Control Method, Conference System, and Non-Transitory Recording Medium

A control method of a conference system, comprises acquiring information on behavior of a participant in a conference; and evaluating, during the conference, psychological safety of the participant based on the acquired information. A conference system comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires information on behavior of a participant in a conference; and an evaluation unit that evaluates psychological safety of the participant based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit during the conference. A non-transitory recording medium stores a computer readable program to be executed by a hardware processor in a computer. The computer readable program causes the hardware processor to acquire information on behavior of a participant in a conference and evaluate psychological safety of the participant based on the acquired information during the conference.

This application claims priority to Japanese patent application No. 2022-093606 filed on Jun. 9, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Technological Field

The present invention relates to a control method, a conference system, and a non-transitory recording medium. The present invention particularly relates to a technique for supporting a conference in which multiple participants participate.

Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, there has been known a conference system in which remark contents in a conference are recorded in a conference database and a remark of a speaker is evaluated. This known technique is introduced for example in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. JP 2020-154673 A (hereafter, document 1). According to the known technique according to document 1, this conference system analyzes the conference content acquired from the conference database, and classifies individual remarks made in the conference into positive, negative, and neutral. The conference system cuts out a conversation from the neutral remark to the next neutral remark as a minimum conversation. When the minimum conversation includes more positive remarks than negative remarks, the conference system evaluates the neutral remark as a remark that contributed to the excitement of the conference and provides 3 points to the neutral remark. When the minimum conversation includes more positive remarks than negative remarks, the conference system evaluates the neutral remark as a remark that contributed to the excitement of the conference and provides −2 points to the neutral remark.

Conventionally, a conference analyzing device that calculates a degree of excitement of a conference on the basis of conference data in which voices and the like are recorded is also known. This known technique is introduced for example in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. JP 2016-12216 A (hereafter, document 2). According to the known technique according to document 2, this conference analyzing device calculates the degree of excitement of the conference as an absolute evaluation value based on the characteristic amount of the conference data in which voices and the like are recorded. After the absolute evaluation value is calculated, the conference analyzing device corrects the absolute evaluation value. Thus, the conference analyzing device calculates the degree of excitement as a relative evaluation value.

In recent years, in many companies, attention has been paid to psychological safety, which is an environment in which everyone can talk without hesitation. Psychological safety refers to a state in which people can express their ideas and feelings to anyone without anxiety in an organization. Psychological safety has become an important factor in increasing an organization's productivity. In an organization such as a company, a conference is one of situations in which psychological safety is particularly likely to decrease. When the psychological safety decreases in a conference, a participant feels uneasy to speak. Then, the participant may hesitate to speak his or her idea or feeling. As a result, the productivity of the organization cannot be increased. In the worst case, a mistake may be missed or a failure that could be prevented may occur. Therefore, ensuring psychological safety during a conference is important in prompting participants to speak freely.

The aforementioned known technique according to document 1 is to evaluate a remark of a speaker after it has occurred. The known technique according to document 1 does not evaluate the psychological safety of the participants while the conference is in progress. Also, according to the known technique according to document 2, the degree of excitement of the conference is calculated as a relative evaluation value after the conference. The known technique according to document 1 does not evaluate the psychological safety of the participants while the conference is in progress. More specifically, neither the document 1 nor the document 2 is able to control a decrease in the psychological safety during the conference. Then, the participant may hesitate to speak his or her idea or feeling as he or she feels unsafe to give a speech.

SUMMARY

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems. Thus, the present invention is intended to provide a control method, a conference system, and a non-transitory computer medium that are enabled to detect a decrease in psychological safety during a conference.

First, the present invention is directed to a control method.

To achieve the above-described object, a control method of one aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling a conference system, the method including: an acquisition step of acquiring information on behavior of a participant in a conference; and an evaluation step of evaluating, during the conference, psychological safety of the participant based on the information acquired in the acquisition step.

Second, the present invention is directed to a conference system.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the conference system comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires information on behavior of a participant in a conference; and an evaluation unit that evaluates psychological safety of the participant based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit during the conference.

Third, the present invention is directed to a non-transitory recording medium storing a computer readable program to be executed by a hardware processor in a computer.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the computer readable program causes the hardware processor executing the computer readable program to: acquiring information on behavior of a participant in a conference; and evaluating psychological safety of the participant based on the acquired information during the conference.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIG.1illustrates an exemplary structure of an inkjet conference system1in which the one embodiment of the present invention may be practiced. The conference system1is a system that supports a conference held by multiple participants A, B, and C in a conference room100, for example. The conference system1includes information processing terminals3a,3b, and3ccarried by the participants A, B, and C, respectively, and a conference support apparatus2. The information processing terminals3a,3b, and3cand the conference support apparatus2communicate with each other via a communication network4. The communication network4is a network including a local network such as a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network such as the Internet. The conference support apparatus2collects real time information during the conference from each of the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3cvia the communication network4. The conference support apparatus2then evaluates the psychological safety of the conference being held in the conference room100. The conference support apparatus2evaluates the psychological safety in real time during the conference. Thus, changes in psychological safety during the conference can be recorded in time series. Along with that, in a case where the psychological safety decreases, support for improving the psychological safety can be provided.

