microsoft presentation coach

Rehearse your slide show with Speaker Coach

Speaker Coach helps you prepare in private to give more effective presentations.

Speaker Coach evaluates your pacing, pitch, your use of filler words, informal speech, euphemisms, and culturally sensitive terms, and it detects when you're being overly wordy or are simply reading the text on a slide.

After each rehearsal, you get a report that includes statistics and suggestions for improvements.

Note:  Speaker Coach in PowerPoint was previously known as Presenter Coach.

Rehearse with Speaker Coach

Speaker Coach is compatible with Microsoft Edge version 15 or later, Chrome version 52 or later, and Firefox version 52 or later. To see which version of  Microsoft Edge you have, refer to Find out which version of Microsoft Edge you have . Microsoft Edge is updated with Windows. For information on updating, see Update Windows 10 .

Open your presentation in PowerPoint for the web .

Sign in with a personal Microsoft account (hotmail.com, outlook.com, live.com, msn.com), or an Microsoft 365 work or school account.

On the Slide Show tab, select Rehearse with Coach . (If you've turned off the Simplified Ribbon, you don't have a Slide Show tab; instead use the View tab to start Speaker Coach.)

The presentation opens in a full-screen view, similar to Slide Show.

Select Get Started at the lower right when you are ready to begin rehearsing.

As you speak, Coach gives on-screen guidance (in the lower-right corner of the window) about pacing, inclusive language, use of profanity, filler words, and whether you're reading the slide text.

When you're through, exit the full-screen view. Coach opens a Rehearsal Report that summarizes what it observed and offers recommendations .

Open your presentation in PowerPoint for Android.

Select Rehearse with Coach . The presentation opens in a full-screen view, similar to Slide Show.

Select Start Rehearsing in the dialog box when you are ready to begin rehearsing.

When you're through, exit the full-screen view. Coach opens a Rehearsal Report that summarizes what it observed, and offers recommendations .

Open your presentation in PowerPoint for Windows desktop.

After you review your Rehearsal Report, close the window or select Rehearse Again to practice the recommendations you've received.

Open your presentation in PowerPoint for iOS.

Tap the More menu, and then tap Rehearse with Coach . The presentation opens in a full-screen view, similar to Slide Show.

When you're ready to begin, tap Start Rehearsing .

After you review your Rehearsal Report, close the window or tap Rehearse Again to practice the recommendations you've received.

Open your presentation in PowerPoint for MacOS desktop.

Select Start Rehearsing in the dialog box when you are ready to begin rehearsing. To receive on-screen guidance, check that Show real-time feedback is selected.

Tips for using Speaker Coach

Sign in with a Microsoft account (hotmail.com, outlook.com, live.com, msn.com) or a Microsoft 365 work or school account. You can view and edit a presentation for free in a web browser by saving the file to OneDrive and using PowerPoint for the web to open it.

You need a microphone in your computer that can hear your speech and an internet connection.

We recommend that you rehearse in a quiet place with a microphone.

After you close the rehearsal report, it disappears. If you want to save a copy of it, you must take a screenshot.

Other things to remember

Currently, Speaker Coach only understands English, and it's only available when your Office user interface language is English. See Change the language Office uses for help with the Office user interface language setting.

Coach works best with one speaker rehearsing. It may not work well if more than one person is rehearsing at a time.

Coach will continue to learn as folks like you use it, and it will add more kinds of suggestions in the future.

Unlike the Rehearse Timings feature, Speaker Coach doesn't add timings to your slides. Speaker Coach is for practicing and feedback. It doesn't prepare a slide show to be run automatically.

Presentation recommendations

To relax and slow yourself down when you're nervous, take a deep breath.

Pause if you need a moment to gather your thoughts. Quiet moments don't adversely affect your presentation.

Speaker Coach gives you a gentle nudge by suggesting specific replacement terms for certain words. You make the final decision about what words to use in your presentation.

It's all right to repeat shorter bits of text from a slide, such as a title or bullet point, just try not to read the entire slide.

Speak naturally and vary the pitch of your voice to keep the audience more engaged and focused on your key points.

For more recommendations see Suggestions from Speaker Coach.

Important information about Speaker Coach

Speaker Coach is one of the cloud-enhanced features in Microsoft 365 and is powered by Microsoft Speech Services. Your speech utterances will be sent to Microsoft to provide you with this service. For more information, see Make Office Work Smarter for You .

Speaker Coach is not currently available to our government customers hosted in our Government Community Cloud (GCC).

Frequently asked questions

What features and critiques are available for the web version.

