Frequently Asked Questions
QUESTIONS / ANSWERS
Presence Portal
- Technical
- Which browsers can I use to access my Virtual Presence Assessment?
- When I reach the Camera/Mic setup page, my Chrome browser says “Permission denied by system”
- Can I do my Virtual Presence Assessment on my mobile device?
- The system is slow… is this normal?
- When I start my assessment, it doesn’t move past the “Loading AI Models”.. what should I do?
- My email isn’t recognized…what can I do?
- Usage
- Assessment Design
In-call Sidekick Coach
- Integration and Setup
- Getting Started and Usage
- Features and Privacy
Presence Portal
Technical
Which browsers can I use to access my Virtual Presence Assessment?
For best results, we recommend you use Chrome or Edge on a desktop/laptop device. Mobile phones are not supported.
If you have access issues:
o Please check our Frequently Asked Questions page.
o If your issue cannot be resolved, please contact [email protected]. Be sure to describe the issue, and also include the browser type and version you are using.
When I reach the Camera/Mic setup page, my Chrome browser says “permission denied by system”
This can happen if your Chrome browser is set to block the camera/mic and not allow sites to request it. This is not a default setting in Chrome. But here’s how to change it so the Virtual Presence Assessment will work: o In Chrome, type the following in your URL bar: chrome://settings/content o Scroll down to the “Permissions” area and look for Camera and Microphone. Make sure each is set to “Sites can ask to use your camera/mic”. If it’s on “Don’t allow sites to use your camera/mic” then the Virtual Presence Assessment won’t be able to ask you for access. o Once updated, re-start the Virtual Presence Assessment or refresh the page where we ask for Mic/Camera. You should then be prompted for access.Can I my Presence Portal on my mobile device?
No, the Virtual Presence Assessment is optimized for your desktop experience, since this is where we assume more important video events are occurring.
The system is slow… is this normal?
All our AI runs locally in your browser. It can take a little time as your browser loads it in, depending on bandwidth and system resources. Give it up to a minute when loading.When I start an assessment, it doesn’t move past the “Loading AI Models”.. what should I do?
Some institutions* or devices may have web-filtering/security software running locally that is blocking the download of our tools.
One example of this is ZScaler. If this happens to you, we recommend either disabling the blocker while you take the Virtual Presence Assessment or adding assessment.virtualsapiens.co to the white-list domains in your web filtering tool.
*If you believe your organization is blocking our web address and models, you can try this on a non-work laptop, or using a different Wifi. We are always here to help troubleshoot access issues.
My email isn’t recognized…what can I do?
Ensure you are using the email address you originally registered. If this still does not fix the issue, please reach out to [email protected] with your email address.Usage
How many times should I run through an assessment?
We recommend doing at least 2 or 3 assessments. Depending on which coaching and practice options available to you, repeated attempts are strongly tied to improved behaviors and confidence. The tool provides detailed recommendations on how to improve, and practice is a proven method of behavior change.
Our data shows that taking at least two assessments led to improvement for a whopping 93% of professionals.
Do I have to respond to the questions in English?
No. While the tool text is in English and the questions asked in the videos are in English, the responses can be in any language listed in the language dropdown.
However, the videos themselves are in English. This would mean listening in English and responding in the language of your choice. The results would also be in English unless the user manually opts to translate the page within their Chrome browser.
Is there an age limit to use the Virtual Presence Assessment?
Yes – you must be 18 years old to take the assessment.Assessment and Model Design
How do Virtual Sapiens AI models and insights accommodate different cultural norms of communication?
We have based all of our current thresholds on Western cultural communication norms for video. What’s interesting, is that there is not yet enough research on how cultures in Asia or elsewhere behave differently on video, since everything is so new. That being said, we encourage the use of our software within contexts of western dominant professional communication over video.
What about racial and gender bias?
