The Visual Lounge

Is there a communication disconnect at your workplace? Maybe in-person or Zoom meetings are not working the way you’d like. Or perhaps lengthy emails are just causing more confusion than ever. In this episode of The Visual Lounge, we explore five “broken” workplace communication methods and ways to improve them. Communication can and should be flexible if you want to get your message across efficiently, and that might mean experimenting with things like video and asynchronous communication.  Joining this episode are TechSmith’s Emmie Musser, Senior Portfolio Marketing Manager, and Daniel Foster, Director of Strategy, who share some brilliant tips you can try out today. Learning points from the episode include: 00:00 – Introduction  02:43 – How Emmie first became interested in workplace communication 04:02 – What successful workplace communication looks like 05:34 – Tips for using visuals in the workplace  08:10 – How modern communication in the workplace is broken 10:52 – Why some organizations prefer in-person working 13:21 – The top ways communication is broken 17:00 – How to decide when to use visuals to communicate 22:11 – How to overcome the challenges of asynchronous working 24:16 – Advice for changing up workplace communication 28:43 – Why meetings without context are inefficient 30:18 – How asynchronous work can boost engagement 32:21 – A better way to deliver metrics updates 35:33 – How could AI change the way we communicate 38:19 – Speed round questions 44:56 – Daniel and Emmie’s final takes  Important links and mentions: Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielfoster/ Connect with Emmie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmiemusser/ An Experiment to Build an Async-First Culture: https://bit.ly/3KZuRuR  5 Ways You Never Thought To Use Snagit: https://www.techsmith.com/learn/webinars/5-ways-you-never-thought-to-use-snagit/

What’s the secret to effective customer education? On this episode of The Visual Lounge, Adam Avramescu, VP of Customer Education & Engagement at Personio, explains the principles behind his Customer Education Manifesto and how they can help your business reach positive outcomes for retention, expansion and lifetime value. Plus, he shares his route into the industry, how videos and images play a role in customer education and how to gauge success. Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 2:06 – Adam’s first steps into customer education 5:22 – Success in customer education 10:09 – Using images and videos 13:19 – What is the Customer Education Manifesto? 21:01 – Customer education to help a business scale 27:43 – Speed over quality? 34:54 – Is it OK to keep things simple? 39:08 – Adam’s Speed Round 44:53 – Final take 45:32 - Outro Important links and mentions: Connect with Adam on LinkedIn The Customer Education Manifesto ‘Customer Education’ book Listen to the CELab podcast 

What does success mean for customer education professionals, and how can they make sure they reach their goals? Debbie Smith, President of CEdMA, joins this episode of The Visual Lounge to share the top skills required to excel in customer education. She tells us her advice for creating customer education videos, the importance of keeping business goals in mind and the best metrics by which to gauge your success. Plus, Debbie makes her predictions for the future of customer education. Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 2:51 – Debbie’s first steps into customer education 5:23 – Why success in customer education can’t have one definition 6:25 – Top tip for using videos and images for customer education 8:17 – The best starting point for budding customer education pros 9:37 – Keeping a customer focus 13:00 – Balancing creative and business objectives 16:12 – Where do customer education pros sit within companies? 19:53 – Often-overlooked metrics 23:22 – What’s in store for the future of customer education? 26:55 – Top tips for certification programmes 30:52 – Why project management skills are crucial 31:58 – Debbie’s Speed Round 38:21 – Outro  Important links and mentions: Connect with Debbie on LinkedIn Visit the CEdMA website 

Creating video doesn’t always have to be complicated. The Visual Lounge guest Edie Clarke, Virtual Video Producer and Editor, explains in this episode why simpler is often better when it comes to video. Edie packs lots of advice into our discussion, including her top tip for creating videos, how to avoid perfectionism, the best approach to scripting, and much more.  We also get a glimpse into the kind of coaching she gives to clients who are trying to get better at creating videos themselves. Edie also shares some of the tools she uses every day with clients to create videos and run her business.  Learning points from the episode include: 00:00 - Intro  02:51 – How Edie started using video 05:08 – What success looks like for Edie 08:24 – Edie’s tip for improving how you use video  12:08 – Tips for keeping video simple 15:52 – Why audio is the most important part of creating videos 16:29 – Edie’s advice on writing scripts 19:35 – Common hangups people have when starting videos 23:36 – How to deal with perfectionism 27:36 – Hard lessons from a career of video creation 30:57 – Borrowing ideas and inspiration from other videos 31:46 – Speed round questions  37:57 – Edie’s final take on why you should embrace video  39:28 - Outro Important links and mentions: Connect with Edie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virtuallyinsync/  Edie Clarke’s website: https://edieclarke.com/  Edie Clarke’s YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@VirtuallyInSync

What’s the secret to anytime, anywhere training? This week’s guest makes the case for video.JD Dillon, Founder and Principal of LearnGeek and Chief Learning Officer at Axonify, joins this episode of The Visual Lounge. He explains how video can be used to train frontline workers, how it adds unique value for learners and why the communicator of the message is crucial to impactful video content. Plus, JD shares the story behind his book, The Modern Learning Ecosystem, and why, despite its power, video isn’t always the right medium to use.  Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Intro  2:14 – JD’s first steps into video 6:27 – Defining success in video 8:47 – One tip to make better videos with learning outcomes 12:21 – The challenges of creating learning content for frontline workers 17:59 – Why training needs support from everyone in the organization 23:04 – When is the video the right medium? 26:33 – Harnessing video the right way 27:55 – Anyone can create video! 30:14 – Details on JD’s book 34:28 – JD’s Speed Round 41:10 – JD’s final take 42:11 – Outro   Important links and mentions: Follow JD on LinkedIn Visit the LearnGeek website Visit the Axonify website Follow Axonify on Twitter The Modern Learning Ecosystem Framework 