Web will always have the most up to date features because that's where we make them available first. After we get feedback about the features on the web version, we'll extend their availability to mobile and desktop.

What features and critiques are available for desktop versions?

On desktop apps, you'll get feedback while you rehearse on pace, monotone, filler words, speech refinement, originality, and inclusiveness.

What features and critiques are available for iOS and Android versions?

Speaker Coach is now available for iOS on both iPhone and iPad. You'll get rehearsal feedback on pace, pitch, filler words, speech refinements, originality, repetitive language, and inclusiveness. At the end of the session, you'll get a summary report optimized for iPhone and iPad. Repetitive language and Pronunciation will come soon on these platforms.

Who can use Speaker Coach?

Speaker Coach is currently available to everyone in free preview—even if you don’t have an Office subscription. You can try out Speaker Coach on the Web or on an Android or iOS device.

In which languages and markets is Speaker Coach now available?

Speaker Coach is available for all English-speaking markets. We're working now to expand to new languages, including Spanish, French, and Japanese.

In which languages and markets are body language, pronunciation, and repetitive language critiques available? Will they be made available in other languages and markets in the future?

Pronunciation is currently available only for the US English market. The rest of our features are available for all English-speaking markets. We're working to expand these features to more languages and markets soon.

Where can I get more information about Speaker Coach?

Go to our support article Suggestions from Speaker Coach or see our Speaker Coach tutorial .

Present with real-time, automatic captions or subtitles in PowerPoint

Privacy at Microsoft

Connected Experiences in Office

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

Strengthen presentation skills with Speaker Coach

February 23, 2023.

By Microsoft Education Team

Share this article

Concise and clear speaking is an essential communication skill that employers value. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers , approximately 96 percent of businesses view oral and written communication as an essential competency but only 42 percent of employees are proficient at these skills. In classrooms there is always someone presenting information. Whether students are engaging in discussion or giving reports, or educators are presenting new material or conferencing with students, presentation skills are critical.

Speaker Coach , a Microsoft Learning Accelerator , enhances both foundational and workplace skills. With a focus on public speaking, Speaker Coach uses innovative technology that automatically analyzes a speaker’s communication style and helps them present information more effectively. Whether they are a native speaker or an English Language Learner, any student will benefit from the practical feedback and custom reports that highlight areas of strength and ways to improve delivery. Speaker Coach helps students not only build critical skills, but they also develop confidence in their speaking abilities while practicing.

Designed for student-driven learning and educator freedom

Intelligent, automatic help is one of many reasons why educators choose to use Speaker Coach with their students. Like other Learning Accelerators, Speaker Coach offers:

• Real-time coaching: Immediate personalized coaching and practice for students
• Inclusive design: Students can practice where they feel most comfortable and use built-in accessibility tools that increase access
• Time-saving efficiency: Learning Accelerators are built into Microsoft 365 and offer technology-assisted learning instead of teacher-directed instruction
• Actionable insights: Help track progress, display where students are challenged and excelling, and provide a more holistic view of student progress

More importantly, Speaker Coach incorporates good pedagogy. Students oversee their own learning by following detailed, pragmatic feedback that can be applied to the task at hand: improving communication clarity and enhancing public speaking skills. The analysis also enables students to learn whenever and wherever it is most convenient without needing someone else to participate.

From individual support to following a curriculum pacing guide, educators have more teaching commitments than time to complete all that is required of them. That makes Speaker Coach a valuable tool for educators; it frees time for other tasks because students can use Speaker Coach’s automatic feedback instead of direct teacher intervention. Mike Thomas, Senior Digital Learning Analyst for Springfield Public Schools, believes that Speaker Coach and other Learning Accelerators positively impact teaching in his district:

“School is 180 days at six hours a day, and we must prioritize what is being taught. By having these tools available, it puts less focus trying to always deliver. It gives students the ability to learn for themselves. With tools like Reading Progress, Immersive Reader, and now Speaker Coach, I think we can take that student empowerment to the next level.”-Mike Thomas, Senior Digital Learning Analyst for Springfield Public Schools

Perfect your next PowerPoint presentation

Get feedback on your presentation

Speaker Coach in PowerPoint provides suggestions while a student speaks, and it delivers a tailored, final report that is packed with ways to improve their delivery. Using a computer’s camera and microphone, Speaker Coach analyzes key qualities of effective communication:

• Pace: Monitor speed and receive pacing suggestions that increase audience recall and comprehension
• Filler Words: Highlight frequently used filler words like “um” and “you know”
• Pitch: Listen for monotone pitch that can negatively affect messaging
• Pronunciation: Isolate indistinct pronunciation or mispronunciation
• Originality: Call out instances when reading directly from a slide
• Inclusiveness: Discover when language is not inclusive in areas like disability, gender, and race
• Speech Refinements: Spot speech problems like wordiness and euphemisms
• Repetitive Words: Count words and phrases that are repeatedly spoken
• Body Language: Analyze physical mannerisms, posture, and eye contact

In addition to automatic, real-time suggestions while practicing, Speaker Coach generates a personalized report that can be used as a learning tool. Each report is customized to the speaking session, contains interactive feedback and analysis, and is privately shared so that students can securely review suggestions without the pressure of having another person listen and critique.

