The Visual Lounge

What can learning and development professionals learn from marketing experts? That’s the question we tackle in this episode of The Visual Lounge featuring Danielle Wallace, Chief Learning Strategist from Beyond the Sky. Danielle specializes in coming up with innovative ways to infuse marketing into training to create learning content that sticks.Believe it or not, we can learn so much from marketing teams, especially when it comes to identifying learner (or consumer) personas, defining the content’s objectives, and creating materials and resources that our target audience wants and needs.So, where should we begin when it comes to bridging the gap between marketing and training? Tune in to this amazing episode of The Visual Lounge to find out and get ready to take your training to a new level.Learning points from the episode include:How Danielle transitioned from marketing to learning and developmentWhat makes good content How to focus your core video strategy on consumer behavior Why you shouldn’t have more than one message per videoWhy you should take a disciplined approach to video creationTips to inject drama into your video contentHow to get to “the drama” of your contentWhat learning and development professionals can learn from marketingWhat marketing teams can take away from learning and development teamsThe importance of putting time into your learning coursesHow Danielle keeps her ‘creative well’ full of ideasTips to help develop your marketing teamImportant links and mentions:The Visual Lounge: https://bit.ly/tvlsubscribeBeyond the Sky: https://www.beyondthesky.caDanielle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellewallace/?originalSubdomain=caLearn more about the TechSmith Academy.To read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, go to: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/video-lessons-from-marketing

With the world shifting more into virtual spaces, live events are becoming the order of the day. If you’re in the L&D community,it’s probably time to think about ways to manage your time, space, tech and everything in between. To speak more on how to own your virtual training space, Kassy LaBorie, the Founder of Kassy LaBorie Consulting, LLC and virtual classroom master trainer, joined The Visual Lounge. Kassy is the “Original Virtual Training Hero" and is in the business of helping people give their best in virtual training sessions. She covers everything from live virtual training events to webinars and ways to connect better with your audience. In this episode, Kassy reveals the various ways she connects with her audience, how her producers help her streamline her messages, and the ins and outs of becoming a virtual training hero.Learning points from the episode include:How Kassy got into online L&DHow to get people more engaged in the learning processHow learning objectives influence participant numbersWhat it means to have someone producing a live eventWhat makes a good producerThe dynamics of the producer-moderator relationshipKassy’s advice about making mistakes during live videosWhat differentiates live videos from pre-recorded videosKassy gives some insights into “The Virtual Trainer’s Guide to Becoming a Hero”Important links and mentions:The Visual Lounge: https://bit.ly/tvlsubscribeKassy’s Site: https://kassyconsulting.com/Kassy’s E-Guide: https://kassyconsulting.com/the-virtual-trainers-guide-to-becoming-a-hero/Kassy’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kassylaborie/Learn more about the TechSmith Academy.To read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, go to: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/the-power-of-producers

What makes graphics click with your audience?Is it your skill level, the finer details like color or shape, or could it be something else altogether? While those things definitely contribute to the success of your graphics, you could still end up producing graphics that just don’t work even if you have the skills to show for it.Mike Parkinson, author and Founder of Billion Dollar Graphics, joins this episode of The Visual Lounge to explain what it takes to make graphics that work. He explains why graphic designers need to appeal to their target audience on two different levels — emotionally and intellectually.Besides being the founder of Billion Dollar Graphics, Mike is a world-renowned communication and presentation expert, best-selling author, and professional trainer. He’s also a partner at 24 Hour Company, which is a premier creative services firm. Learning points from the episode include:Why you need to understand the way people consume contentHow to take a motivator-means approach to create visually compelling contentHow to make your graphics workWhy defining your message is importantHow to avoid overdoing it with graphicsHow to pick the right aesthetic styleTips for creating material design graphicsWhen to use graphics vs. textImportant links and mentions:The Visual Lounge: https://bit.ly/tvlsubscribe Billion Dollar Graphics: https://www.billiondollargraphics.com/Mike’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-parkinson-microsoft-mvp-apmp-fellow-bb364/24 Hour Company: https://24hrco.com/Mike’s email address: mike@billiondollargraphics.comLearn more about the TechSmith Academy .To read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, go to: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/graphics-that-dont-work

