AwareMe

Abstract

Fear of public speaking is an anxiety that most people encounter at some point in their lives. Some people with extreme fear of public speaking will avoid it at all costs, even if it means their personal, professional, and social growth may be hindered. AwareMe incorporates aspects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and good public speaking practices to make an empowering assistive technology for people who suffer from different levels of public speaking anxiety. AwareMe is a device that provides feedback on voice pitch, filler words, and words per minute during presentation practice. It has a detachable wristband, worn during presentations, that provides visual and haptic feedback. Our approach differs from existing solutions because it focuses on bringing the users' attention to how their anxiety influences their speech patterns; this awareness helps them to directly improve their public speaking skills.