People often rank public speaking as the number one fear that they face. New cloud-based technology from researchers at the University of Rochester lets speakers polish and practice at home in front of their computer camera, while the analysis provides instant feedback about improvement.

Leading this effort known as ROC Speak is M. Ehsan Hoque, an assistant professor of computer science and electrical and computer engineering at University of Rochester, where he codirects the Rochester Human-Computer Interaction (ROC HCI) Lab.

Hoque has more than one motivation for helping people improve their communication. He has a brother with a severe social deficit who isn’t able to communicate well. Hoque also has heard from the public in more than 2,000 emails that some wish they could practice public speaking on computers in the privacy of their homes. Social speaking ability is valued by everyone, from academics who lecture to business leaders and students. With the donation of Microsoft Azure for Research tools, Hoque has explored and designed a new platform to help speakers.

Read more at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/cloud-computing-changes-way-practice-public-speaking/