Using stories to make more impactful videos is not a new idea. But it’s an overlooked part of video creation, especially when it comes to tutorials or corporate videos.But storytelling isn’t just for the fun, creative videos out there. Even if you’re creating a video tutorial about car insurance, injecting a little storytelling can go a long way in hitting your primary video goal – connecting with your audience.Andrew Kan, filmmaker, storyteller, and YouTube creator, joined The Visual Lounge to talk all about story, and how it can help you level up your video skills.Andrew helps people overcome the hurdles stopping people from achieving their creative goals. He’s an experienced film director and has produced award-winning documentaries for film festivals.Andrew is skilled in storytelling, YouTube search engine optimization, camera operation, and all things filmmaking. You may know him from his time as Director of Video Production at TubeBuddy, where he used his skills to grow TubeBuddy’s YouTube channel from 6,000 to 525,000 subscribers. This episode has plenty of nuggets of wisdom from Andrew that can benefit all sorts of content creators.Learning points from the episode include:Why videos are about creating connections with your audienceHow to improve your skills by watching othersHow to inject storytelling into your videosWhy professional gear is less important than you thinkHow to keep people watchingWhat to do when you feel demotivated about your videosImportant links and mentions:Andrew Kan’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndrewKAndrew Kan’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndrewKanFilmThe Kan Do Creator Community on Discord: https://discord.com/invite/4kKxvYTaW4Learn more about the TechSmith Academy here.To read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, go to: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/impactful-story-videos

What’s the secret to the perfect video editing workflow? Same as for many great questions we hear, the true answer is that it depends. But it all depends on you.Building a workflow that’s efficient, doesn’t cut corners, and saves time can take a while to figure out, especially if you’re new to it all. But once you’ve figured out what works for you, you can start to level up your videos and fine-tune your craft. The Visual Lounge host Matt Pierce breaks down a sample video editing workflow that covers the main areas of video editing, from organizing your footage to adding audio and graphics. Download our workflow example or feel free to mix and match each element to find out what works for you. Learning points from the episode include:Why you should create a video editing workflowHow organizing your footage can save you a lot of time How to create a rough cut vs. fine cut What you need to know about adding audio and visual effectsWhen to color correct your videosWhy video editing is about finding what works for youWhy it’s so important to experiment and try new editing tacticsImportant links and mentions:Camtasia: https://www.techsmith.com/video-editor.html Video editing workflow: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0e0weizistb0wh2/TechSmith_VideoEditingWorkflow.pdf?dl=1Learn more about the TechSmith Academy.To read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, go to: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/video-editing-workflow

How do people really learn? As an instructional designer or learning and development professional, understanding how people learn helps you deliver training that hits the nail on the head. It’s more complicated than learning styles or picking video over written instructions. In fact, there’s a whole science behind it. Clark Quinn, Executive Director of Quinnovation, joins this episode of The Visual Lounge to impart some words of wisdom and share his knowledge on the science of learning.He takes us through what the research shows and busts some common myths we could all do with putting to bed.Clark provides learning experience design strategies for corporations, higher education, government, and not-for-profit organizations. He’s an award-winning consultant, an internationally known speaker, and author of six books. He integrates a deep understanding of thinking and learning with technology to improve organizational execution, innovation, and ultimately performance. Learning points from the episode include:Why learning science is key for businesses Why practice is essential for real learning How to learn in ways you can apply The problem with learning style theories Why context is important in learningThe benefits of multimedia learning What the research says about learning Important links and mentions:Quinnovation: https://quinnovation.com/ Clark’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/quinnovator/Clark’s books: https://quinnovation.com/books.htmlLearn more about the TechSmith Academy.To read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, go to: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/creating-effective-learning

It may be considered the most basic part of editing, but there’s nothing basic about a cut.Cuts can be powerful tools in the hands of anyone who knows how to wield them. They don’t just make videos look way cooler, they bring an extra dash of clarity, brevity, and seamlessness to the table.In this episode of The Visual Lounge, Matt Pierce takes us through some handy cutting techniques as well as how to use them on Camtasia or any other video editing tool. This is a great episode to sink your teeth into if you’re looking to grasp the ABCs of video editing.Learning points from the episode include:Why cuts are a vital part of editingHow cuts provide clarityWhy context is important when using cutsHow and when it’s best to use a jump cutWhat makes cuts tricky in screen recordingsHow to juxtapose different media with J and L cutsThe importance of sound effectsImportant links and mentions:Camtasia: https://www.techsmith.com/video-editor.htmlLearn more about the TechSmith Academy https://academy.techsmith.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=visuallounge&utm_content= video-cuts-you-should-knowTo read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, go to: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/video-cuts-you-should-know