Rehearsal report summarizes your performance and provides actionable feedback

Because Speaker Coach automatically listens and analyzes multiple aspects of a presentation, students can use it at school or at home without someone else participating. Speaker Coach is like a teaching assistant who is always available and willing to offer constructive feedback in a judgement-free environment.

Students in Spring Public Schools in Springfield, MA have been using Speaker Coach to practice and prepare for classroom presentations. Educators are already seeing improvements in how ideas are communicated. 

“Speaker Coach is giving the students the confidence to be able to present in front of others and share their voice.” —  Melissa Zeitz, Digital Literacy and Computer Science Teacher for Springfield Public Schools 

Rehearse with Speaker Coach

To start using Speaker Coach in PowerPoint:

• Open PowerPoint
• Add information to the slide show
• Go to Slide Show in the ribbon
• Select Rehearse with Coach
• Allow PowerPoint to use the camera and microphone

Coaching suggestions during live meetings

Students and educators can also use Speaker Coach during scheduled Teams meetings and live events. The Teams integration delivers private speaking suggestions and guidance during roundtable discussions or while sharing content from a PowerPoint or Word Document. Unobtrusive tips appear at the top of the Teams window and are only visible to the speaker. When you leave the meeting, Speaker Coach generates a timestamped report with actionable insights for improving speaking clarity, word choice, inclusiveness, and information. This report lives inside of Teams and is available to review and compare over time or throughout the year.

Follow a few simple steps to use Speaker Coach in Teams for Education:

• Schedule a Teams Meeting with a peer or colleague. Speaker Coach is unavailable in Meet Now meetings.
• Select  More .
• Select  Turn on Speaker Coach and follow any additional prompts. Contact your IT Administrator if you do not see this option as some clients need preview features enabled .

What are you waiting for? Say goodbye to standing in front of a mirror and talking to yourself. Instead, let Speaker Coach analyze your communication skills and reduce anxiety associated with public speaking.

Related stories

Enhance literacy development with Reading Progress and Coach

Literacy has long been a strong predictor of students’ future career paths, financial stability, and overall health. Unfortunately, reading achievement scores in the United States have declined “significantly”, according to the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessment.

Comprehensive quick start guides for Microsoft Education tools

Education has evolved significantly over the past several years, and so have the needs of educators. In today’s diverse classrooms, it’s more important than ever to use the right education technology, find ways to support all students, and help create more inclusive environments. We recognize that educators need time-saving workflows, teaching tools, and resources to help everyone thrive and reach their full potential.

Unlocking productivity and personalizing learning with AI

Today, we’re announcing the next wave of AI innovations from Microsoft Education that will help unlock productivity and personalize learning. This includes expanded Copilot for Microsoft 365 availability and Loop coming to education. We’re also sharing news about AI built for education such as Reading Coach and features designed to free up time for educators and personalize learning. As part of our continued work to build AI literacy, we’ve launched our latest course for educators and a new learning path on Microsoft Learn. And earlier this week we outlined Microsoft's position and themes for policymakers to consider around advancing youth online safety and wellness.

• SCHOOL STORIES
• MICROSOFT EDUCATOR CENTER
• CONTACT SALES

How-To Geek

How to practice your presentations with powerpoint's presenter coach.

Rehearsing presentations gets easier with PowerPoint.

Quick Links

How the presenter coach helps you with your presentations, what you'll need, how to launch the presenter coach in powerpoint, reading your rehearsal report.

Microsoft PowerPoint now has a Presenter Coach to let you rehearse your presentations before going to the audience. This coach gives you a detailed report telling you how well you did and suggesting areas for improvement. Here's how to use it.

Consider the Presenter Coach in PowerPoint as a trusted friend who listens to you practice performing  your presentations . This coach reviews your entire presentation and creates a report detailing your performance.

For example, it will grade you on how fast you speak and how much you use filler words like "um" and "ah." It will also inform you of words you might want to avoid and encourage you not to simply read the words on your slides aloud.

