Online platform overcomes speech barriers by Stuart Tiffen Darren Schwartz — Photo by Stuart Tiffen/Medill published May 21, 2008 in Medill Reports.
Here’s an exerpt:
“SureSpeak software lets users view video lessons and then record their own speeches via webcam. Finally, there’s a solution other than picturing the audience in their underwear for people who struggle with public speaking. Highland Park resident Darren Schwartz, founder and CEO of SureSpeak LLC, has spent the last eight years developing an online training platform to help business people communicate effectively. “We were definitely able to get people ramped up quickly,” said a client, Brian Macias, former vice president of banker training at Quicken Loans Inc., in Detroit. “The ability to rehearse on webcam and watch it played back was very telling,” Macias said, adding that the process helped build mental muscle memory. Over six years Schwartz trained 5,000 Quicken call center sales representatives and saw a 25 percent increase in the company’s revenue which he attributed to his training. For his work he booked a tidy $1.5 million. … Dr. Sheryl Rosin, a speech-language pathologist and director of the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Birmingham, Mich., said she is using the platform as a pilot program with eight-to ten-year olds with high functioning autism and Asperger’s syndrome. “The kids are having a great response … they naturally like using computers,” Rosin said in an interview, “They would almost rather interact with the computer versus people.” The next step for SureSpeak is growth. Schwartz is confident SureSpeak will continue to expand as it maintains its cutting edge technology and reaches out to new customers, corporate, institutional and individual, who can benefit from a digital mirror on the wall.” Read Full Article
“SureSpeak software lets users view video lessons and then record their own speeches via webcam.
Finally, there’s a solution other than picturing the audience in their underwear for people who struggle with public speaking. Highland Park resident Darren Schwartz, founder and CEO of SureSpeak LLC, has spent the last eight years developing an online training platform to help business people communicate effectively.
“We were definitely able to get people ramped up quickly,” said a client, Brian Macias, former vice president of banker training at Quicken Loans Inc., in Detroit. “The ability to rehearse on webcam and watch it played back was very telling,” Macias said, adding that the process helped build mental muscle memory.
Over six years Schwartz trained 5,000 Quicken call center sales representatives and saw a 25 percent increase in the company’s revenue which he attributed to his training. For his work he booked a tidy $1.5 million.
…
Dr. Sheryl Rosin, a speech-language pathologist and director of the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Birmingham, Mich., said she is using the platform as a pilot program with eight-to ten-year olds with high functioning autism and Asperger’s syndrome.
“The kids are having a great response … they naturally like using computers,” Rosin said in an interview, “They would almost rather interact with the computer versus people.”
The next step for SureSpeak is growth. Schwartz is confident SureSpeak will continue to expand as it maintains its cutting edge technology and reaches out to new customers, corporate, institutional and individual, who can benefit from a digital mirror on the wall.”
Read Full Article
CHICAGO, May 18, 2008 — SureSpeak (www.surespeak.com) today announced that it will be exhibiting and demonstrating enhancements to its webcam-based coaching, training and role-playing platform at the ASTD 2008 International Conference & Exposition (http://www.astd2008.org/index.html). American Society for Training & Development is the largest gathering of workplace learning and performance professionals and will be held June 1 – 4 in San Diego (Booth 1116).
Expertus and TrainingIndustry.com, titled “Training Efficiency: Optimizing Costs,” reported that more than 90 percent of survey participants faced some degree of pressure to reduce employee training costs. For corporate training departments facing these pressures, SureSpeak represents a cost-effective, highly productive solution.
Leveraging inexpensive webcams and existing computers, employers can use SureSpeak to easily create and manage video-based training programs and then view, score and provide written or video feedback for each employee’s recording.
Darren Schwarz, founder and CEO of SureSpeak, said, “Companies are always looking for new ways to better train their workforce, but without stretching their already thin budgets. With SureSpeak, they get a powerful but low cost one-to-many training platform.”
SureSpeak is a provider of webcam-based speech and communication training and technology for individuals and corporations. Through its website, www.SureSpeak.com, the company empowers users to better their lives through improved communication.
If you are a current SureSpeak subscriber and have noticed delays in uploading videos, there are a few things you can do to speed this up.
This should help. If you need more help, email us at help@surespeak.com.
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