Are you ready to level up your video creation skills this year?Whether you’ve been creating videos for the past month or several years, there’s always room for improvement to make your content the best it can possibly be.    Matt Pierce, host of The Visual Lounge, breaks down some ways to hone your skills, improve your videos, and level up for 2022. If you want to make 2022 your year for video, start by tuning in to this episode.Learning points from the episode include:Why you should try out video types you usually don’t makeWhy you should hit record more oftenHow to make tiny changes to improve your videosWhy it’s so important to learn your tools Important editing techniques to rememberHow templates can streamline your videosWhy following standards can help you make videos faster How to slowly upgrade your space and gearWhy feedback is essentialImportant links and mentions:Camtasia: https://www.techsmith.com/video-editor.html Camtasia templates: https://library.techsmith.com/camtasia/assets/Customizable/Templates Snagit: https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html TechSmith Academy: https://www.techsmith.com/academy.html Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits Learn more about the TechSmith Academy.To read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, go to: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/making-better-videos

Snagit 2022 is here! And it comes packed with brand new and updated features to help instructional designers, L&D professionals, and anyone who wants to create video level up their content. To explain more about what’s new on Snagit and why, TechSmith’s Chris Larson, Technical Product Manager and Daniel Foster, Strategy Manager, joined The Visual Lounge to give us a breakdown.Chris currently works remotely with an amazing development team dedicated to Snagit.He’s a graduate of Michigan State University and joined TechSmith 14 years ago with a background in user experience design. Daniel heads up the marketing and product strategy side for Snagit. He has 16 years of software industry experience in marketing, communications, content creation, and social media. Daniel has previously spoken at STC Summit, LavaCon, tcworld, and other conferences. Whether you’ve been a long-standing Snagit fan from the very beginning or are looking to get started, this episode is full of new updates and tips on what you can get out of the tool.Learning points from the episode include:Why Snagit has been a popular tool for over 30years Why visual communication and the need for tools like Snagit has boomedHow Snagit’s cloud library worksWho Snagit is for How TechSmith prioritized and implemented changes for Snagit 2022Brand new and updated features to check outHow using templates on Snagit can transform your instructional videos Important links and mentions:Snagit: https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html Snagit Assets: https://library.techsmith.com/snagit Snagit tutorials: https://www.techsmith.com/learn/tutorials/snagit/  What’s New in Snagit 2022: https://www.techsmith.com/learn/tutorials/snagit/whats-new/  Learn more about the TechSmith Academy here.To read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, go to: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/snagit-2022-revealed

What’s new in the world of instructional and informational video? If you’re in the business of creating videos, having the latest research and stats at hand is always important.Luckily, we’ve got you covered. We’ve just released our 2021 Video Viewer Study – a collaboration between TechSmith and Dr. Jane Bozarth, Director of Research at The Learning Guild. We publish this study every year, but this time, we invited Jane to help us out as an unbiased third party. Jane joined this special episode of The Visual Lounge to discuss the most interesting findings and what they mean for video creators going forwards. Jane is a veteran classroom trainer who transitioned to the world of eLearning in the late 90s and hasn’t looked back since. Jane now specializes in finding low-cost ways to provide online training solutions. She’s the author of several books, including E-Learning Solutions on a Shoestring, Social Media for Trainers, and Show Your Work: The Payoffs and How-To's of Working Out Loud. Take a look at our updated findings on video viewer habits and trends in the link below, or tune in to the episode to hear more from Jane. Learning points from the episode include:Why we’ve become a video-consuming societyHow the reason people watch videos correlates to how often they watchWhy titles and descriptions are so importantWhat the data says about video lengthWhy you should always focus on what’s important to the learner/viewerHow to keep people watching your videosWhy audio is the most important aspect of a videoImportant links and mentions:Video Viewer Study 2021: https://assets.techsmith.com/Docs/TechSmith-Video-Viewer-Study-2021-Report.pdf Video Statistics, Habits, and Trends You Need To Know [2021 UPDATE!]: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/video-statistics/Jane’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janebozarth/Learn more about the TechSmith Academy.To read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, go to: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/what-viewers-want-2021