Basically, if you need a second opinion on your presenting style, this is a great way to get it.

Related: 8 Tips to Make the Best PowerPoint Presentations

To use the Presenter Coach in PowerPoint, you must have:

• a Microsoft account or a Microsoft 365 work or school account
• a working internet connection
• a microphone (so that PowerPoint can listen to what you're saying)

Also, the Presenter Coach only works if you use the English language in PowerPoint. Other languages are not yet supported as of April 2021.

PowerPoint's Presenter Coach works for any presentation. You can use it with your commercial, educational, and even family presentations.

To start using this feature, open your presentation with PowerPoint.

In the PowerPoint window, click the "Slide Show" tab on the ribbon at the top of the window.

If you don't see the Slide Show tab, you're probably in Slide Master View. Close this view by selecting "Slide Master" at the top and then clicking "Close Master View."

In the Slide Show tab, click "Rehearse with Coach" to open PowerPoint's Presenter Coach.

Your presentation will open in fullscreen mode. To activate the Presenter Coach, click "Start Rehearsing" in the bottom-right corner of your window. Optionally, enable "Show real-time feedback" if you want the coach to give you tips while you're still presenting.

Now, begin your presentation like you normally would. If you enabled the real-time feedback option, you'll see some tips appear in the bottom-right corner of your window.

Press "Esc" when you're done presenting to exit fullscreen mode. PowerPoint will now open your rehearsal report.

It's important to read and analyze the Presenter Coach's report properly. This will help you find areas for improvement and see whether you're doing well.

The report will vanish as soon as you close the report window. To save the report, take a screenshot of it.

Here's what each section in the report tells you about your presentation:

• Summary : Summary tells you the amount of time you spent practicing your presentation. It also shows the number of slides you rehearsed.
• Fillers : In the Fillers section, you'll see the filler words (umm, ah) that you used during your presentation. Using these filler words makes you sound less confident, and you should try to avoid using them.
• Sensitive Phrases : Sensitive Phrases highlights culturally sensitive phrases that you used in your presentation, which you might want to avoid. It considers the following areas sensitive: disability, age, gender, race, sexual orientation, mental health, geopolitical topics, and profanity.
• Pace : The Pace section tells you the pace of your presentation. If you were too fast or too slow, you'll find that information here.
• Originality : Microsoft suggests that you avoid reading out the text written in your presentation slides, as this makes your presentation boring. Instead, you should use original content in your speech. The Originality section informs you if you only read the text from your slides.

Now that you know where you need to improve, click the "Rehearse Again" button at the top of the report to re-present your presentation. When you're done, PowerPoint will make another report detailing your new presentation performance.

Related: How to Add Music to Your PowerPoint Presentation

• Accessories
• Entertainment
• PCs & Components
• Wi-Fi & Networks
• Newsletters
• Digital Magazine – Subscribe
• Digital Magazine – Info
• Smart Answers
• Best laptops
• Best antivirus
• Best monitors
• Laptop deals
• Desktop PC deals

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn't affect our editorial independence .

Microsoft’s PowerPoint Presenter Coach uses AI to help you nail your presentation

If you’re the type of person who methodically fine-tunes their PowerPoint presentations the night before, or someone who just wants to improve their speaking style—well, Microsoft’s AI is ready and eager to help you out with PowerPoint Presenter Coach.

Originally launched in July 2019 , PowerPoint Presenter Coach is now generally available for Windows, the web, and even iOS and Android, Microsoft said Wednesday. The tool looks at several aspects of your presentation, from the language you use to even how you address speakers, and offers advice. You’ll need to subscribe to Microsoft 365 to use Presenter Coach, however.

Microsoft is even adding new critiques as the service goes live, with an eye toward presentations you’re making on Teams or Zoom. First, Presenter Coach will look for body language: If you’re constantly looking away from the camera, the Coach will remind you to engage your audience with your eyes. Specifically, the Coach wants to see your face clearly, and make sure that your eyes are directed at the camera. Finally, it will advise whether you’re too close or too far away to be seen clearly.

The Presenter Coach will listen for your language. Do you overuse specific words or phrases? Repeat yourself? If you do, Presenter Coach will flag you for improvement.

Finally, Presenter Coach will listen for your pronunciation and offer suggestions via  a recorded pronunciation guide. In a blog post , Microsoft admitted that this feature could be a bit controversial. The feedback is being optimized for what the company calls “General American English,” but Microsoft will also provide the option of disabling the feedback in case you disagree with the suggestions or don’t otherwise find them useful.