The information processing terminals3a,3b, and3care formed from devices such as personal computers (PC), tablet terminals, and/or smartphones. In the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3c, an application cooperating with the conference support apparatus2is installed in advance. The participants A, B, and C operate their own information processing terminals3a,3band3cat the start of the conference to start the application. Thus, each of the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3ccollects information about the behavior of each of the participants A, B, and C during the progress of the conference, and transmits the information to the conference support apparatus2.

FIG.2illustrates a hardware configuration of the conference support apparatus2. The conference support apparatus2acquires information D10on behaviors of the participants A, B, and C from the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3c, respectively. The conference support apparatus2evaluates the psychological safety of the conference as a whole and the psychological safety of the participants A, B, and C during the conference, based on the information D10on the behaviors of the participants A, B, and C acquired from the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3c.

As illustrated inFIG.2, the conference support apparatus2includes a processor5and a storage section6. The processor5is a hardware processor that reads and executes a computer readable program7stored in the storage section6. The processor5is formed from an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU (central processing unit). The storage section6is a storage device formed from a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), a semiconductor memory, or the like. In addition to the program7described above, various kinds of information can be stored in the storage section6.

The conference support apparatus2evaluates the psychological safety during the conference by the processor5executing the program7. The psychological safety indicates a state in which any one of the participants A, B, and C can express his or her idea and/or feeling with less worry during the conference. Therefore, it is important to ensure the psychological safety in the conference in order to actively exchange opinions and effectively utilize various ideas. For example, in a case where the emotion of each of the participants A, B, and C during the conference is enjoyment, joy, or the like, it can be said that each of the participants A, B, and C is in a psychological state in which he or she can easily speak. It can be determined that the psychological safety is high. On the other hand, when the emotion of each of the participants A, B, and C during the conference is in a state of tension, anxiety, or perplexity, and a new opinion or proposal does not occur, it can be determined that the psychological safety is low. As described above, the psychological safety in the conference increases or decreases depending on the emotion of each of the participants A, B, and C. It can be said that the emotion of each of the participants A, B, and C appears in the behavior of each of the participants A, B, and C during the conference.

The conference support apparatus2calculates an evaluation value regarding the psychological safety in real time as an index indicating whether or not any one of the participants A, B, and C is in a state of being able to express safely his or her idea and/or feeling. The evaluation value regarding the psychological safety is calculated based on the behavior information D1of each of the participants A, B, and C that is sequentially acquired during the conference. For example, the conference support apparatus2calculates the evaluation value that indicates a higher value as the psychological safety becomes higher and indicates a lower value as the psychological safety becomes lower. The evaluation value that the conference support apparatus2sequentially calculates during the conference may decrease to a predetermined value or less. In this case, the conference support apparatus2determines that none of the participants A, B, and C is in a state in which he or she can express his or her idea and/or feeling without anxiety. Then, the conference support apparatus2notifies the participants A, B, and C that the psychological safety has decreased during the conference. Thus, it is possible to prevent the conference from proceeding while the psychological safety is lowered.

For example, in the present embodiment, as shown inFIG.2, the information D10regarding the behavior of each of the participants A, B, and C includes voice information D11and image information D12. An audio input unit such as a microphone and an image photographing unit such as a camera are provided with the respective information processing terminals3a,3b, and3c. An application started launched on each of the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3cbrings the audio input unit and the image photographing unit into operation. When the participant A, B, or C speaks during the conference, the application inputs voice via the audio input unit, and generates the voice information D11in which the speeches of the participant A, B, or C is recorded. The application acquires an image photographed by the image photographing unit during the conference and generates the image information D12obtained by photographing the expression and/or the attitude of the corresponding participant A, B or C. Then, the application uses the communication function of the information processing terminal3a,3b, or3cto transmit information including the voice information D11and the image information D12to the conference support apparatus2as the information D10related to the behaviors of the respective participants A, B, and C. As a result, the conference support apparatus2can evaluate psychological safety based on the speeches, expressions, attitudes, and the like of the participants A, B, and C during the conference.

The information D10on the behavior may be formed with only the voice information D11or may be formed with only the image information D12. The information D10on the behavior may include information other than the voice information D11or the image information D12. Examples of the information other than the voice information D11or the image information D12include heart rate information or stress information that can be acquired from a wearable terminal such as a smart watch worn by each of the participants A, B, and C.

(Function of Conference Support Apparatus)

FIG.3is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the conference support apparatus2. As illustrated inFIG.3, the processor5of the conference support apparatus2serves as an acquisition unit11, an evaluation unit12, and a notification unit13by executing the program7.

The acquisition unit11acquires, in real time, the information D10on behavior of each of the participants A, B, and C from the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3c, respectively, during the conference. As described above, the information D10on the behavior of each participant A, B, and C acquired by the acquirer11includes the voice information D11and the image information D12. However, each of the participants A, B, and C may not be speaking in the conference. In that case, the information D10acquired by the acquisition unit11may not include the voice information D11.

The evaluation unit12evaluates the psychological safety during the conference based on the information D10on the behavior of each of the participants A, B, and C acquired by the acquisition unit11. Next, the operation of the evaluation unit12is described in detail.

