The Visual Lounge

Need to create an e-learning presentation but don’t have an eye for good visuals? This episode is for you! We revisit a great past episode with Diane Elkins, instructional design pro and owner of Artisan Learning. There’s so much solid advice in this episode on what works, what to avoid, and how visuals impact the learning experience (probably more than you think).Diane explains how bad visuals inhibit learning, why simpler is often better, and why “slides” are due a name change. Plus, she gets on her soapbox to explain the real goal of e-learning. We also look at some examples of pretty, plain, and hideous slides to compare, based on a real experiment Diane used to test out visual design. One thing to note: We do share some visuals in this episode of good and bad design choices, so for the full experience, we recommend checking out the episode on YouTube.Learning points from the episode include:00:00 – 02:44 Introduction to Diane and her work02:44 – 04:57 The role in visuals in e-learning04:57 - 07:33 Best practices for visuals and what to avoid07:33 – 11:11 Mindset shifts to avoid over-the-top visuals11:11 – 13:20 Why visuals are even more important in e-learning scenarios13:20 – 16:25 How to decide what information to put on a slide16:25 – 21:53 Diane’s pretty, plain, and hideous visual design experiment21:53 – 25:00 Why simple is often better for learning25:00 – 29:34 Why “is it helpful?” is the most important question to ask29:34 – 31:31 Why visual aids should always be in service of the audience31:31 – 38:42 An example of whether we should decorate or illustrate with visuals38:42 – 46:18 Can we fix it? Diane’s advice to bad design examples46:18 – 49:49 Speed round questions49:49 – 51:40 OutroImportant links and mentions:Visit e-Learning Uncovered: www.elearninguncovered.comVisit Artisan Learning: www.artisanelearning.comConnect with Diane on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dpelkins/

It’s time to ditch the lectures. The secret to creating powerful learning content that people actually pay attention to and use in their daily lives is all about action. Dr. Karl Kapp introduces us to action-based learning in this episode – his go-to tactic for making learning more engaging, useful, and practical. Karl is a Professor of Instructional Technology at Bloomsburg University and the author of multiple books, including Action-First Learning and Learning in 3D.He explains what action-based learning really looks like and why front-loading learners with bags of information is the wrong approach. His method is to throw learners into realistic scenarios and activities that break down the barrier of failure-avoidance.Karl also talks about the missing piece of most training sessions: reflection. He shares what good reflection activities look like and why it needs to be an ongoing process to get that new knowledge to stick.Learning points from the episode include:00:00 - 01:19 Introduction to Karl01:19 – 03:30 Karl’s number one tip for using images or video in learning03:30 – 05:35 What is action first learning? How it ties to psychology 05:35 – 09:15 How to avoid the feeling of failing in adult learning09:15 – 13:02 The ideal time for action-based learning13:02 – 17:57 Why reflection is essential to turn learning into action17:57 – 20:43 When to schedule reflection after a learning session20:43 – 25:34 How images and video add visual cues that support learning25:34 – 28:08 Speed round questions28:08 – 29:46 How to connect and learn more from Karl29:46 – 30:46 Karl’s final take30:46 – 31:38 OutroImportant links and mentions:Connect with Karl on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlkapp/Subscribe to L&D Easter Eggs LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=6599686641453977600Subscribe to Karl’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ProfKapp01Discover the Power of Coloring and Comics in Adult Learning! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4mP7RFgoTcAction-First Learning Video Playlist from Karl’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVi60d2W1s2bE8RKKRdOe4vViSITluUX8Curriculum for Getting Started with Action-First Learning https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/curriculum-getting-started-action-first-learning-karl-kapp-bq6pe/?trackingId=TPK40f%2BVTzmP6VL2fvMwlQ%3D%3DNew Kind of Super Hero Movie-A New Kind of Training? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-kind-super-hero-movie-a-training-karl-kapp-auh6e/?trackingId=Sg17J0QWSz%2BoaWIfOAc7aQ%3D%3D

