In the Microsoft Teams for Education app, students learn to think carefully, share their opinions clearly, and explain ideas better. To help with speaking and presentations, students can use the Speaker Progress and Speaker Coach tools.
How to start a student recording
1. Start Recording: Select the My work link to open the attachment. If this is your first time using Speaker Progress, you will see a short explanation of how it works.
2. Setup: A screen will show up for you to check your microphone and video settings before you start.
3. Begin Recording: Press the Start button to begin recording.
4. Speak: Start talking. You will get positive feedback and tips, like avoiding words such as "um" and speaking faster.
A red bar above the recording shows how much time you have left. The session will end automatically when time is up.
After the recording, you can choose to try again, review your report (if available), or keep the recording if you like it.
Feedback list
Speaker Progress Generative AI evaluates the student on the following:
Body Language: Speaker Progress gives you advice on how to use your body language to keep your audience interested and avoid distractions. These tips are designed for when you are sitting still, helping you get ready for visual presentations.
Filler words: When telling your story, sounding confident makes your message stronger. The AI tool spots filler words like "um" and "like" and helps you avoid using them.
Pace: Speaker Coach says to speak at 100 to 165 words per minute because most people find it easy to understand. But, everyone is different, and your audience might understand you at a different speed. Speaker Coach will learn and adjust to your speaking style over time.
Pitch: Talking in a monotone voice can make it hard for your audience to stay interested or understand important points. To keep their attention, change your volume and pitch to highlight key words and phrases. If you're using notes or a script, don't just read from it, as this can make you sound flat and less natural.
Repetitive language: Repetitive language means using the same words or phrases too often in sentences, not just as fillers.
Speaker Coach watches for about 200 common words and phrases you use a lot. If you overuse them, they'll be shown in the Repetitive Language part of your Rehearsal Report.
Some words are checked if they start a sentence, like "basically" or "technically." Others are checked if they end a sentence, like "right."
Retrying a recording
If you don't like your recording, you can tap the Retry button to record again. Remember, this will erase your old recording, and you can't get it back.
For example, if you record "Hello" and then retry with "Hi," only the "Hi" recording will be saved. The "Hello" recording will be gone forever.
The rehearsal report
Your report includes a detailed analysis of your recording, along with helpful tips for future improvement. Use it to review your strengths and weaknesses, pinpoint areas for growth, and practice your skills with targeted exercises and feedback.
Turning in your Speaker Progress assignment
After completing your recording, you can submit it along with your assignment directly from the same page.
To submit, tap the Turn in button located in the top right corner.
Once submitted, you'll see a confirmation message at the top of the page stating: "Turned in at (Time) on (Date)." This indicates that the teacher can now view and grade your work.