First, the evaluation unit12analyzes the voice information D11and the image information D12included in the information D10on the behavior of each of the participants A, B, and C. Then, the evaluation unit12records the analysis result. The analysis result is stored by being accumulated in the conference information14.FIG.4illustrates an example of the conference information14. As illustrated inFIG.4, the conference information14is information in which the behavior of each participant A, B, and C during the conference is recorded in time series. The information on the behavior of each participant A, B, and C performed from the start of the conference to the end of the conference is accumulated in the conference information14. In the conference information14, the time at which the behavior was performed, the participant who performed the behavior, the type of the behavior, the content of speech when the behavior is speech, the emotion of the participant specified from the behavior, and the evaluation value are recorded.

When the information D10on the behavior is acquired by the acquisition unit11, the evaluation unit12identifies the current time and the participant who has performed the behavior. For example, the evaluation unit12designates which of the multiple information processing terminals3a,3b, and3cis a sender of the information D10on the behavior, thereby identifying the participant who has performed the behavior. The voice information D11may be included in the information D10on the behavior. In such a case, the evaluation unit12may perform a voiceprint analysis on the voice information D11to identify the participant who has performed the behavior. Furthermore, the evaluation unit12may perform face recognition based on the image information D12included in the information D10on behavior to identify the participant who performed the behavior. Then, the evaluation unit12records the current time and the identified participant in the conference information14.

In a case where the voice information D11is included in the information D10on the behavior, the evaluation unit12specifies that the type of the behavior is a speech. The evaluation unit12records the speech in the field of the type of behavior of the conference information14.

In a case where the voice information D11is included in the information D10on the behavior, the evaluating unit12analyzes the voice information D11. The evaluation unit12converts the voice information D11into text data and specifies the content of the speech. The evaluating unit12can specify whether the type of the speech is a report or a question by specifying the content of the speech. Then, the evaluation unit12records the specified content of the speech in the conference information14.

The evaluation unit12analyzes the tone (tone of voice) at the time of the speech based on the voice information D11to identify the emotion of the participant who had spoken. For example, the participant of the conference may speak while he or she is frustrated. In this case, the tone at the time of the speech becomes intense. On the other hand, when the participant speaks with a normal mind, the tone at the time of the speech becomes gentle. Therefore, the evaluation unit12can identify the emotion of the participant by analyzing the tone at the time of the speech. The emotions that can be identified by analyzing the tone include, for example, pleasure, joy, normal mind, frustration, tension, confusion, anxiety, and the like. However, the evaluation unit12may not be able to identify the emotion of the participant even when the evaluation unit12analyzes the tone at the time of the speech. When the emotion of the participant is enabled to be identified by analyzing the voice information D11, the evaluation unit12records the identified emotion in the conference information14.

When analyzing the voice information D11, the evaluating unit12may perform natural language processing using artificial intelligence (AI). In this case, an engine that performs the AI analysis may be provided inside the evaluation unit12. However, this is given not for limitation. The evaluation unit12may analyze the voice information D11by using an AI analysis engine provided externally the conference support apparatus2. If the AI is used for the analysis of the voice information D11, it is possible to improve the accuracy when specifying the content of the speech or the emotion by the machine learning of the AI. In addition, it is possible to reduce the frequency with which the emotion cannot be identified.

There are cases where the emotion of the participant can be identified not only from the tone at the time of the speech but also from the content of the speech. Therefore, the evaluation unit12may identify the emotion of the participant by considering not only the tone at the time of the speech but also the content of the speech.

The evaluation unit12analyzes the image information D12included in the information D10on the behavior. The evaluation unit12then determines whether or not the facial expressions and/or attitudes of the participants A, B, and C have changed. When it is detected that the expression and/or the attitude of one of the participants A, B and C is changed, the evaluation unit12identifies the emotion of the participant whose expression and/or the attitude is changed. When the participant of the conference is frustrated, for example, the facial expression of the participant shown in the image becomes steep. If the participant is in normal mind, the facial expression of the participant shown in the image is gentle. If the participant becomes anxious, the facial expression of the participant shown in the image changes to a subtle facial expression. Hence, by analyzing the image information D12, the evaluation unit12can identify the emotion according to the facial expression or the attitude of the participant. The emotions that can be identified by analyzing the image information D12include, for example, pleasure, joy, normal mind, frustration, tension, confusion, and anxiety. However, the evaluation unit12may not be able to identify the emotion of the participant even still the image information D12is analyzed. When the emotion of the participant can be identified by analyzing the image information D12, the evaluation unit12records the identified emotion in the conference information14.

For analyzing the image information D12, the evaluation unit12may perform image analysis using AI as in the case of the voice information D11. When AI is used for the analysis of the image information D12, the frequency with which an emotion cannot be identified can be reduced by machine learning of AI. At the same time, it is possible to improve the accuracy in identifying the emotion.

The evaluation unit12calculates the evaluation value based on the information recorded in the conference information14. The evaluation unit12refers to, for example, speech evaluation information15and emotion evaluation information16stored in advance in the storage section6.

