How VR Offers More Immersive Experiences with Coaching Engagements
At Spoken with Authority, we have been exploring virtual reality (VR) since the height of the pandemic in 2021. With accurate sound positioning and the ability to interact with our team members in computer-generated spaces, VR provided a more robust experience than Zoom. It soon became clear that VR’s utility would outlast the pandemic and extend beyond team meetings to client interactions too.
We have found that VR provides a more lifelike experience than Zoom for virtual coaching sessions and simulations of speaking situations – from formal speeches and panel presentations delivered on a stage to difficult conversations in an office and oral advocacy in a courtroom. We even used VR to host our 15th-anniversary party in December 2023!
Additionally, VR is more immersive than Zoom – you can’t get distracted by your computer or phone when you are wearing a headset. Just as important, VR can improve the inclusion of people in marginalized groups and can reduce travel and related environmental impacts.
In several years of using VR, here are some of our favorite VR applications that help speakers reduce nervousness and improve their communication skills:
Virtual Speech: provides useful vocal warmup exercises; reports and tracks data on speaking rate, volume, filler words, etc.; and, has AI-powered interactive practice scenarios
Ovation: gives speakers a lifelike rehearsal experience, with some audience members nodding and others checking their phones
Meta Horizon Workrooms: offers free virtual board rooms in various configurations that can be used for immersive meetings and presentations
Maloka: is a free app with guided meditations by Sharon Salzberg, Deepak Chopra, and other well-known teachers combined with beautiful mandala visuals.
If you’ve been reluctant to invest in VR, here are some options. With the release of Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro demo headset earlier this year, the dominant player in the headset market, Meta, has accelerated their efforts to achieve widespread consumer adoption with compelling prices. Their Meta Quest 2 headset is often on sale for $250, and their redesigned, lighter, and more comfortable Meta Quest 3 is around $500 (a far cry from Apple’s initial price point). Headsets have never been more advanced or more affordable.
If you end up getting a VR headset, we’d love to connect with you in the metaverse and learn what apps and experiences you have found useful.
