Virtual Sapiens

This. Just In. Get a timeline of your nonverbal behaviors on any call or assessment. Being generally aware of your nonverbal behaviors is a competitive advantage in and of itself. But knowing how your behaviors evolve during a call can be even more indicative. ⭐ We have a new product feature that now shows you the flow of your video presence as a timeline, with your choice of seeing example screenshots of specific behaviors, at specific times. ⭐ We added this feature based on user feedback. People wanted more detailed insights into exactly when they were exhibiting the behaviors affecting their virtual presence score. Now you can follow the narrative of your behaviors. For instance, you can see how you start off strong with dynamic facial expressions, an upright posture and hands free from your face...only to lose these beneficial nonverbals as the call goes on. Or maybe it's the opposite... Try a free assessment for yourself and let us know what you think! https://lnkd.in/etgfHG56

Great kick-off Season 5 of Conversations in The Future of Work!  What’s really holding you back from defining the career you want? This and many more topics are discussed by our CEO, Rachel Cossar and our guest, Keri-Lynne Shaw, career coach and former-CHRO. Keri-Lynne shares some game-changing insights into the roadblocks professionals face when it comes to career growth. Here's what we learned: 💡Overcoming Big Barriers: One of the biggest hurdles Keri-Lynne sees in her clients? Self-doubt. Many aren’t fully aware of their own capabilities or career paths. But particularly in hybrid environments, executive presence and having important conversations can often be the key for new opportunities. 💡The Importance of Negotiation: How to do win-win negotiations, focusing on building stronger relationships rather than engaging in power struggles. 💡AI in Career Development: AI tools can help us refine our communication, from emails to job interviews. 💡The Challenges of Being a New Business Owner: Transitioning from a 9-5 salary to entrepreneurship is no small feat. Keri-Lynne’s advice? Take calculated risks, invest in your growth, and bet on yourself. 🔑 Keri-Lynne’s message is clear: You have more control over your career than you think. Start thinking about your negotiation pitch for what you deserve, and take advantage of the benefits of AI for your professional presence and growth! 🎧 Want to know more? Give this excerpt a listen to hear how you can overcome the fear, build your executive presence, and improve your career! 🔗Full episode link in comments #CareerGrowth #NegotiationTips #SelfEmpowerment #FutureOfWork #ExecutivePresence #Leadership #WomenInLeadership #CareerDevelopment

As we continue to hear about the unending potential of AI and the future promise of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence - not Adjusted Gross Income LOL), I wanted to share more about our newest product at Virtual Sapiens - AI Role Play. By this point, if you follow my work and are seeing this post, chances are you are well aware of the use case of on demand AI Role Plays as a critical training tool for sales teams, leaders, customer success, interview practice and more. Maybe you've even tried a few out yourself. There are two big takeaways I’ve learned from launching our incredible AI Role Play product in 2024: 🤖 Building a human-like Role Play that immerses the user in what feels like a real conversation, is HARD. 🖼 There is a serious mismatch in people’s expectations versus reality when it comes to AI’s applied capabilities. I believe part of this mismatch is due to heavily edited demos, versus live demos, which often make the real experience feel lackluster and disappointing. The other part is rooted in a general lack of understanding of how AI works, what it can do, how AI actually learns and improves (hello humans in the loop) and what it can’t do. 🤦 There is still a big gap in the visual component of Role Plays. We have made specific choices with our Video Role Play at Virtual Sapiens that remove the uncanny valley of having an off beat AI avatar starring you down. Much room for improvement here overall. After much trial and many errors, I am proud to share that we have developed and launched an amazing AI Role Play experience. One that is emotionally intelligent, has very low latency in responses and doesn’t require clunky clicking to get from one place to the next. As with all of our products, our AI Role Play also includes our patented Presence AI feedback, making it a powerful tool for realistic conversation practice and applied communication skills improvement. Check out the video for an unedited demo :) Of course, a big part of getting here has been relying on honest user feedback from our clients and partners, including feedback from some very competitive RFPs which we are grateful to have won at the end of 2024. If you are interested in trying it out - check out the link in the comments for a free trial and let me know what you think! We are always looking for feedback on the constant path of improvement.

Welcome aboard the Virtual Sapiens 🚂🚂🚂

I don't usually post super personal stuff on LinkedIn, but this year has been such an incredible one on both professional and personal fronts, I thought I'd share a little 😊 👶🏻 💃 The challenges of being a startup founder are immense. You are responsible for bringing an idea to life, validating it, improving it and ultimately, ensuring your paying customers are getting real, tangible value from it. When I first started Virtual Sapiens, our AI Communication Coaching platform, I used to joke that it was like taking care of a baby, albeit on a very accelerated schedule. Now that I am a new parent, having delivered my beautiful baby boy in February 2024, I can actually see the parallels (and big differences) that make both of these life experiences so unique. This year for me was all about setting new boundaries, ensuring I can be present as a CEO and as a mother, in a healthy way that works for me. While being a CEO and new mom is incredibly challenging, I also deeply appreciate the flexibility and freedom in designing my life. The only reason this works is when you have the support system around you that you need. Of course, my husband and family, but also my co-founder Neal Kaiser and my amazing team, Desislava Dimitrova, Vivian Guerrero as well as our supportive community of investors, advisors, partners and clients. As an added bonus this fall, I was also able to perform live after so many years post-retirement. I know I talk a lot about my experience as a professional ballet dancer, so here is some fun footage ❤️. This was at a private performance for Mobius Executive Leadership's NPI Institute. I danced with my favorite partner, Patrick Yocum (currently a Principal with Boston Ballet) and we were accompanied by none other than Max Osbon. And very fun to have Margot Haglund, MA in the audience 😀😀😀 I am beyond excited to move into the new year, tweaking things on a daily basis and discovering new ways to help companies improve internal and external communication skills. If you are looking to upskill your team's communication - hit me up!