How do some people just seem to command attention the moment they walk into a room? They’ve nailed their personal brand.Dr. Dustin York, who's worked with everyone from the Obama campaign to Nike, breaks down the science behind personal branding and shares actionable tips you can start using today. Today he’s a Professor at Maryville University of St. Louis and a professional speaker for his business Dr. York Training where he shares advice on how to communicate more effectively.He talks about the power of body language, consistent visual style, and how to build trust with your audience. Dustin also reveals some of his strategies for balancing consistency with trying new things, and how you can use the content creation pros of any industry for inspiration.Whether you're starting a YouTube channel, creating instructional content, or just want to show up more confidently in meetings, this episode is a must-listen for personal branding tips.  Learning points from the episode include:00:00 - 01:58 An introduction to Dustin01:58 – 04:07 Dustin’s top tip for using images or video04:07 – 08:30 Identifying characteristics you want to emulate for your brand08:30 – 11:58 How individuals can nail their own visual brand11:58 – 14:03 How much attention should you pay to color? 14:03 – 17:23 Dustin’s advice for interacting with a camera and why AI won’t replace the need for human connection17:23 – 20:15 Dustin’s 3 quick tips for improving your visual and personal branding20:15 – 21:34 Dustin picks one image that represents him best21:34 – 22:11 Connect with Dustin to learn more22:11 – 23:15 Dustin’s final take23:15 – 23:33 OutroImportant links and mentions:Visit Dustin’s website: https://www.drdustinyork.com/Connect with Dustin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dryork/

In this engaging discussion, Joe Sallustio, a veteran higher ed expert and co-founder of The EdUp Experience, explores how video learning can revolutionize education. He argues that skills learned on platforms like YouTube should earn formal college credits, promoting a shift towards recognizing ‘Credit for Prior Learning’ (CPL). Joe also shares tips for aspiring video creators, emphasizing the role of AI in easing content creation. The conversation challenges traditional education by highlighting the modern learner's expectations and the need for institutions to adapt.

What makes you click away immediately from a video vs. stay glued to the screen? Maybe it’s overwhelming background music or cursor movements that make you feel seasick.We’ve all seen videos that don’t quite click for us (and perhaps made a few of them ourselves). So, in this episode, we look at common instructional video mistakes to avoid to keep your learners watching. It’s an older episode and one of our most popular ones but is still packed with plenty of must-know tips.Host Matt Pierce sits down with Andrew DeBell (Sr. Learning Solutions Strategist at Atlassian), Cara North (Founder and Chief Learning Consultant for The Learning Camel), and Chandra Owen (our former Lead Instructional Designer), to hear their biggest tips on pacing, audio, editing, and how to make sure viewers get the most valuable information. And because this is a safe space here, everyone shares their own common mistakes and things they’re still working on. After all, even the pros can make mistakes.P.S. Matt also reveals news about a brand new free TechSmith tool – Camtasia Online. Listen out for details in the intro or click the link below. Learning points from the episode include:00:00 – 04:00 Introduction to Cara, Andrew and Chandra04:00 – 08:23 When do you choose to use video?08:23 – 11:37 One tip for improving how they use video or images in their work11:37 – 12:27 Ad break12:27 – 15:22 The number one thing that ruins a good video15:22 – 21:09 Small mistakes that can make a video hard to watch21:09 – 26:04 The top reasons people stop watching videos26:04 – 30:34 Music at the top/tail end of a video30:34 – 34:07 Using picture in picture in video best practices34:07 – 39:09 The mistakes we’ve made and are still working on39:09 – 43:08 Speed round questions43:08 – 43:58 Best place to connect with Cara, Chandra and Andrew43:58 – 46:08 Final takes46:08 – 47:04 OutroImportant links and mentions:Connect with Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewdebell/Connect with Cara: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranorth11/Connect with Chandra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandraowen/Get started with Camtasia online: https://camtasia.techsmith.com/