FIGS.5A and5Billustrate an example of the speech evaluation information15and the emotion evaluation information16.FIG.5Ashows an example of the speech evaluation information15.FIG.5Bshows an example of the emotion evaluation information16.

As illustrated inFIG.5A, the speech evaluation information15is information in which a participant attribute, a speech content, and the evaluation value are associated with each other. In the speech content of the speech evaluation information15, a word that is generally said to lower psychological safety is registered. The participant attribute is information indicating an attribute of a participant who utters a word of the speech content. As the participant attribute, for example, information regarding a job type such as a supervisor or a subordinate is registered.

For example, when a supervisor and a subordinate are having a conference, it is assumed that the supervisor said to the subordinate “This is not good.” In this case, the psychological safety of the subordinate is decreased. Therefore, in the speech evaluation information15, as the speech of the supervisor, the speech such as “This is not good.” is registered. “−10” is registered as the evaluation value corresponding to the speech content. The evaluation value has a negative value. This means that the psychological safety is decreased. Besides the aforementioned example, in the speech evaluation information15, a speech content that lowers the psychological safety of the subordinate when the supervisor said is registered.

When the supervisor and the subordinate are having a conference, the subordinate said “I'm sorry” to the supervisor. It can be said that the psychological safety of the subordinate is decreased when the subordinate keeps silent for a predetermined time or longer after the speech. Therefore, the speech “I'm sorry” and the following silence are registered as a speech of the subordinate in the speech evaluation information15. As the corresponding evaluation value, “−15” is registered. Besides the speech, in the speech evaluation information15, the speech content with which it can be detected that the psychological safety of the subordinate has decreased is registered.

The silence for the predetermined time or longer is also registered in the speech evaluation information15. The time during which no speech content is recorded in the conference information14is calculated and whether the calculated time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time is determined. Then, whether the silence has continued for a predetermined time or longer can be detected. For example, in the speech evaluation information15illustrated inFIG.5A, the evaluation value “−2” is registered for the silence for the predetermined time or longer. This evaluation value represents a decrease in the psychological safety. Therefore, when the evaluation unit12detects the silence for the predetermined time or longer during the conference, the evaluation unit12assigns “−2” as the evaluation value for the silence.

It may not necessarily be said that the psychological safety is lowered in the silence during the conference. For example, when materials are distributed during the conference, each participant is silent for a certain period of time in order to read the materials. Such silence does not necessarily decrease the psychological safety. In a case where the silence period is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, for example, the evaluation unit12may determine, based on the voice information D11acquired immediately before the silence, whether the psychological safety of each participant has decreased. Such configuration may be adopted. For example, the speech content immediately before the silence may be “I will distribute a material from now. Please look through.” In this case, the evaluation unit12does not assign the evaluation value “−2” to the following silence. On the other hand, when the speech immediately before the silence is “This is not good,” the evaluation unit12assigns the evaluation value “−2” to the following silence. The silence during the conference is then classified into a case in which the psychological safety is not decreased and a case in which the psychological safety is decreased.

As illustrated inFIG.5B, the emotion evaluation information16is information in which the emotion of the participant and the evaluation value are associated with each other. In the emotion evaluation information16, a different evaluation value may be registered according to a combination of an emotion and a type of behavior. For example, an evaluation value of “0” is registered for the calm mind. When the participant makes a statement (report) in a calm mind, “+1” is registered as an evaluation value. This is because, it is considered that a situation in which the participant can speak or report in the calm mind is easier for the participant to speak. When the participant speaks (ask a question) in the calm mind, “+2” is registered as the evaluation value. This is because, it is considered that a situation in which the participant speaks (ask a question) is easier for him or her question. That is,FIG.5Bshows an example asks that the psychological safety is evaluated higher in a case where the participant asks his/her question than in a case where he or she makes a simple report.

Furthermore, in a case where the emotion of the participant is joy or pleasure, in the emotion evaluation information16, it is evaluated that he or she is in the psychological state in which it is easy for him or her to actively speak his/her opinion or the like. A positive value is then given as an evaluation value. In contrast, in a case where the emotion of the participant is tension, confusion, anxiety, irritation, or the like, it is evaluated that the psychological stability is low. Therefore, a negative value is given as an evaluation value.

When a new speech content is recorded in the conference information14, the evaluation unit12determines whether the recorded speech content is registered in the speech evaluation information15. As a result, when the speech content newly recorded in the conference information14is registered in the speech evaluation information15, the evaluation unit12acquires an evaluation value corresponding to the speech content from the speech evaluation information15. Then, the evaluation unit12records the evaluation value acquired from the speech evaluation information15in the conference information14.

When the speech newly recorded in the conference information14is not registered in the speech evaluation information15, the evaluation unit12refers to the emotion evaluation information16to obtain an evaluation value corresponding to the emotion recorded in the conference information14. At this time, a combination of the emotion and the type of the behavior recorded in the conference information14may be registered in the emotion evaluation information16. In such a case, an evaluation value corresponding to the combination is acquired. Then, the evaluation unit12records the evaluation value acquired from the emotion evaluation information16in the conference information14.

