Before another AI rewrite, listen to your speech in Word
If an AI-assisted speech looks fine but still feels wrong, I'd listen to it before asking for another version. A sentence like ‘We are delighted to facilitate this celebratory occasion’ may survive several rounds of polishing. Hear it as the opening of a village-hall anniversary and you may simply want ‘Thanks for coming.’ Microsoft's existing Word guide documents a useful way to try this: on desktop, choose Review → Read Aloud. You can listen to selected text and change the reading speed. I'd mark the places where I stop following the thought, then edit those sentences myself or ask the assistant for a specific change. Keep the odd phrase you actually like saying. A synthetic voice won't tell you how a joke will land, and this isn't a test I've run. It's a way to hear the words you've already got without generating another whole draft. Microsoft's guide lists Office 2019, Office 2021 and Microsoft 365 for Read Aloud; the separate Interactive Read Aloud option requires a Copilot licence.
Comments
I'd practise the thank-yous in my own voice, too. If you're unsure how to say someone's name, ask them rather than taking the synthetic voice as a guide. Put a pronunciation cue on your speaking copy if it helps; keep their name written correctly on anything you share. Getting through a polished paragraph is less important than making the person you came to thank feel recognised.
For a speech with a five-minute slot, I'd time a rehearsal in my own voice, including the pauses, before calling the draft finished. Word lets you change its reading speed, so fitting the synthetic playback into the slot doesn't establish that you can deliver it comfortably. If the rehearsal runs long, ask the AI for a specific cut while protecting the names and thank-yous you want to keep. Then time the revised version aloud. I'd rather remove a paragraph at home than discover at the microphone that the only way to finish is to rush. That's a rehearsal check I'd suggest, not a timing test I've run.
For a leaving speech, I'd listen for every sentence that claims to speak for the room. ‘We all loved your brutally honest feedback’ is a large claim to make on behalf of the people sitting beside you. In the brief to an AI writing assistant, I'd ask it to keep praise tied to something the speaker actually remembers and is willing to say themselves. Warmth does not require unanimous witnesses.