Learning and development isn’t just up to the folks in the L&D department anymore. In this episode, we hear how modern workplace communication and learning extend to the wider organization, thanks to technology breaking down barriers in visual communication.Host Matt Pierce sits down with David Kelly, former Chairman and CEO of The Learning Guild, to explore how L&D has changed over his career and why the role of an L&D professional needs to go beyond just creating content.David brings over two decades of learning and performance leadership to this episode, sharing his take on how AI and modern communication tools are transforming the way we learn and share our messages across workplaces.We talk about the cultural shifts happening in L&D (and workplaces in general) in the age of AI and visual communication, plus how leaders can model those behaviors for their teams. He also breaks down the key skills that L&D people need today, including innate curiosity and the ability to articulate well.Learning points from the episode include:00:00 – 01:47 Introduction to David01:47 – 03:21 David’s biggest tip for using images or video in learning and development03:21 – 05:42 How to embrace areas of discomfort in modern learning design05:42 – 09:45 Why L&D pros need to move beyond the mindset of just producing content09:45 – 14:10 The must-have skills that L&D people need today14:10 – 16:43 The role of visuals in modern workplaces and L&D16:43 – 20:34 How to get people to embrace using visuals as part of their everyday lives 20:34 – 25:00 What leaders can do to push that culture forward25:00 – 29:50 David’s speed round questions29:50 – 30:41 David’s final take on L&D30:41 – 31:34 OutroImportant links and mentions:Connect with David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lnddave/

Want to know the secrets of the L&D content pros?Become an even better visual designer today with these simple, quick tips for improving your approach to creating content. We hear from three visual design and learning strategy experts in part two of our special 250th episode celebration.Hear how to escape the “curse of knowledge” from Abbey Cooke, Director of Training & Onboarding at Effective School Solutions, why visuals should be the supporting act not the star of the show from Jeff Weaver, Expert in L&D, Training, Culture, and OD, and how to stay organized with your content strategy from Robyn Defelice, Intrapreneur, Author & Presenter, Learning Strategist for her company RADLearning.Learning points from the episode include:00:00 - 01:32 Introduction01:32 - 03:06 Abbey’s advice for overcoming the “curse of knowledge”03:06 - 05:03 2 tips for being more effective with your learning design05:03 - 09:37 Jeff’s advice on how to use visuals to support the message09:37 - 14:03 Robyn’s process of using templates, batching, and staying on track14:03 - 18:05 Tools that help Robyn stay organized and productive18:05 - 18:24 OutroImportant links and mentions:Connect with Abbey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbey-like-the-road/Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreybweaver/Connect with Robyn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rdefelice/

We like to ask anyone who joins The Visual Lounge, what’s your one take you want to give our audience? It’s an open-ended question so we always get a good variety of unique answers and love hearing the advice, life lessons, and mindset changes we can apply to using video and images in our work. To celebrate our 250th episode milestone, we bring together friends of The Visual Lounge to ask them this question.  In part one of this episode, you’ll hear from: Betty Dannewitz, Learning Solutions Architect at Blanchard  Jeff Batt, Course Author & Owner at Learning Dojo Destery Hildenbrand, Learning & Development Consultant at Destery1Kenobi Kassy Laborie, Speaker, Author, Virtual Training Pioneer at Kassy LaBorie Consulting Nick Floro, Learning Architect, CEO at SealWorks Interactive Studios Each one offers insights into their own processes and fresh and valuable advice. We talk about everything from pushing through creative blocks, using AI to help with storyboarding or writing, gathering feedback from learners, to becoming a repurposing pro. Tune in to hear from experts who are living and breathing the world of video and visual design.For part two, we’ll be talking to more great people to hear their thoughts and advice on how they approach content creation. Stay tuned for more coming soon!Learning points from the episode include: 00:00 - 00:46 Introduction 00:46 - 01:30 Jeff Batt shares backstory on his career 01:30 - 02:47 Why you need to be an artisan 02:47 - 04:29 What to do when you feel stuck in a creative rut 04:29 - 08:34 Destery’s advice for staying up to date with the latest tech   08:34 - 09:45 Concrete benefits of using AI  09:45 - 11:08 Why Kassy Laborie sees AI as a handy writing partner 11:08 - 12:33 How using AI helps Kassy achieve her goals 12:33 - 13:36 How AI helps Kassy assess writing  13:36 - 15:59 Nick Floro talks about how easy it is to get feedback these days 15:59 - 17:30 How you can get L&D departments to buy into using new tech  17:30 - 20:22 The trend of AI tool integration in everyday tools  20:22 - 22:10 Betty Dannewitz’s tips for creating extra content  22:10 - 23:16 How repurposing content affects how you build it in the first place  23:16 - 24:08 Outro  Important links and mentions: Camtasia: https://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/audiate Betty Dannewitz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ifyouaskbetty/  Betty’s website: https://ifyouaskbetty.com  Jeff Batt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffbatt/ Destery Hildenbrand: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desteryhildenbrand/ Kassy Laborie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kassylaborie/  Kassy’s website: https://kassylaborie.com/  Nick Floro: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickfloro/  Sealworks Interactive Studios: https://www.sealworks.com/ 