The evaluation unit12can also acquire an evaluation value from each of the speech evaluation information15and the emotion evaluation information16. In this case, the evaluation unit12calculates a total value by adding evaluation values acquired from the speech evaluation information15and the emotion evaluation information16and records the total value in the conference information14.

As described above, the information on the behavior of the participant is recorded in the conference information14. For example, according to the conference information14illustrated inFIG.4, the participant A speaks in the calm mind at 11:15:09. The speech content of the participant A is “How is the progress of the work?” In response to this speech, the participant B says in the calm mind, “Progress is . . . at 11:15:11. Then, at 11:49:21, the participant A is making a statement to ask a question to the participant B in the calm mind. Since the emotions of the participants A and B are calm mind in all of these speeches, the evaluation values are positive values. Therefore, at the point of 11:49:21, the psychological safety in the conference tends to increase.

Thereafter, in the conference information14, it is recorded that the expression change of the participant B is recognized at 11:49:31 and the emotion of the participant B is confused. Therefore, “−5” is recorded as an evaluation value, which indicates that psychological safety has decreased. At the following time 11:50:01, after a long silence, the participant B says “I will do my best to handle” with the anxious emotion. “−10” is recorded as an evaluation value. Hence, at the timing of 11:50:01, the participant B becomes anxious, and the psychological safety is significantly decreased.

The evaluation unit12updates the conference information14on the basis of the information D10on the behavior of the participant. The evaluation unit12then calculates an evaluation value (first evaluation value) representing the psychological safety of the whole conference and an evaluation value (second evaluation value) representing the psychological security of each of the participants A, B, and C.

For example, the evaluation value indicating the psychological safety of the whole conference is an index for comprehensively evaluating the psychological safety of each of the participants A, B, and C. Therefore, the evaluation value indicating the psychological safety of the whole conference is calculated, for example, on the basis of every information recorded within a period going back from the current time by the predetermined time Ts among the information recorded in the conference information14as illustrated inFIG.4. Specifically, it is assumed that the evaluation unit12records a new speech by the participant B in the conference information14at 11:50:01. The evaluation unit12adds all evaluation values within a predetermined time Ts from a predetermined time before the new speech is made to the current time (11:50:01), and calculates an evaluation value representing the psychological safety of the whole conference. All the evaluation values based on the emotions of the participants A, B, and C are added. Therefore, when the psychological safety of all of the participants A, B, and C is relatively high, the evaluation value representing the psychological safety of the whole conference gets also a high value. On the other hand, if the psychological safety of at least one participant is low, the evaluation value indicating the psychological safety of the whole conference does not get so high.

The evaluation value representing the psychological safety of each of the participants A, B, and C is an index for individually evaluating the psychological safety of each of the participants A, B, and C. Therefore, the evaluation value representing the psychological safety of each of the participants A, B, and C is calculated, for example, based on the information of each of the participants A, B, and C recorded within a period going back by the predetermined time Ts from the current time among the information recorded in the conference information14as illustrated inFIG.4. Specifically, when the evaluation unit12records a new speech made by the participant B in the conference information14at 11:50:01, the evaluation unit12individually adds the evaluation value of each participant A, B, and C within the predetermined time Ts from a predetermined time before the new speech is made to the current time (11:50:01). Then, the evaluation unit12individually calculates an evaluation value representing the psychological safety of each of the participants A, B, and C.

Here, the predetermined time Ts is a time that can be arbitrarily set at the start of the conference. For example, in a case where the predetermined time Ts is set to 5 minutes, the evaluation unit12can calculate the first evaluation value and the second evaluation value based on the evaluation values recorded within a period going back 5 minutes from the current time among the evaluation values recorded in the conference information14. The predetermined time Ts can also be set to 0 minutes. In this case, the first evaluation value and the second evaluation value are calculated based on the evaluation value recorded in the conference information14immediately before the current time.

Then, the evaluation unit12records the evaluation value representing the psychological safety of the whole conference and the evaluation value representing the psychological safety of each of the participants A, B, and C in evaluation value information17of the storage6.FIG.6illustrates an example of the evaluation value information17. As shown inFIG.6, the evaluation value representing the psychological safety of the whole conference, the evaluation value representing the psychological safety of the participant A, the evaluation value indicating the psychological safety of the participant B, and the evaluation value indicating the psychological safety of the participant C at the current time are recorded in the evaluation value information17. The evaluation value recorded in the evaluation value information17is sequentially updated during the conference. Therefore, by monitoring the evaluation value recorded in the evaluation value information17, it is possible to detect, in real time, a decrease in any one of the psychological safety of the whole conference and the psychological safety of the participants A, B, and C during the conference.