Presumably, Presenter Coach will also include the features that Microsoft originally planned, such as catching you if you accidentally drop a bad word into your presentation.

Here’s how to find the PowerPoint Presentation Coach within PowerPoint.

How to use Presenter Coach for PowerPoint

To start working with Presenter Coach, you’ll need to open your presentation within PowerPoint. In the Slide Show tab, as part of the Rehearse Group, click  Rehearse with Coach . Then click  Start Rehearsing to begin your presentation, and check the Show real-time feedback  box if you’d like ongoing guidance. Only begin speaking, however, once you see the  Listening… prompt appear. If you’ve enabled real-time guidance, the Coach will remind you not to drop in “filler” words, for example, as you speak.

At the end, you’ll see a Rehearsal Report that summarizes the feedback from the Coach. Be sure and take a screenshot, though! For privacy’s sake, Microsoft will delete the feedback after you’re through, and it also won’t save a recording of your performance.

Microsoft's PowerPoint Presenter Coach launches on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android

You can now use Microsoft Presenter Coach on all of your devices.

What you need to know

• PowerPoint Presenter Coach is now available on all major platforms.
• The tool initially launched on the web but is now on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
• Microsoft also expanded the areas that the tool can help you improve on.

Microsoft's PowerPoint Presenter Coach is now available on all major platforms. The tool initially launched in 2019 on the web but is now on Windows, iOS, Android, and Mac. In addition to rolling out the tool to all major platforms, Microsoft expanded the areas that it can help you in terms of feedback. These three new critique areas are limited to the web version of PowerPoint Presenter Coach at the moment.

Microsoft's PowerPoint Presenter Coach is a tool that helps you improve your presentations. It uses AI to help people improve their presentations with feedback and coaching. The tool gives you real-time feedback and also provides reports for reviewing your presenting skills.

The tool can tell you if you're speaking in a monotone pitch, use filler words, or use poor grammar. It can also keep a virtual eye out for unoriginal content and sensitive phrases that people should avoid.

The three new areas that the tool can critique you in our body language, repetitive language, and pronunciation. Microsoft outlines these areas in more detail in a recent post . They're all available in preview now on the web and should help presenters deliver more professional presentations.

Productivity across work and life

The new Microsoft 365 subscription for individuals and families brings with it new AI-powered features and benefits inside Microsoft Office, including Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel, as and also enhances Microsoft Edge, Teams, and Family Safety across Windows 10, Xbox, Android, and iOS.

Get the Windows Central Newsletter

All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at  [email protected] .

• 2 Could Minecraft finally come to Steam? The signs are there, but don't get your hopes up yet
• 3 After PC launch, Ghost of Tsushima becomes Steam's top selling paid game, soars past Hades 2 and Helldivers 2
• 4 The best M.2 solid-state drive on the market is less than $0.09/GB with this limited deal
• 5 New Job actions and balance adjustments revealed for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail

How to Use PowerPoint Speaker Coach to Improve Your Presentation Skills

Want to rehearse that important presentation on your own? Turn to PowerPoint's Speaker Coach to sharpen your skills.

Want to improve your body language and speaking when making online presentations? You can use PowerPoint Speaker Coach to gain instant feedback and build confidence.

Microsoft PowerPoint includes a powerful tool called Speaker Coach. It is a rebranded and enhanced version of Presentation Coach, initially added to PowerPoint in 2019.

With remote and hybrid working environments now familiar, presenting successfully to diverse online audiences using only slides, a webcam, and a mic is a more valuable skill than ever. In this article, you will learn about Speaker Coach and how it can help you.

What Is PowerPoint Speaker Coach?

You'll find Speaker Coach under the Slide Show tab in PowerPoint on Windows, macOS, and on the web as part of your Microsoft 365 subscription. Speaker Coach can offer real-time feedback on your body language (web version only) and speech as you rehearse a presentation while speaking into your mic and camera.

When finished, a Rehearsal Report shows your overall strengths and weaknesses. You can use the information to improve your presentation skills .

The tool offers many advantages over traditional methods of rehearsing a presentation. It helps you practice independently instead of depending on colleagues for feedback.

Speaker Coach also leverages AI to point out mistakes that alienate an audience. These nuances can be missed by people that work closely with you. The tool can also be helpful outside of professional situations. For example, planning on giving a speech at a wedding, commencement, award ceremony, or commemoration? Speaker Coach can also help you rehearse for these events, whether online or in-person.

Microsoft adopts a privacy-focused approach with Speaker Coach and does not save the videos or audio of you rehearsing.

Key Features of PowerPoint Speaker Coach

Powerpoint Speaker Coach can make you a more dynamic presenter.

