Performance modification based on aggregation of audience traits and natural language feedback

• US 10,282,409 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Allen, Corville O., Rodriguez, Laura J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thuykhanh
• Application Number:
  US14/566,741
• Publication Number:
  US 20160170956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• Field of Search: 704 1- 10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/20 Natural language analysis semantic analysis of natural language G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing

Abstract

Mechanisms, in a natural language processing (NLP) system comprising a processor and a memory are provided. The NLP system receives a plurality of communications from a plurality of devices associated with audience members of a real-time presentation by a presenter of the presentation while the presentation is being presented. The NLP system analyzes the plurality of communications using natural language processing techniques, to identify attributes of the audience members and generates an aggregate audience model based on the identified attributes of the audience members. The aggregate audience model specifies an aggregate of attributes of the audience. Moreover, the NLP system outputs, to the presenter via a device associated with the presenter, a suggestion output identifying one or more portions of the presentation that are currently of interest to the audience members based on the aggregate audience model.

Claims

1. A method, in a natural language processing (NLP) system comprising a processor and a memory, the method comprising:

receiving, by the NLP system, a plurality of communications from a plurality of devices associated with audience members of a real-time presentation by a human presenter of the presentation while the presentation is being presented;

analyzing, by the NLP system, the plurality of communications using natural language processing techniques, to extract natural language terms or natural language phrases from the communications that identify attributes of the audience members;

correlating, by the NLP system, the extracted natural language terms or natural language phrases with attributes of audience members;

generating, by the NLP system, an aggregate audience model based on the identified attributes of the audience members, wherein the aggregate audience model specifies an aggregate of attributes of the audience; and

outputting, by the NLP system, to the presenter via a device associated with the presenter, a suggestion output identifying one or more portions of the presentation that are currently of interest to the audience members based on the aggregate audience model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attributes of the audience members comprise personality traits of the audience members.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the personality traits of an audience member are identified based on at least one of information specified in a stored profile of the audience member or indicators in natural language of communications, in the plurality of communications, associated with the audience member as identified by the natural language processing techniques.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the stored profile of the audience member is a profile associated with an organization'"'"'s computing system or a social networking website.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the aggregate audience model comprises:

generating, for each audience member, a personality trait model associated with the audience member; and

aggregating personality traits of each of the personality trait models of the audience members together to form the aggregate audience model.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein outputting, by the NLP system, to the presenter via a device associated with the presenter, a suggestion output comprises:

correlating one or more personality traits specified in the aggregate audience model with portions of the presentation based on at least one of natural language content of the portions of the presentation or metadata associated with the portions of the presentation; and

generating a suggestion output, that is output on the device associated with the presenter in association with a sub-set of portions of the presentation with which the one or more personality traits are correlated.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating the suggestion output comprises at least one of highlighting the sub-set of portions of the presentation, outputting a cue message to instruct the presenter how to modify the presentation, selecting an alternative presentation portion to be presented to the audience, or modifying an operation of equipment used during the presentation.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein each personality trait is associated with a level and type of information that resonates with an individual associated with that personality trait, and wherein the aggregate audience model aggregates personality traits of the audience members and identifies a level and type of information that resonates with an aggregate of the audience members.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the audience members are a subset of an audience for the performance, and wherein the subset comprises only those audience members that author communications in the plurality of communications, however the aggregate audience model represents the entire audience.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications are instant messages using an instant messaging system, and wherein receiving a plurality of communications from a plurality of devices associated with audience members of a real-time presentation by a presenter of the presentation while the presentation is being presented comprises:

monitoring the instant messaging system for communications having an indicator associated with the communication indicating that the communication is about the presentation; and

selecting communications based on the identification of the communications based on the indicator for further analysis.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the indicator is one of an unique identifier that identifies the presentation, a natural language content of the communication that is indicative of a topic of the presentation and a timestamp associated with the communication that correlates to a presentation time of the presentation, or a geolocation indicator corresponding to a location at which the presentation is being presented and a timestamp associated with the communication that correlates to the presentation time of the presentation.

12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

receive a plurality of communications from a plurality of devices associated with audience members of a real-time presentation by a human presenter of the presentation while the presentation is being presented;

analyze the plurality of communications using natural language processing techniques, to extract natural language terms or natural language phrases from the communications that identify attributes of the audience members;

correlate the extracted natural language terms or natural language phrases with attributes of audience members;

generate an aggregate audience model based on the identified attributes of the audience members, wherein the aggregate audience model specifies an aggregate of attributes of the audience; and

output to the presenter via a device associated with the presenter, a suggestion output identifying one or more portions of the presentation that are currently of interest to the audience members based on the aggregate audience model.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the attributes of the audience members comprise personality traits of the audience members.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the personality traits of an audience member are identified based on at least one of information specified in a stored profile of the audience member or indicators in natural language of communications, in the plurality of communications, associated with the audience member as identified by the natural language processing techniques.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the stored profile of the audience member is a profile associated with an organization'"'"'s computing system or a social networking website.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to generate the aggregate audience model at least by:

generating, for each audience member, a personality trait model associated with the audience member; and

aggregating personality traits of each of the personality trait models of the audience members together to form the aggregate audience model.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to output to the presenter via a device associated with the presenter, a suggestion output at least by:

correlating one or more personality traits specified in the aggregate audience model with portions of the presentation based on at least one of natural language content of the portions of the presentation or metadata associated with the portions of the presentation; and

generating a suggestion output, that is output on the device associated with the presenter in association with a sub-set of portions of the presentation with which the one or more personality traits are correlated.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to generate the suggestion output by at least one of highlighting the sub-set of portions of the presentation, outputting a cue message to instruct the presenter how to modify the presentation, selecting an alternative presentation portion to be presented to the audience, or modifying an operation of equipment used during the presentation.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein each personality trait is associated with a level and type of information that resonates with an individual associated with that personality trait, and wherein the aggregate audience model aggregates personality traits of the audience members and identifies a level and type of information that resonates with an aggregate of the audience members.

20. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the audience members are a subset of an audience for the performance, and wherein the subset comprises only those audience members that author communications in the plurality of communications, however the aggregate audience model represents the entire audience.

21. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the communications are instant messages using an instant messaging system, and wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to receive a plurality of communications from a plurality of devices associated with audience members of a real-time presentation by a presenter of the presentation while the presentation is being presented at least by:

monitoring the instant messaging system for communications having an indicator associated with the communication indicating that the communication is about the presentation; and

selecting communications based on the identification of the communications based on the indicator for further analysis.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the indicator is one of an unique identifier that identifies the presentation, a natural language content of the communication that is indicative of a topic of the presentation and a timestamp associated with the communication that correlates to a presentation time of the presentation, or a geolocation indicator corresponding to a location at which the presentation is being presented and a timestamp associated with the communication that correlates to the presentation time of the presentation.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a plurality of communications from a plurality of devices associated with audience members of a real-time presentation by a human presenter of the presentation while the presentation is being presented;

analyze the plurality of communications using natural language processing techniques, to extract natural language terms or natural language phrases from the communications that identify attributes of the audience members;

correlate the extracted natural language terms or natural language phrases with attributes of audience members;

generate an aggregate audience model based on the identified attributes of the audience members, wherein the aggregate audience model specifies an aggregate of attributes of the audience; and

output to the presenter via a device associated with the presenter, a suggestion output identifying one or more portions of the presentation that are currently of interest to the audience members based on the aggregate audience model.