FIG.7illustrates an example of a change in an evaluation value V during the conference. As shown inFIG.7, the evaluation value V varies as the psychological safety of each of the participants A, B, and C varies during the conference. For example, the evaluation value V becomes a value lower than a predetermined reference value (for example, 0) when the psychological safety of each of the participants A, B, and C decreases. As the psychological safety of each of the participants A, B, and C increases, the evaluation value V becomes a value higher than the predetermined reference value. When the evaluation value recorded in the evaluation value information17is equal to or less than a predetermined value Vth, the evaluation unit12determines that the psychological safety during the conference has decreased. Such determination is performed individually for each evaluation value recorded in the evaluation value information17. Therefore, if the evaluation value representing the psychological safety of the whole conference becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined value Vth, the evaluation unit12determines that the psychological safety of the whole conference has decreased. When the evaluation value representing the psychological safety of each of the participants A, B, and C is equal to or lower than the predetermined value Vth, the evaluation unit12determines that the psychological safety of each of the participants A, B, and C has decreased. For example, as illustrated inFIG.7, the evaluation unit12can detect, in real time, that the psychological safety has decreased at a timing Ta when the evaluation value V becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined value Vth. When the evaluation unit12determines that the psychological safety has decreased during the conference, the evaluation unit12brings the notification unit13into operation.

The notification unit13notifies the participants A, B, and C of the conference that the psychological safety has decreased. The notification unit13may provide a notification to all of the participants A, B, and C. Alternatively, the notification may be provided to at least one of the participants A, B, and C. For example, the notification unit13may provide a notification to only the host of the conference or may provide a notification to only the supervisor.

The notification unit13provides a notification to an application running on each of the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3c. The notification unit13adds information that enables to specify which of the whole conference or the participants A, B, and C has decreased in the psychological safety to the notification. Thus, the application is enabled to notify each of the participants A, B, and C of the conference that the psychological safety has decreased. For example, a display unit such as a color liquid crystal display is provided with each of the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3c. The application displays a screen indicating that the psychological safety has decreased on the display unit of each of the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3c. Thus, the application can provide a notification to each of the participants A, B, and C.

FIGS.8A and8Billustrate examples of a screen displayed on a display unit9of each of the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3c. A screen G1illustrated inFIG.8Aa illustrates an example of a notification screen displayed with the psychological security of the whole conference is decreased. The screen G1is displayed on the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3c. The participant who received the notification can switch the atmosphere of the conference so that other participants can easily speak, for example. The conference can be relaxed. Especially, the screen G1illustrated inFIG.8Ais displayed in real time when it is determined that the psychological safety of the whole conference has decreased. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the conference from proceeding in a state in which the psychological safety of the whole conference is decreased, and the time from being wasted more than necessary.

A screen G2ofFIG.8Billustrates an example of a notification screen shown when the psychological safety of a specific participant (for instance, the participant B) has decreased. The evaluation unit12may determine that the psychological safety of the specific participant (for example, the participant B) is decreased. In this case, the notification unit13provides a notification to the information processing terminals3aand3cof the participants (for instance, the participants A and C) other than the specific participant. Thus, the screen G2illustrated inFIG.8Bis displayed on the display units9of the information processing terminals3aand3cof the other participants A and C. As a result, the participants A and C who have received the notification can change the atmosphere of the conference so that the participant B can easily speak. In particular, the screen G2illustrated inFIG.8Bis displayed in real time when it is determined that the psychological safety of the participant B has decreased. Therefore, it is possible to prevent time from being wastefully consumed as the conference proceeds with the psychological safety of the participant B is decreased.

As an example, as in the conference information14illustrated inFIG.4, a case where it is determined that the psychological safety of the participant B is decreased due to the speech of the participant B at 11:50:01 is described. In this case, the screen G2shown inFIG.8Bis displayed on the display units9of the information processing terminals3aand3cof the participants A and C. The participants A and C can recognize in real time that the psychological safety of the participant B has decreased. In particular, in the case of the conference information14illustrated inFIG.4, the participants A and C check the screen G2. Then, the speech of the participant B at 11:50:01 which is immediately before the display of the screen G2is made in the state where the psychological safety is decreased. The participants A and C can know the speech is made with the anxious feeling. Therefore, the participants A and C can quickly make an action to enhance the psychological safety of the participant B by checking the screen G2in real time.

FIG.9illustrates an example of the conference information14after the conference progresses. Conference information after the conference has progressed from the conference information14illustrated inFIG.4is recorded in the conference information14inFIG.9. In this example, the screen G2shown inFIG.8Bis displayed on the information-processing terminals3aand3cof the participants A and C at the timing Ta. Along with the display of the screen G2, at 11:50:12, the participant A asks the participant B “Would you need any help?” to offer the support. In the conference information14, a change in the facial expression of the participant B is detected after the participant A speaks. In the conference information14, the emotion of the participant B is changed from anxiety to joy, and the psychological safety is increased. Then, the participant B says “Yes, please” with the emotion of joy together with the change in the facial expression. The psychological safety of the participant B has further increased through this speech. Thereafter, the participants A and B proceed with the conference on how to deal with the problem while discussing with each other.

For example, in the conference information14shown inFIG.4, when the psychological safety of the participant B decreases at the time 11:50:01, the conference support apparatus2may not provide any support to the other participants A and C. In this case, after the psychological safety is decreased, the participant B should have fallen into a situation where the participant B has to consider how to deal with the problem by him/herself in the anxiety state. However, when the psychological safety of the participant B decreases at 11:50:01, the conference support apparatus2of the present embodiment notifies the other participants A and C that the psychological safety of the participant B has decreased. The other participants A and C can then hear the points of anxiety and the like from the participant B and give advice on them immediately and appropriately. The other participants A and C can make the participant B feel reassured and enhance the psychological safety. As a result, the conference becomes active, and it is possible to draw effective ideas from the participant B.

FIG.10illustrates an example of a subsequent change in an evaluation value V during the conference. For example, as shown inFIG.10, the evaluation value V becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined value Vth at timing Ta, and it is detected that the psychological safety is decreased. As described above, the participant of the conference is then notified that the psychological safety has decreased. The participant who receives the notification makes an action to enhance the psychological safety during the conference. As a result, the evaluation value V representing the psychological safety rises thereafter, and for example, the evaluation value V becomes a value higher than the predetermined value Vth at timing Tb. Thus, the conference proceeds with high psychological safety.

In the above description, an example has been described in which the applications running on the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3cdisplay the screens G1and G2on the display units9of the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3cto notify the participants A, B, and C that the psychological safety has decreased. However, the way of the notification by the application is not necessarily limited to the example in which the screen is displayed on the display units9of the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3c. For example, each of the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3cis provided with a voice output unit for outputting voice, such as a speaker. Therefore, a structure may be adopted in which the application drives the voice output units of the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3cand performs notification to the participants A, B, and C by voice.

(An Example of Operations of the Conference Support Apparatus)

Next, a detailed processing procedure in the conference support apparatus2will be described.FIG.11is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in the conference support apparatus2. This processing is performed when the processor5of the conference support apparatus2executes the program7. After starting this process, the conference support apparatus2acquires information D10on the behavior from the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3cof the participants A, B, and C (step S10). The conference support apparatus2determines whether the voice information D11is acquired (step S11). When the voice information D11is acquired (when a result of step S11is YES), the conference support apparatus2analyzes the voice information D11(step S12). Thus, the conference support apparatus2specifies the content of the speech (step S13). The conference support apparatus2further identifies the emotion of the participant who has spoken (step S14).

When the voice information D11is not included in the information D10on the behavior (when a result of step S11is NO), the conference support apparatus2determines whether the image information D12is acquired (step S15). When the voice information D11is acquired (when a result of step S15is YES), the conference support apparatus2analyzes the image information D12(step S16). The conference support apparatus2then determines whether a change in facial expression of the participant is detected (step S17). As a result, when a change in the facial expression of the participant is detected (when a result of step S17is YES), the conference support apparatus2identifies the emotion of the participant based on the changed facial expression (step S18). When the image information D12is not acquired (when a result of step S15is NO), or when a change in the facial expression of the participant is not detected (when a result of step S17is NO), the processing performed by the conference support apparatus2proceeds to step S20.

The conference support apparatus2may be able to identify the emotion of the participant based on the information acquired in step S10. In this case, the conference support apparatus2records various kinds of information in the conference information14and updates the conference information14(step S19).

Next, the conference support apparatus2calculates the evaluation value V representing the current psychological safety based on the current conference information14(step S20). As shown inFIG.6, the evaluation value representing the psychological safety of the whole conference and the evaluation value representing the psychological safety of each of the participants A, B, and C of the conference are calculated. The conference support apparatus2then determines whether or not the calculated evaluation value V is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value Vth (step S21). This determination is made for each of the evaluation value representing the psychological safety of the conference as a whole and the evaluation value indicating the psychological safety of each of the participants A, B, and C. When at least one of the evaluation values is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value (when a result of step S21is YES), the conference support apparatus2performs the notification processing (step S22). Through this notification processing, it is notified that the psychological safety has decreased during the conference. The conference support apparatus2identifies the participant to whom the notification is to be provided, and provides the notification to the information processing terminal of the identified participant. Thus, the participant who has received the notification can make an action to enhance the psychological safety of the other participants. The notification processing performed in step S22is continuously performed until it is released in following step S24.

When none of the evaluation values is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value (when a result of step S21is NO), the conference support apparatus2determines whether the notification processing is being performed at the present time (step S23). When the notification processing is being performed (when a result of step S23is YES), the conference support apparatus2releases the notification processing (step S24). To be more specific, the notification processing started in step S22is continued until the evaluation value representing the psychological safety becomes higher than the predetermined value. In other words, the notification processing is continued while the evaluation value representing the psychological safety is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value. Thus, it is possible to prevent the conference from proceeding in a state in which the psychological safety being decreased. When the notification processing is not being performed in step S23, the process in step S24is skipped.

The conference support apparatus2then determines whether the conference ends (step S25). If the conference continues (when a result of step S25is NO), the processing by the conference support apparatus2returns to step S10to repeat the above-described processing. When the conference ends (when a result of step S25is YES), the processing performed by the conference support apparatus2ends.

As described above, the processor5executes the program7so that the conference support apparatus2of the present embodiment performs two types of steps. The first step is an acquisition step (step S10) of acquiring the information D10on the behaviors of the participants A, B, and C of the conference. The second step is an evaluation step (steps S11to S20) of evaluating the psychological safety of the participants A, B, and C based on the information D10acquired in the acquisition step during the conference. Hence, when the psychological safety of the participant A, B, or C decreases during the conference, the conference support apparatus2of the present embodiment can appropriately detect the decrease.

