To help people around the world overcome the fear of presenting before an audience, Samsung set up a virtual reality tool to help people practice public speaking.
Using its Gear VR, Samsung created a program called #BeFearless. One of the projects involved tackling glossophobia, or as it is better known, public speaking. In order to help people overcome their fears, they were challenged in a virtual environment. With the technology, they'd be monitored on things like heart rate, eye contact and speech length, in order to be given a score to measure improvement. As part of a final test, participants were challenged to go up on a real stage and speak before a live crowd.
As well as developing a program to target a fear of public speaking, Samsung also created a second #BeFearless project to help people overcome their fear of heights.
What's Driving This Trend
- Public Speaking Simulators
- Samsung's #BeFearless Project uses VR to help individuals practice public speaking in a virtual environment.
- Fear of Heights Simulators
- Samsung's #BeFearless Project also includes VR simulations to help people overcome their fear of heights.
- Biometric Monitoring
- Samsung's #BeFearless Project uses biometric monitoring to track and measure performance during public speaking simulations.
Who This Affects Most
- Virtual Reality (VR)
- The VR industry can leverage public speaking simulators to provide individuals with a safe and immersive environment to practice and overcome their fears.
- Personal Development
- The personal development industry can utilize public speaking simulators as a tool to help individuals improve their communication and presentation skills.
- Education and Training
- The education and training sector can adopt public speaking simulators to enhance public speaking courses and workshops, providing students with realistic practice scenarios.