Improved Body Language

Body language is still a meaningful way to connect with an audience, even if only the top half of you is visible. The web-based version of Speaker Coach can assess your body language by using your webcam and offers tips as you present.

For example, Speaker Coach pops up a warning if you are too far back from the camera or too close. Additionally, notifications appear if you obstruct your face with your hand or don't make eye contact with the audience.

Improved Speaking

Speaker Coach includes many more features for improving your verbal presentation skills.

• Pace makes sure that you are not speaking too quickly for the audience to understand your message.
• Pitch helps you adjust your volume: a monotone presentation will simply put people to sleep – not what you want!
• Originality identifies the slides you read too extensively. This sounds unnatural and can make a good presentation go bad.
• Filler words such as "um" and "you know" are identified as these can undermine the audience's confidence in your information.

Other features include scanning for repetitive language and encouraging variation in word choice with synonyms for overused words. Inclusiveness warns if you are alienating audience members by using culturally insensitive language or profanity.

The web-based version of Speaker Coach can even tell when you may have mispronounced a word. It will display the correct way to pronounce the word and offer you the ability to practice pronouncing it. Microsoft has said Speaker Coach is optimized for General American English and is improving the pronunciation feature based on user feedback, a tacit acknowledgment that accents vary.

Related: Tools to Give an Online Presentation From Anywhere

PowerPoint Speaker Coach Makes Suggestions for Improvement

The killer feature of Speaker Coach isn't just that it grades your presentation skills. It also gives specific suggestions for how you can improve.

Feedback from Speaker Coach includes a Learn More link. This Microsoft Support page offers information on the criteria Speaker Coach uses to assess your presentation and recommendations for making a mediocre presentation stellar.

While some of these might be obvious (like, don't swear) Speaker Coach also points out more subtle mistakes that can shape how your message is received. The support page explains that academic research suggests that audiences best understand presenters who speak at a rate of about 100 to 165 words per minute. Speaker Coach is assessing your performance relative to that metric. However, it also leaves space to adapt to your speaking style over time.

Related: Every Microsoft PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcut for Windows Worth Knowing

Note: Microsoft has said Speaker Coach will be added to Teams in early 2022 to help you communicate better during meetings.

How to Use PowerPoint Speaker Coach for Body Language Feedback

Non-verbal communication is an art that can make or break your presentation. Use the feedback from PowerPoint Speaker Coach to perfect the nuances.

• Open PowerPoint on the Web and go to Slide Show > Rehearse with Coach > Enable Show Body Language Feedback .
• A window will open at the bottom right. Click Start Rehearsing . Leave show real-time feedback enabled.
• Rehearse your presentation.

How to Use PowerPoint Speaker Coach on Windows and macOS

Speaker Coach works the same on both Windows and macOS, though do note that body language and pronunciation feedback are unavailable:

• Open a PowerPoint Presentation and go to Slide Show > Rehearse with Coach .
• A window will open at the bottom right of your screen. Click Start Rehearsing .
• Rehearse your presentation

Feel Empowered by PowerPoint Speaker Coach

Use Microsoft Speaker Coach for a unique way to improve both your online and in-person speaking and presentation skills. Its AI-based approach frees you up to practice when and where you want to, without need to impose on colleagues. In an increasing remote and hybrid working world, its range of features can make you a more dynamic presenter.

You may come to find Speaker Coach so useful that you begin to find that using PowerPoint to both give presentations and design the accompanying slides becomes fun again.

A simple guide to slideshows

Learn what slideshows are, how they’re used, common features, and how to choose a slideshow maker. Get started creating your own slideshows today with Microsoft PowerPoint.

What is a slideshow?

What are slideshows used for.

Meetings and presentations

Slideshows are most frequently used to create professional presentations for business meetings, conferences, and educational purposes. A  slideshow program  allows people to organize content, include visuals, and enhance the overall impact of their message.

Visual storytelling

Because slideshows sequentially display engaging visuals, text, and other multimedia, they’re a strong way to tell a cohesive and compelling narrative from start to finish.

Content creation

Slideshows give content creators a versatile and efficient way to organize information, increase visual appeal, and communicate effectively across different contexts.

Photo and video sharing

Slideshow makers are popular for creating photo and video presentations, especially for events like weddings, birthdays, and vacations. People can add transitions, music, and captions to fully bring the photo-sharing experience to life.

Training and tutorials

Slideshows help break down complex information into digestible chunks with the support of visuals and text, making them ideal for instructional materials, tutorials, and training modules.