The conference support apparatus2may determine in the evaluation step that the psychological safety of the participant of the conference has decreased. In that case, the conference support apparatus2further performs a notification step (steps S21to S22) of providing a notification to the participant of the conference. Therefore, the participant of the conference can understand that the psychological safety has decreased during the conference by the notification from the conference support apparatus2. As a result, the participant who has received the notification can activate the conference by performing a behavior for enhancing the psychological safety.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments. Various modifications may be applied to the present invention

In the above-described preferred embodiment, for example, it is explained that the conference support apparatus2provides a notification to each participant A, B, and C when the psychological safety decreases during the conference. However, it is not essential that the conference support apparatus2provides a notification to each participant A, B, and C when detecting that the psychological safety has decreased during the conference. For example, the conference support apparatus2may only record a change in the psychological safety during the conference in the conference information14as a log. To be more specific, the conference support apparatus2may not include the function of the notification unit13described above.

In the above-described preferred embodiment, for example, it is explained that the conference support apparatus2identifies the emotion based on the behavior of each of the participants A, B, and C and calculates the evaluation value corresponding to the emotion. However, it is not essential for the conference support apparatus2to identify the emotion based on the behavior of each of the participants A, B, and C. That is, the conference support apparatus2may directly calculate an evaluation value representing the psychological safety based on the behavior of each of the conference participants A, B, and C. In this case, for example, when the behavior of each of the participants A, B, and C is analyzed using AI, the evaluation value corresponding to the behavior of each of the participants A, B, and C can be calculated with high accuracy.

In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the evaluation value, the evaluation value decreases when the psychological safety decreases and the evaluation value increases in a case where the psychological safety increases. However, the invention is not limited thereto. The value that increases when the psychological safety decreases and decreases when the psychological safety increases may be employed as the evaluation value.

In the above-described embodiment, the conference support apparatus2calculates two types of evaluation values. One is, the evaluation value representing the psychological safety of the whole conference and another is the evaluation value representing the psychological safety of each of the participants A, B, and C. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The conference support apparatus2may calculate only one type of evaluation value.

Moreover, the content of the notification by the notification unit13described in the above-described embodiment is an example. The notification unit13may provide a notification different from the aforementioned notification. For example, when the evaluation unit12detects a participant who has been silent for a predetermined time or longer, the notification unit13may provide a notification prompting the silent participant to speak to another participant. Furthermore, since the emotion of each participant is identified by the evaluation unit12, it is also possible to determine whether there is a participant who is not satisfied with the content of the conference. When the notification unit13detects a participant who is not satisfied with the content of the conference, the notification unit13may provide a notification to another participant to find out the question of the participant.

FIGS.12A and12Billustrate an example of a screen displayed on the display unit9of each of the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3cin response to such a notification. A screen G3illustrated inFIG.12Aillustrates an example of a notification screen in a case where the participant C is silent for a certain period of time or longer. When the participant C is silent for the predetermined period of time or longer, the screen G3is displayed on the information processing terminals3aand3bof the other participants A and B. The participants A and B who have received the notification can then perform a behavior of prompting the participant C to speak. A screen G4illustrated inFIG.12Billustrates an example of a notification screen in a case where a participant who is not satisfied with the content of the conference is detected. If the participant C is not satisfied with the content of the conference, the screen G4is displayed on the information-processing terminals3aand3bof the other participants A and B. After receiving the notification, the participants A and B can ask the question of the participant C. That is, the screens G3and G4as illustrated inFIGS.12A and12Bare displayed so that the conference can be further activated.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, each of the participants A, B, and C has the respective information processing terminals3a,3b, and3cand is participating in the conference. However, the participants A, B, and C may not necessarily bring the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3cinto a conference room100.FIG.13illustrates an example of the conference system1different from that ofFIG.1. In the conference system1, a microphone101, a camera102, and a speaker103are installed in the conference room100. The conference support apparatus2acquires the information D10on the behavior of the participants A, B, and C from the microphone101and the camera102installed in the conference room100. Upon determining that the psychological safety has decreased during the conference, the conference support apparatus2drives the speaker103installed in the conference room100to notify the participants A, B, and C that the psychological safety has decreased. When a display unit is installed in the conference room100, the conference support apparatus2may display the above-described notification screen on the display unit. That is, in the conference system1, even when the participants A, B, and C do not bring the information processing terminals3a,3b, and3c, it is possible to evaluate the psychological safety during the conference.

Furthermore, the example in which the multiple participants A, B, and C gather in the single conference room100to hold the conference has been described in the above-described embodiment. However, this is just an example. For example, as illustrated inFIG.14, multiple participants A, B, and C may access the conference support apparatus2from different locations111,112, and113, respectively, to hold a remote conference. In this case, the conference support apparatus2can acquire information D10on the respective behaviors from the information processing terminals3a_3band3cof the participants A, B, and C to evaluate the psychological safety.

The conference support apparatus2is configured as a device different from the information processing terminals3a,3bor3cin the above embodiment. However, the conference support apparatus2may be formed as at least one of the multiple terminals3a,3b, and3c. In this case, the aforementioned program7is executed by the information processing terminal that functions as the conference support apparatus2.