The Visual Lounge

Video production is more accessible than ever, making it a viable option for all content creators. But what is it about video that makes it such an excellent option for training professionals? On this episode of The Visual Lounge, we are joined by Abbey Cooke, Learning and Digital Collaboration Manager at Southern States Cooperative and owner of Lizard Brain Learning. Abbey shares how she got started in her industry, why she prioritizes the social aspects of training and how she measures her success. Plus, she provides tips on adding a touch of creativity to training content and gives us the top secrets behind her 60k+ follower TikTok profile.  Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Intro 01:45 – How Abbey got started making videos and images 03:51 – How to define success in video creation and social media 06:16 – A tip for video and image production 07:33 – How short-form video has impacted Abbey’s work 10:55 – The social aspect of training 14:18 – What helps build bridges between remote trainees? 15:50 – What should be a video vs another type of content? 20:37 – Metrics and indicators 22:10 – Applying creativity to corporate social media content 26:37 – Extra advice from Abbey 28:36 – Abbey’s TikTok tips and tricks 30:56 – Abbey’s Speed Round questions 36:57 – Final take 37:41 – Outro  Important links and mentions: Connect with Abbey on LinkedIn Visit the Lizard Brain Learning website Follow Abbey on Instagram Follow Abbey on TikTok Subscribe to Lizard Brain Learning on YouTube 

*Drumroll*  Snagit 2024 is out and packed full of new and improved features to help you make video a part of your everyday toolkit – whether you’re a beginner or a video pro.  In this episode of The Visual Lounge, we sat down with TechSmith’s Nick Rich, Associate Technical Product Manager, who has been responsible for helping us launch these brilliant new features. Hear Nick explain how our new mouse cursor options, timeline display, combined videos, and sharing features can help to take the hassle out of creating videos.  Learning points from the episode include: 02:39 – How Nick got his role at TechSmith 04:05 – What makes successful images and videos? 06:00- Nick’s top tip for working with images and videos 10:43 – Snagit 2024’s new cursor features 14:09 – A look at the new Snagit timeline display 16:40 – How Snagit users can combine videos  21:59 – How to share Snagit captures with Microsoft Teams and more 25:35 – Features you may have missed in Snagit 26:30 – Why we decided to enhance Snagit’s onboarding experience 27:12 – How to use Snagit’s share link feature 29:59 - Nick’s favorite Snagit 2024 feature 30:45 – Speed round questions 36:21 – Nick’s final take  Important links and mentions: Download Snagit 2024: https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html Connect with Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-rich/ 

Looking to deploy social learning in your workplace? Prioritize what your people need and identify how they want to experience it. Nicole Papaioannou Lugara, Learning Strategist and founder of Your Instructional Designer, joins this episode of The Visual Lounge to share top tips on implementing social learning, pitching it to your C-suite and determining whether it’s doing its job. Plus, she explores why video is so effective for social learning and why authenticity should always be front of mind. Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 2:14 – How Nicole got into instructional design 4:25 – What defines success for social learning? 6:23 – Nicole’s tip for using video and images in the workplace 9:16 – What good social learning could look like 10:41 – Can social learning just be natural? 11:49 – What makes it work/not work? 13:29 – What can prevent social learning from working well? 15:01 – The most creative ways to implement social learning 17:32 – The best ways to measure social learning’s success 22:08 – Why video works for social learning 28:33 – Be inspired! 30:21 – Speed round 35:51 – Nicole’s final take 36:36 – Outro  Important links and mentions: Connect with Nicole on LinkedIn Follow Nicole on Instagram Visit Nicole’s website Subscribe to Nicole’s YouTube channel 

Content can be the glue between your operations and your customers’ experiences, but how can image and video creators best use customer insights to make that content effective? On this episode of The Visual Lounge, Sunny Hunt, founder and CEO of Hunt Interaction, shares top tips for creating effective content to bridge that gap with your customers. Plus, she tells us the best ways to get to know your audience, spread the customer-first mindset across your organization and reap the benefits of generative AI.  Learning points from the episode include: 00:00 – Intro 02:20 – How Sunny got started in customer experience 03:39 – Defining success in her work 05:09 – Advice on using videos and images to bridge the gap with customers 07:10 – What content Sunny focuses on 08:27 – How knowing your audience leads to better content 10:16 – Building a better connection with customers (the first steps) 14:01 – Make building better customer connections a team-wide mindset 16:30 – Sunny’s views on AI to help build customer connections 20:46 – The potential authenticity hazards of generative AI 26:12 – Sunny’s favorite tools to connect with customers 28:47 – Sunny’s Speed Round answers 38:11 – Final take 39:21 – Outro  Important links and mentions: Connect with Sunny on LinkedIn Follow Sunny on Twitter Visit Sunny’s website 

If you put lots of effort into creating images and videos, you want it to have an impact, right?  That’s what we chat about in this episode of The Visual Lounge with Mike Simmons, Speaker, Advisor, Coach, Fractional CRO/Sales Leader, and Enabler for Catalyst A.C.T.S. Mike shares how he first got started with images and video, and why simply starting can be the hardest but most important step. We hear about his method for balancing impact vs. energy when creating content and why you need to create and get feedback to find that sweet spot and level up your skills.  Learning points from the episode include: 00:00 – Introduction 03:31 – How Mike first started using images and video 05:01 – What makes a successful video 06:45 – Mike’s method for getting feedback  09:19 – Mike’s top tip for making images and videos  11:36 – How Mike defines “accelerating impact” with video 14:08 – The tools Mike uses to help him create videos  19:29 – Mike’s advice for getting started  24:30 – How you build momentum after getting started 26:31 – Overcoming the risks of experimenting with videos  31:52 – Questions to ask yourself to motivate you to start creating 33:51 – Speed round questions  39:38 – Mike’s final take Important links and mentions: Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesimmons/ Catalyst A.C.T.S: findmycatalyst.com Catalyst A.C.T.S’ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa66Q2SqaPCA_TbhrOVNOCA 

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