Is video always the best way to teach something? Video has transformed the world of workplace learning and still makes up a huge part of it today. Just about any workplace, big or small, can create training videos with minimal cost. But it doesn’t always make it the right tool for the job.In this throwback episode of The Visual Lounge, host Matt Pierce revisits a conversation with Jonathan Halls, author and head of his own company as a workplace learning and talent development consultant.Jonathan breaks down the three questions to ask to determine whether video is the right medium to use and his take on why overly polished content isn’t always necessary. We get a little geeky about learning science to explore how learning actually occurs in the viewer’s minds and how this shaped Jonathan’s whole mindset on training content. Learning points from the episode include:00:00 – 01:08 Why we’re revisiting this episode 01:08 – 03:56 Introduction to Jonathan03:56 – 04:52 Jonathan’s quick tips for using video in workplace learning04:52 – 06:04 The mindset shift Jonathan recommends 06:04 – 09:24 Three questions to ask to decide on a learning medium 09:24 – 14:47 How to provoke learning with video and why “learning” requires context 14:47 – 18:06 Where video is most effective in the learning journey18:06 – 22:38 Do learning videos need to be overly polished?22:38 – 29:41 Jonathan gives a quick breakdown on why he wrote his book 29:41 – 33:14 Speed round questions33:14 – 34:30 Jonathan’s final take34:30 – 35:55 OutroImportant links and mentions:Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhalls

In just a few short years, AI usage has boomed in the content creation world. Not just that, it’s also changed a LOT, and in ways many of us never predicted. In this episode, Matt Pierce takes us back to 2023 when many of us were still experimenting with AI and had bold predictions about its future. He asked the audience on LinkedIn for predictions, fears, and insights into how people were using AI for video content. How much has changed since then? Were our predictions right? Matt unpacks some of the top trends people were discussing, including AI for accessibility, dynamic learning, user-generated content, and the ins and outs of video production. A common theme that’s still relevant today is the role of authenticity and the human voice in our content. While AI can do a lot of the grunt work and can help us turn ideas into finished products, the human voice is still king. Learning points from the episode include:00:00 - 01:53 Introduction to the “State of the Union” of AI today01:53 - 03:45 A look back at the LinkedIn conversation and how things have changed03:45 - 04:42 How tech specifications have changed04:42 - 07:51 AI’s role in enhancing video production07:51 - 08:42 Why automation hasn’t eliminated the need for authentic voices 08:42 - 09:25 How future videos might adjust content for dynamic learning09:25 - 10:13 Accessibility enhancements with AI tools10:13 - 11:36 The future of interactive video11:36 - 16:15 The rise of user-generated content in learning16:15 - 17:10 How more digitization will affect learning content17:10 - 23:18 The value of human connection and authenticity 23:18 - 26:21 Future tech and platform-specific considerations26:21 - 27:33 Join the conversation27:33 - 27:59 OutroImportant links and mentions:Audiate: https://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/audiate/Connect with Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewrpierce/