Overview
TalkMeUp believes in the importance of inclusion and that neurodiversity in the workforce provides a competitive advantage for those companies and leaders who embrace it.
Our company and software are based on the principle that regardless of who is talking, everyone should be able to use our platform; be evaluated without bias; and receive personalized, useful coaching and feedback based on their performance(s) to learn, improve, and develop their skills as presenters/speakers and overall communication effectiveness.
Neurodiversity
What is neurodiversity? Neurodiversity as defined by Harvard Health is “the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one ‘right’ way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits.” TalkMeUp is sensitive to avoiding any potential biases and fostering inclusivity by all learners.
Why does neurodiversity matter to TalkMeUp? We understand that while people are similar in many ways, due to a variety of factors, we are also very unique. In particular, our appearance, voice, and tone as well as communication style and ability are influenced by cultural, educational, and social environments.
From its inception, the TalkMeUp software has been developed, tested, and used by individuals from diverse backgrounds and with different abilities. We understand that companies also employ a broad range of talent with many differences. With that in mind, TalkMeUp can be used in any environment to practice and develop communication effectiveness skills with great success.
How does TalkMeUp ensure that all users are evaluated equally, without bias? TalkMeUp benchmarks communication effectiveness learners against publicly available and internally developed datasets that contain the foundation for scoring and reporting on communication skills performance. This unique repository consists of more than 58.6 million data points that have been collected globally to recognize a variety of communication elements (e.g., facial features and speech characteristics) that provide benchmarks against which TalkMeUp evaluates each performance.
The magnitude and vast diversity of multicultural inputs ensures that TalkMeUp properly tracks, measures, and reports on communication effectiveness of learners regardless of geographic, educational, demographic, or cultural boundaries.
A frequent concern when relying on traditional communication training methods is inherent bias among trainers, coaches, and managers. Whether intentional or not, it is impossible as individuals to maintain the same level of consistency without leaning in or out of favor to some degree during the practice presentation process.
The power of TalkMeUp’s AI processing — combined with the millions of diverse inputs from our benchmark datasets — removes that possibility of bias and ensures that all users receive the same assessment and consideration time after time.
Case Example: Neurodiversity Study Results at the Agora Cyber School
A study was conducted involving 70 students with confirmed educational disabilities at the Agora Cyber School. The intended goal was to stimulate communication effectiveness growth. Students used the native TalkMeUp program without any special modifications or customization.
The results were reassuringly positive: After one month of practice, users’ performance increased by 20%. This was a breakthrough for them individually and as a group. The social impact among the students was even more significant as educators and administrators observed boosted confidence, heightened levels of engagement, and increased confidence in communicating with each other in class.
Accessibility
The stated mission of TalkMeUp is to empower every person and every organization all over the world to communicate their message effectively. As such, the company strives to ensure that anyone — regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, or any other demographic attribute as well as their position or abilities — is able to use and benefit from the platform.
The ability to use TalkMeUp is only limited by the device you are using. TalkMeUp adheres to the standards set in Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. The system is regularly evaluated against new WCAG updates to ensure compliance.
About TalkMeUp
TalkMeUp is a proven video practice and coaching platform that leverages AI to provide comprehensive analyses of communication style and skill. It enables business professionals to ensure communication effectiveness as they prepare to present in a variety of situations.
Learners record, practice, and receive instant feedback on fundamental and strategic messaging that ensures communicators achieve their desired outcomes. Anyone with a cellphone or laptop camera can record themselves 24x7x365, free of judgment and consequence.
TalkMeUp’s AI saves countless hours that managers, trainers, and coaches spend reviewing and scoring practice videos and delivering feedback. The AI provides immediate detailed, accurate, consistent user-specific feedback and eliminates time constraints and potential biases that a live coach may introduce into the review, scoring, and coaching processes.
To learn more, visit http://www.talkmeup.co or email us at contact@talkmeup.co.