Collaborative projects

In collaborative settings, teams use slideshow makers to create joint presentations or reports. The best slideshow makers enable multiple contributors to add their content simultaneously, which helps ensure a cohesive and unified presentation.

What are the features of a slideshow creator?

Slideshow creators vary in what they offer but ideally include:

A library of templates, themes, and images.

If you’re not a designer, this feature is huge. Simply browse the options available in your slideshow maker library to create a polished, professionally designed presentation in a flash. Be sure to confirm that access to the library is free and the images are approved for unrestricted usage.

Audio and video compatibility.

Keeping your audience engaged is key to any successful slideshow presentation. To mix things up, being able to add a multimedia element—like a song or a video clip—will help people stay focused and interested.

Presentation tools.

Handy presenter tools go a long way toward making your slideshow experience seamless. For example, straightforward slide navigation, slideshow keyboard shortcuts, pen and highlighter markup, and adjustable resolution settings.

AI assistance.

With AI revolutionizing content creation, using a slideshow maker that has AI capabilities will enhance efficiency and innovation. Depending on the slideshow app you have, creating an entire slideshow could be as easy as a quick prompt, like “Make a presentation about the benefits of sustainable fashion that has 15 slides.” 

Animations.

Like audio and video, animations give your audience a bit of sensory surprise that can capture their attention. 

Slide transitions.

Add some pizzazz to how you change slides with visual effects like fading, wiping, and zooming. 

Screen recording.

Being able to record your screen in a slideshow maker is helpful when giving an instructional talk, software demonstration, and other types of presentations that require visual aids.

A place to put speaker notes.

Having somewhere to jot a few notes down will help remind you of everything you want to cover as you present.

Different viewing options.

Looking at different views—for example, a presenter view, an audience view, and a high-level view of slide order—is useful when organizing your slideshow’s structure and understanding and preparing for what you’ll see versus what your audience will see.

How do I choose the right slideshow maker?

When choosing a slideshow maker, keep the following questions in mind to make sure you get the most for your money:

Is it scalable with your business?

As your organization grows and changes, it’s important to have flexible technology that adapts to new needs. Having certain features—such as cloud-based collaboration, compatibility with other work apps, and a mobile app—will help ensure that no matter how your business changes, the slideshow maker is up to the task. This also applies to pricing plans. Consider choosing a slideshow app that has a subscription plan (so the software is always up to date), volume-based pricing, or enterprise-level pricing.

Does it have a variety of visual elements?

It’s pretty much a given that a slideshow maker will allow you to add images, but think outside the JPEG box—what other visual elements are available to you? Features like preset themes, free templates, SmartArt, a built-in clip art library, shape tools, background styles, 3D models, and charts and graphs provide diverse ways to switch up how a slideshow looks without relying solely on adding your own images.

Is it easy to use?

You could have the most feature-rich slideshow maker on the market, but if it isn’t easy to use, you probably won’t use it. Or you will, but you’ll be frustrated, waste valuable time, and have difficulty convincing people you work with to use it. As you research slideshow makers, look for videos that show the apps’ interfaces in action to help you decide if they’re intuitive and will have a shorter learning curve.

Does it have collaboration and sharing options?

Because making a slideshow is often a collaborative effort, it’s worthwhile to find a slideshow creator that was designed with this in mind. Pick one that offers editing controls and commenting, as well as the ability to work on a slideshow at the same time as someone else. Having a cloud-based slideshow maker will be key here. You’ll not only save yourself time but also keep things simple by not having multiple versions of the same slideshow.

Explore more about slideshows and slideshow makers

Copilot in powerpoint.

Transform how you make slideshows with the versatile AI in Copilot for PowerPoint.

Improve your presenting skills

Practice presenting with an AI speaker coach to get feedback on body language, repetition, and pronunciation.  

Six slideshow tips and tricks

Read up on tips about how to finesse your slideshows to give your most confident presentations.

Get free PowerPoint templates

Show your style with PowerPoint templates in more than 40 categories.

How to make a branded slideshow

Create a cohesive visual identity for your brand that goes beyond adding a logo to every slide.

Try a photo album template

Relive your favorite memories with photo album templates designed for all your unforgettable moments.

The benefits of visual aids in slideshows

Discover why using visual aids helps communicate ideas and messaging more effectively.

Slideshows that reach all learners

Explore the different ways that people learn and how to include all learning styles in your presentations.

Frequently asked questions

How do i make a good slideshow.

Making a good slideshow in PowerPoint is easy:

Plan what you’d like to include in your slideshow.

Launch your slideshow creator.

Choose the theme you’d like.

Import media.