It’s clear the world of video is changing, but what are the most significant shifts facing video creators in the near and distant future? On this episode of The Visual Lounge, Matt Pierce, our Learning & Video Ambassador, shares his thoughts on the future of video. Matt has given a presentation on what video creators should expect and asked industry experts, peers and former podcast guests for their predictions. Here, he shares some of the most prominent predictions, including how AI will shape production processes, the continued rise of user-generated content and the importance of accessibility. Plus, he explains why, whatever the future holds, authenticity is key. Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 2:19 – Things have already changed 3:34 – Are things getting easier? 4:17 – How AI will impact video 7:13 – The future of dynamic learning 8:05 – Enhancing accessibility and functionality 10:10 – The ongoing rise of user-generated content 14:50 – Some silly suggestions! 15:04 – Digitized backgrounds and virtual effects 15:30 – The importance of authenticity 17:49 – Maintaining human connection in video 21:46 – More predictions for the future 24:24 – Outro Important links and mentions: Matt’s LinkedIn post Follow Matt on LinkedIn Follow Matt on Twitter 

There’s always emotion behind change, so how can video creators convey change in a positive way, leaving their audience inspired? On this episode of The Visual Lounge, Jake Gittleson, Senior Expert in Learning Design at McKinsey & Company, shares his thoughts. Jake runs a research and innovation lab, helping individuals identify what they should be aware of and what they should consider changing, using video to get his messages across. Jake shares how he communicates change effectively through videos, detailing his processes, best practices and starting steps. Plus, he tells us about his podcast, The Learning Geeks, and reveals his proudest career moment. Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 2:13 – How Jake started using video in the workplace 4:22 – How he defines success in leading change through video 7:13 – One tip for using images and videos 8:55 – Jake explains his job 11:46 – Building human connection in videos 15:07 – The practical side of Jake’s work 17:06 – How you can get started storytelling on video today 18:38 – Telling the right story 21:13 – Jake’s favorite ways to tell stories 28:16 – Jake’s podcast, The Learning Geeks 30:15 – Speed Round questions 39:30 – Jake’s final take 40:16 - Outro Important links and mentions: The Learning Geeks podcast Matt’s appearance on Learning Geeks Find Britt Andreatta’s books Connect with Jake on LinkedIn 

Effective video content can encourage people to have deep conversations that help them develop in the workplace. But what are the first steps in using video to impact a learning culture? Andrew Barry, founder of learning consulting and creative production company, Curious Lion, shares his thoughts on this episode of The Visual Lounge. Plus, Andrew shares his definition of a learning culture, the do’s and don’ts of building one and why it starts with leadership. Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 2:28 – Andrew’s first experiences with video 4:46 – How he defines success for video 6:29 – One tip for those using video and images 8:42 – What is a learning culture? 10:59 – First steps to implement a learning culture 18:14 – Make the implicit explicit 20:51 – More ways video can impact learning culture 26:36 – Production quality for learning videos 34:26 – Advice for adopting a growth mindset 37:48 – How setting a learning culture helps you 38:26 – Andrew’s Speed Round questions 43:08 – Hear Andrew’s final take 44:13 – Outro  Important links and mentions: Follow Andrew on LinkedIn Follow Andrew on Twitter Subscribe to Andrew on YouTube Curious Lion Learning Subscribe to the Curious Lion Learning newsletter The Four Horsemen of the Work Culture Apocalypse article 

If you’re looking for a new way to educate your audience, showcase your value and spread your message, this is the episode for you! On this week’s The Visual Lounge, we are joined by Rob Wilson, video creator and YouTuber-in-Residence at VidIQ. He helps creators realize their ambitions and become financially sustainable in the process. Rob shares how he defines success on YouTube, tackles the biggest misconceptions around the platform and gives top tips for navigating the algorithm. Plus, he tells us three things you should know before starting out on YouTube. Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 2:35 – How Rob got started in video 5:59 – Defining success on YouTube 9:09 – Rob’s top tip for video creators 12:47 – The biggest misconceptions about YouTube 17:52 – What does your audience want? 20:36 – Benefits of having a strong presence on YouTube 25:17 – Top three things to know before starting out 30:14 – Using metrics and measuring growth 38:11 – Rob’s Speed Round 45:03 – Here’s Rob’s final take 46:17 – Outro  Important links and mentions: Find Rob on LinkedIn Follow VidIQ on Instagram Follow VidIQ on Twitter VidIQ website VidIQ on YouTube 

Ready to amplify your video production superpowers with AI? From prompting to finding tools and everything in between, this episode of The Visual Lounge is the perfect guide to get you started. Whether you’ve already started using it or feel afraid about jumping in, this episode is teeming with tips, ideas and pointers to help you unlock AI’s potential. We are joined by friend of the show and learning & development expert Josh Cavalier on this edition of The Visual Lounge. Josh guides us through AI best practices for every stage of production, how to overcome AI anxieties and how to engineer the optimal prompts for ChatGPT, plus loads more. In case you’ve not heard him on the show before, Josh also shares his career backstory and top video tips! Don’t miss out! Learning points from the episode include: Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 1:58 – How Josh uses video 2:41 – Finding video success 4:05 – One tip from Josh 5:38 – How AI helps Josh’s video processes 9:43 – Getting the best results from AI 14:02 – AI for scripting: the best practices 21:21 – Where to start with AI 26:51 – Combating AI anxiety 39:21 – Josh’s Speed Round 46:40 – Josh’s final take 47:09 – Outro   Important links and mentions: Eleven Labs Future Tools Josh’s website Subscribe to Josh on YouTube Follow Josh on LinkedIn