What’s the biggest misconception you’ve encountered about communication and presence? 🤔 This week, Rachel Cossar and Amy Reczek share thoughts about one of the most common misconceptions is the belief that we have a good grasp on our communication and presence when, in fact, many people lack true awareness of these crucial skills. 🚫 Here’s why: 💡Communication is more than just speaking: We often focus only on verbal communication, but listening is just as important. 💡Presence ≠ Charisma: We often confuse “presence” with the ability to command a room. But real presence is about being fully engaged in the conversation, listening deeply, and contributing thoughtfully. 💡Improving your virtual presence is about refining your communication skills over time—whether through self-reflection, watching recordings of yourself, or focusing on non-verbal cues. It's important to break free from these misconceptions and recognize that communication and presence are skills that can—and should—be developed🌱 ✨ Thank you to our amazing community, engaging with us throughout the year! The team at Virtual Sapiens is looking forward to continuing learning and growth with all of you in 2025! #FutureOfWork #Communication #ExecutivePresence #HybridWork #ActiveListening #ContinuousGrowth #Leadership #ProfessionalDevelopment

An ever relevant topic. My comment turned into a post 🤣 As a presence and communication coach myself, and CEO at Virtual Sapiens, here are my thoughts: An AI coach excels as a supercharged mirror. AI and computer vision analytics do a better job than the average human coach at picking up on specific behaviors over time, on demand, and being able to reflect those back to the user. AI does not tire, AI is available 24/7, AI has data to back up the feedback it provides so users can determine accuracy themselves. These are all benefits that can be leveraged, certainly on their own, but most definitely with a skilled human coach alongside. Using a combination of AI feedback and human coaching is now the gold standard. Having a platform for practice, consistent feedback and a way to communicate between human coach and coachee is a net beneficial experience. However, there are more and more AI Coaching softwares out there. As consumers, we should be taking great care in evaluating these tools for accuracy, bias and privacy/data sharing policies. There is a way to use AI ethically in coaching. At Virtual Sapiens, we work very closely with our coshicng partners to make sure our AI is meeting them at the most impactful intersection.

In this episode of Conversations in the Future of Work,Rachel Cossar and Jenny Eversole discuss the importance of having a clear company dress code. How can we align our personal style with professional expectations to boost confidence, engagement, and productivity? 🤔 Many companies have dropped or failed to define dress codes, leading to confusion among employees about what's appropriate to wear 😶🌫️. This uncertainty is especially problematic in industries with different generational and cultural standards of professionalism. Flexible dress code guidelines that reflect company culture, industry norms, and allow room for personal expression are key. Establishing these expectations helps employees feel more confident and respected, whether working in person or virtually. ✔️ ✔️ Take a look at the full episode of this conversation with Jenny to get the full picture of the importance of maximizing your style in today’s workplace culture! ✨ #futureofwork #virtualpresence #personalstyle #smartcasual #companydresscode

AI-powered tools are changing the HR industry 👻 I was looking for AI-powered tools for mentorship & employee training... and I found a bunch of amazing tools that can help with that... Valence, theCoRD, Intelogos, CoachPoints AI, ManageBetter, Wonderway, Opre, Virtual Sapiens, CoachMeUp, Qooper Mentoring Software... and more... Check them out here https://lnkd.in/deN5_CbZ #hrsoftware #hrtools #recruitment

In the latest episode of Conversations in The Future of Work, Rachel Cossar posed an interesting question to our guest, Neal Sundberg, NBC-HWC, CRC: How can companies adopt coaching practices that scale, while mitigating concerns around technology, AI, and evolving workplace dynamics? 🤔🤔 Neal emphasized that the key to successfully implementing coaching programs in organizations lies in having the right people at the table. They should be well-versed in the value of coaching and its impact, ensuring that any technological tools or AI solutions complement and amplify—not replace—the human aspect of coaching. As organizations navigate the hybrid workplace, it’s important to foster executive presence and engage the entire workforce in meaningful conversations about coaching. This is not just about improving performance but creating a supportive, sustainable culture where employees feel heard, valued, and empowered to grow. By addressing potential concerns upfront and clearly articulating the benefits of coaching, organizations can ensure smoother transitions and more successful program integration💪✨ Take a look at our full video! Link in comments. #CultureOfCoaching #HybridWorkplace #Leadership #EmployeeDevelopment #FutureOfWork #AI #CoachingInTheWorkplace #ExecutivePresence #ChangeManagement