Add text, music, and transitions.

Record, save, and share your slideshow.

Learn more about how to make a slideshow .

How do I add music to a slideshow?

To add music to a slideshow, first make sure that you’re using a slideshow maker with music compatibility. In PowerPoint, follow these steps:

Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the slide where you want to add music.

Click on the Insert tab in the ribbon menu.

Click on the Audio button and select Audio on My PC.

Browse to the folder on your computer where the audio file is located and select it.

Click on the Insert button.

How do I record a slideshow?

The steps for recording a slideshow in PowerPoint will vary depending on the version that you own. Get help with slideshow recording based on your version. 

What types of files can I add to a slideshow?

File compatibility in PowerPoint includes the use of JPEGs, PNGs, TIFFs, GIFs, PDFs, MP3s, WAVs, MIDIs, MPEG-4 Videos, and Windows Media Videos.  

How do I share my slideshow?

To share your PowerPoint slideshow, follow these steps:

Open your presentation and click Share at the top right of your screen.

If your presentation isn't already stored on OneDrive, select where to save your presentation to the cloud.

Choose a permission level, like Anyone with a link , or maybe just people in your company. You can also control if people can edit or just view the doc. 

Select Apply.

Enter names and a message.

Select Send.

Follow Microsoft

May 13, 2024

Introducing Reading Coach, your AI-powered reading fluency coach

• Add our blog to your RSS feed reader" href="/rss/blog.xml" data-bi-name="RSS Subscription" data-bi-id="rss_feed" data-bi-bhvr="120" data-bi-socchn="RSSSubscription" title="Microsoft 365 Insider Blog RSS" target="blank" class="d-inline-block">

Hi, Microsoft 365 Insiders! My name is Anoo Padte and I am a Principal Product Manager on the Education team. I’m excited to introduce you to a new and free AI-powered app designed to provide personalized, engaging, consistent reading fluency practice: Reading Coach.

What are your plans to help your learners get caught up and stay ahead on reading this summer? Need help keeping them engaged and interested? Make sure they start the next school year right on the right foot? Look no further! Microsoft’s standalone Reading Coach is here to ensure that they have a productive and educational summer!

How it works

• Go to https://coach.microsoft.com . 

• Click the Start reading
• Sign-in with your Microsoft personal account as an individual learner at home or with your school login (provided your school has enabled Reading Coach).
• Explore, practice, and enjoy!

Scenarios to try

• Create AI-generated stories:  pick your path through the story chapters, unlock characters, settings to create new stories 
• Choose fiction and non-fiction passages from a leveled library
 
• Read in the fully accessible Immersive Reader that makes reading comfortable for all learners
 
• Get coaching on challenging words
 
• Add your own content to read 
• Earn badges and see progress 

NOTE: The AI generated story is moderated for content quality, safety and age appropriateness following Microsoft’s Responsible AI guidelines.  

Personalized learning with Reading Coach

• Learners read in the accessible Immersive Reader that allows customizing the font, background, line spacing, and more to make reading comfortable for all readers.
• As learners read the story out aloud, speech-to-text artificial intelligence analyzes their reading fluency, detects words they find challenging, and records the readers’ accuracy, speed and time spent reading.
• Readers get to choose what happens in each story chapter, charting their own reading journey through the story. Words they found challenging in the previous chapter are automatically included in the next chapter. This makes the practice immediately adaptive.
• Readers get fluency coaching on the words they found challenging after each story chapter.
• Effort-focused badges, unlocking new characters and settings for the next story keeps learner engaged in the flow of reading motivating even reluctant readers. Learners can even trade characters / settings from a whole new collection.
• The standalone Reading Coach and Microsoft’s other reading tools were developed in collaboration with reading experts and are based on oral reading fluency research .  
• Educators can get familiar with Reading Coach with this tutorial video: https://aka.ms/readingcoachtutorial

Requirements

• Individual learner: A learner at home or anywhere outside of school needs to login with an existing Microsoft personal account or create one after clicking “Start Reading” at coach.microsoft.com . Reading Coach is available as a web or Windows application.
• Students in school: IT needs to enable the app by signing up for the preview , and following the enablement instructions. Once enabled by IT, students or educators can use Reading Coach by signing in with their school Microsoft account (EntraID).

Availability

 Reading Coach is available to all users who meet the requirements outlined above.

We’d love to hear from you! Share feedback at https://aka.ms/readingcoachfeedback.

Educators can join the educator community at https://aka.ms/readingcoach-educatorcommunity to share feedback and connect with other literacy educators.  

Sorry, JavaScript must be enabled to use this app.