The Visual Lounge

It’s The Visual Lounge’s third birthday! To celebrate, host Matt Pierce shares some of the most memorable and insightful moments from the past three years. This episode features clips from Brian Fanzo, Cara North, Josh Cavalier and plenty of other incredible guests discussing the importance of understanding your viewers, making the first jump into video, why accessibility is essential and lots more. A huge thank you to all of our guests and every listener who has tuned in. Here’s to another three years! Learning points from the episode include: 00:00 – Introduction 00:10 – A message from Matt Pierce 02:12 – Josh Cavalier on understanding your audience 03:10 – Owen Hemseth/Owen Video on the G.R.E.A.T. principle 05:00 – Brian Fanzo on identifying what makes you great on video 07:09 – Jonathan Halls on taking inspiration from TV 08:58 – Lee LeFever on storytelling on video 11:22 – Diana Howells explains B.L.E.A.C.H.  13:26 – Matt Pierce on making the most of your equipment 15:17 – Peter Hopwood on the benefits of being self-critical 16:45 – Elizabeth Pierce on using video to engage an audience 18:28 – Matt Pierce and Jayne Davids on speeding up your video production 21:50 – Paul Wilson on why quality is key 23:37 – Andrew DeBell on making videos look better 25:07 – Matt Pierce on why you should cut more from videos 26:22 – Emily Weiss on using interaction to engage with your audience 28:28 – Cara North on the value of accessibility 31:20 – Edie Clark on why now is the time to create videos 33:03 – Josh Cavalier on aiming high in video 34:43 – Troy Hunt on why perfect is the enemy of good 35:57 – Matt Tidwell on how to make your first video 37:36 – Matt Pierce on getting better every day 38:02 – Outro  Important links and mentions: Josh Cavalier Connect with Josh on LinkedIn Follow Josh on Twitter Follow Josh on Instagram Visit Josh’s website Owen Video Connect with Owen on LinkedIn Subscribe to Owen’s YouTube channel Brian Fanzo Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Follow Brian on Twitter Visit Brian’s website Subscribe to Brian’s YouTube channel Lee LeFever Connect with Lee on LinkedIn Visit Lee’s website Jonathan Halls Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn Visit Jonathan’s website Diana Howles Connect with Diana on LinkedIn Visit the Howles Associates website Matt Pierce Connect with Matt on LinkedIn Follow Matt on Twitter Peter Hopwood Connect with Peter on LinkedIn Follow Peter on Twitter Follow Peter on Instagram Elizabeth Pierce Connect with Elizabeth on LinkedIn Follow Elizabeth on Twitter Jayne Davids Connect with Jayne on LinkedIn Visit the Raiveon website Paul Wilson Connect with Paul on LinkedIn Follow Paul on Instagram Follow Paul on Twitter Visit Paul’s website Subscribe to Paul’s YouTube channel Andrew DeBell Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn Visit Andrew’s website Emily Weiss Connect with Emily on LinkedIn Cara North Connect with Cara on LinkedIn Follow Cara on Twitter Visit Cara’s website Subscribe to Cara on YouTube Andy Owen Connect with Andy on LinkedIn Edie Clarke Connect with Edie on LinkedIn Visit Edie’s website Subscribe to Edie on YouTube Troy Hunt Connect with Troy on LinkedIn Follow Troy on Twitter Visit Troy’s website Matt Tidwell  Follow Matt on Instagram Follow ThinkThru on Instagram Visit the ThinkThru website Subscribe to ThinkThru on YouTube 

If you want to upgrade your sales strategy, first start with how you communicate. Emails and phone calls can only take you so far.  If you want to communicate in a way that gets the message across and helps you stand out, then images and videos are the way to go.  In this episode of The Visual Lounge, Peyton Towler, Head of Global Growth at TechSmith, breaks down how videos and images can help you sell more effectively. He also shares some advice on how to help people who aren’t confident on camera, how to get the balance right when communicating with prospects, and the benefits of personalized videos.  Learning points from the episode include: 00:00 – Introduction 02:46 – How Peyton first got involved with sales 05:15 – How Peyton defines success in sales 07:05 – Peyton’s top tip for using images and video   09:02 – Using images and video in sales on a daily basis 10:45 – The best use cases for videos and images internally and externally 14:05 – Tips for those uncomfortable with using video 17:10 – How to protect the brand in a team using images and video 20:49 – Using generic vs. personalized videos 22:52 – How to determine whether using video and images are worth it 26:10 – The value of personalized videos 28:00 – Speed round questions  34:32 – Peyton’s final take Important links and mentions: Connect with Peyton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peyton-towler/ 

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