We focus specifically on universally supported, research backed behaviors, rather than culturally dependent ones in order to steer clear of the racial/gendered bias one might normally see with certain emotion AI. For example, we detect ‘facial expression variation’ as a metric for expressivity and developing the ability to express our intention effectively. We don’t ever suggest specific emotions one should display, nor do we bias towards one emotion over another.
As the company develops, having cultural specifications would be super interesting to do, but for now we focus on those which translate across the world due to their strong evolutionary inheritance.
How are metrics of virtual presence formulated, weighted, and scored?
Our metrics reflect elements of virtual presence with a focus on visual and vocal communication cues over video. In other words, our AI analyzes the nonverbal communication aspects of presence on video. All metrics, thresholds, and insighs are vetted by behavioral science and nonverbal communication experts, and reference peer-reviewed research from a cross-section of behavioral science, neuroscience, and anthropological perspectives. We measure ‘behaviors as a factor of time’ and whether the participant is in the role of active speaker or listener. In this sense, no one behavior in isolation will result in a poor score or metric flag, but specific behaviors repeated over a certain time, will result in an area of improvement being detected and shared with the user.What are some examples of research that informed the metrics?
- Eye gaze/framing and its effects on impression formation
- Negative associations with neutral facial expressions on video
- Use of hand gestures in influence and information retention
- The CANDOR corpus: Insights from a large multimodal dataset of naturalistic conversation
- A neural mechanism of first impressions
- First Impressions: Making Up Your Mind After a 100-Ms Exposure to a Face
- The Benefit of Power Posing Before a High-Stakes Social Evaluation
- Body posture effects on self‐evaluation: A self‐validation approach
In-Call Sidekick Coach
Integration and Setup
Does the Sidekick work on zoom?
Yes! Virtual Sapiens is ‘platform agnostic’, meaning it works in browser alongside your preferred video conferencing platform.
Does the Sidekick work on Mac?
Yes! Virtual Sapiens works seamless on any Mac, iOS product. You can freely use Virtual Sapiens with any in-browser or application based video platform (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Webex, etc.)
Does the Sidekick work on PCs?
Yes! Virtual Sapiens works on your PC device with any web-based video platform (Zoom Web Application, Teams Web Application, Google Meet). However, if you would like to use a desktop application, you will need to install a virtual camera.
Why isn’t my camera working?
This is likely because you are on a PC device. PC devices limit the number of applications that can access the camera at the same time. In order to use desktop application video platforms (like Zoom Client for example) and the Sidekick at the same time, you will need to install a virtual camera. Once installed, you will need to select your virtual camera for your Sidekick AND your video platform preferences.
Getting Started and Usage
How does the Sidekick work?
Think of the Sidekick as your own private coach – there for you whenever you need some support, feedback and encouragement. The Sidekick autolaunches based on video events in your connected calendar. You can also use the Sidekick as a tool to practice, whenever you want.
When should I use the Sidekick?
We recommend using the Sidekick during as many video calls as possible. The best progress is seen through consistent practice. You will do your best when you feel comfortable and confident in your communication and delivery.
Can I practice with the Sidekick outside of calls?
Yes! Simply click ‘Launch Sidekick’ in your extension to get a practice round in.
Why aren’t all of my meetings showing up?
The Virtual Sapiens Sidekick pulls in video meetings only. This is because our Sidekick is there to help you communicate your best during video calls that matter. You can launch the Sidekick at any time by clicking ‘Launch Sidekick’, otherwise auto-launch features are reserved for video calendar events.
Ensure you have selected the calendar where you keep your video calls.
Features and Privacy
What metrics will be measured?
Across our Assessment and Sidekick products, Virtual Sapiens provides users with comprehensive feedback on 25 metrics. These include set up metrics, body language metrics and vocal cue metrics. Your transcript is available after your call for further analysis, takeaways and next steps. We believe it is important to provide users with concise and applicable feedback not only on what is going well and what could be improved upon, but also…why these metrics matter in the first place.
Does Virtual Sapiens record my meetings?
No. Virtual Sapiens software does not record any of your video meetings or keep them stored anywhere. Protecting you and your company’s privacy is one of our core values.