Voice Analysis
- Vocal stability & jitter
- Tempo & speaking rate
- Pitch & intonation
- Dynamic range
- Disfluency detection
- Rhythm & syncopation
Powered by Figaro Analytics
The Technology That Sees What Others Miss.
Most leadership development relies on subjective feedback. HighNote uses Figaro, an AI analysis platform, to reveal exactly how a leader is being perceived, in real time, with precision that no human observer can match.
Built by Mihnea Moldoveanu, Dean of the Desautels Centre for Integrative Thinking, University of Toronto.
How Figaro works
Three Layers of Analysis. One Complete Picture.
Figaro analyses a leader's communication across three simultaneous dimensions, giving coaches and participants data that transforms coaching from opinion into precision.
Facial & Emotional Analysis
- 7 basic human emotions tracked
- Micro-expression detection
- Emotional congruence scoring
- Presence & engagement cues
- Audience connection signals
- Real-time emotional mapping
Communication Intelligence
- Keyword & content mapping
- Complexity scoring
- Highlight & rubric tagging
- Transcript generation
- Face-tagging by speaker
- Coaching report generation
The HighNote Performance Scale
We Measure What Others Ignore.
Every leader is scored across six vocal dimensions, rated 1 to 5 on both Progress and Variation. Coaches use this data to build targeted development plans that actually move the needle.
Performance scale · 1 to 5Live
- Vocal stability & jitter4.0
- Pitch & intonation3.4
- Tempo & pacing2.6
- Dynamic range3.8
Real Figaro output
Coaches build each plan from what the data actually found.
Vocal Stability & Jitter
Steadiness under pressure. Ability to recover from a vocal wobble and project grounded authority.
Pitch & Intonation
Accuracy and expressive use of pitch inflection. Precise and expressive vs unsteady.
Tempo & Pacing
Sense of pace: phrasing aligned with thought and emotional intention. Effortlessly musical vs rushed.
Dynamic Range (Volume)
Control and intentional variation in amplitude. Dynamic phrasing vs monotone delivery.
Rhythm & Syncopation
Flow and pulse. Responsiveness to internal and external rhythm; breath, audience energy.
Disfluencies
Words or vocalizations disrupting flow. Crisp, nuanced word choice vs filler-heavy speech.
Emotion trackingLive
- Joy62%
- Surprise18%
- Fear9%
- Disgust3%
- Anger4%
- Sadness7%
- Contempt5%
Emotional congruence4.1 / 5
Emotional intelligence layer
Reading the Room, in Real Time.
Figaro tracks seven basic human emotions frame by frame as a leader speaks, and scores how closely the emotional signal matches the message.
JoySurpriseFearDisgustAngerSadnessContempt
Micro-expression detection
Catches the fleeting expressions a human observer misses, mapped against the leader's own baseline.
Emotional congruence scoring
Measures whether how you sound and look matches what you mean to say.
Why this matters: A leader can deliver the right words with the wrong emotional signal and lose the room entirely. Figaro closes the gap between how you intend to land and how you actually do.
Validated at RotmanDeployed across corporate and university programmes
For universities
Platform Agnostic. Institution First.
HighNote's agentic infrastructure works on whichever LLM your institution prefers. Institutions retain full control of their AI environment and vendor relationships. Universities build agents that reflect their own curriculum, pedagogy, and standards, not imported simulations.
Institution-designed agents
Built on your curriculum, cases, and pedagogical standards.
Full vendor control
You choose the LLM. We build the infrastructure around it.
Scales without staffing
Formative feedback at institutional scale, with no linear headcount growth.
See Figaro in action
AI Reveals It. Coaches Change It.
Our AI reveals what's happening. Our coaches empower you to change it. The results are measurable.
The dashboard
Embodiment
Confidence
Command
Research-grade intelligence
"We need people who can address, interact and react to those human beings actually in the room. We don't need people who recite text. This can be done more effectively by LLMs."
— Mihnea Moldoveanu, Dean, Desautels Centre for Integrative Thinking
Research-grade intelligence. Real-world application.
Figaro isn't a generic AI tool. It was built on the academic frameworks of integrative thinking, the ability to hold opposing ideas in tension and generate creative solutions under pressure.
Beyond what a leader says
Applied to leadership communication, it means the platform understands not just what a leader says, but how the tension between intention and delivery plays out in the body, the voice, and the face. Validated at the Rotman School of Management. Deployed across HighNote's corporate and university programmes globally.
FAQ
The technology, Answered.
What does Figaro AI analyze?
Figaro analyzes a leader's communication across three layers at once: voice analysis (stability, tempo, pitch, dynamic range, disfluencies, rhythm), facial and emotional analysis (seven basic emotions, micro-expressions, emotional congruence) and communication intelligence (keyword mapping, complexity scoring, transcripts and coaching reports).
What is the HighNote Performance Scale?
The HighNote Performance Scale scores every leader across six vocal dimensions: vocal stability and jitter, pitch and intonation, tempo and pacing, dynamic range, rhythm and syncopation, and disfluencies. Each is rated 1 to 5 on both Progress and Variation.
Which emotions does Figaro track?
Figaro tracks seven basic human emotions: joy, surprise, fear, disgust, anger, sadness and contempt. It scores emotional congruence, meaning how closely the emotional signal matches the message being delivered.
Who built Figaro?
Figaro was built by Mihnea Moldoveanu, Dean of the Desautels Centre for Integrative Thinking at the University of Toronto. It was validated at the Rotman School of Management.
Does HighNote work with a university's own AI tools?
Yes. HighNote's agentic infrastructure is platform agnostic and runs on whichever LLM an institution prefers, so the institution keeps full control of its AI environment and vendor relationships.
See it for yourself
Book a Figaro Demo.
See exactly how your leaders are perceived, and what coaching would change.