We are only beginning to realize the potential benefits of virtual reality technology and specifically its practical application to improve our daily lives. VirtualSpeech CEO and co-founder, Sophie Thompson, has created a company around one such use case: training people to become better presenters and public speakers.
Can you think of a critical business skill that is more important to learn that comes with such anxiety for so many people around the world? Of all the professional skills one must learn, this one can be the hardest simply because of how difficult it can be to practice in real world scenarios.
Sophie co-founded her UK-based company in 2016 as a way to overcome her own fear of public speaking. She realized that VR was uniquely positioned to help people practice speaking skills in a safe environment that still feels real and build their skills and confidence for real-world situations.
In just 18 months of using VR, Sophie went from being too anxious to order food at a restaurant to being interviewed live on BBC World News. Sophie’s journey with VirtualSpeech has been featured in a number of global media outlets and she has won multiple awards for her achievements with the company.
In our conversation, Sophie provided a behind-the-scenes look into the creation of VirtualSpeech, from its inception as a tool to overcome social anxiety to a global platform assisting almost 400,000 people across 130 countries.
We talked about the benefits and potential risks of VR training with generative AI and explored how today’s businesses could use virtual avatars to test responses to situations with real personalities. We also discussed the delicate balance of cultural norms in conversation styles and body language that VR systems have to adapt to when applied around the world. Sophie also shared her experiences as a young entrepreneur, sharing lessons valuable for anyone seeking to start their own business.
To learn more about Sophie and her work:
- LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiethompsonvr/
- WEBSITE: https://virtualspeech.com/
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