can give tips on how your audience can better retain the information you’re presenting. A second element of the tool is its ability to help you avoid sounding too repetitive during your presentation by detecting if you’re reading word for word. Finally, the tool is able to track word choices and signal awkward phrases like “um” and “you guys” to help your presentation sound more professional.

Related

“Public speaking doesn’t have to be nerve-wracking. Our public preview of Presenter Coach in PowerPoint for the web uses the power of A.I. to help business professionals, teachers, and students become more effective presenters,” said Jared Spataro, corporate vice president of Microsoft 365.

In addition to PowerPoint Presenter Coach, Microsoft is also announcing the general availability of some additional features across the Office 365 apps. Known as “Ink Replay,” this includes a new ability to put “ink” on presentations in the PowerPoint web app. Also new are a set of 3D models and lesson plans from Lifeliqe, which aim to help increase visual learning among students.

The last of the new features are template capabilities for the Microsoft Whiteboard app on Windows 10. Kanban sprint planning, Swot analysis, project planning, and learning templates are just a few examples.

The availability comes after Microsoft initially announced PowerPoint Presenter Coach earlier this year in June. PowerPoint Presenter Coach will only be available on the web for now, and in English, but Microsoft says it will working to be “add new capabilities and improve performance in the coming months.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus
Computing Writer
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
Office 365 becomes Microsoft 365, adds features and the power of A.I.
office app

It’s Office … only better?

Microsoft is unveiling big changes to its Office 365 product, the company said Monday, starting with a name change: Office 365 is now Microsoft 365, a change meant to signify to customers that more of Microsoft is coming in the subscription service, such as tech support and the power of A.I. The company is using A.I. to create new tools, add new rich content types, and include new cloud-powered experiences.

Read more
A.I. can now add the northern lights or the moon to your photos in Luminar 4.2
skylum luminar 4 point 2

Artificial intelligence can now help photographers fix the face distortion caused by wide-angle lenses -- or add objects to the sky. The latest update to Skylum Luminar brings an updated list of portrait tools and the A.I. Augmented Sky tool for simpler, realistic sky composites.

A.I. Augmented Sky is designed to add objects to the sky without first masking the sky to separate it from the rest of the image. The tool can be used to create realistic effects, like adding clouds to a cloud-free sky or even adding the northern lights to the night sky. Or, the tool can also be used to create digital art and add planets or fairy tale elements.

Read more
Microsoft’s new Office app hints at the Surface Duo’s potential
new microsoft office app productivity surface duo splashvideothumbnail

This holiday season, Microsoft will release a dual-screen smartphone known as the Surface Duo. As a dual-screen device, you can stack your favorite apps side by side, span apps across the screen for a better view of your work, and generally do more while on the go.

That demands software and hardware work hand-in-hand, however, so the new Office app for iOS and Android is paving the way forward. It'll make your phone a bit more useful for work -- in Office apps, at least.
One hub for all things Office
You can already use the dedicated Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps on your phone. With the new Office app, however, Microsoft is creating a one-stop hub for all things related to work. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are all part of the Office app. Yet it's lightweight, coming in at less than 100MB.

Read more