It’s no news that our attention spans are tiny in the modern world of online content, social media, and everything else on the internet. For video creators, this means it’s a constant battle to grab attention and share information that people absorb. You might think you’re safe in the L&D space. After all, workplace educational content means you have a somewhat captive audience. But is that audience really engaging with and absorbing the content? Or is that content competing for brain...

If you want to level up your content creation game and make the best videos possible, grab a pen and take some notes from this episode. We sit down with the Co-Founders of Millbrook Studios, Carl Lechner and Tripp Green, to hear about what makes a great video and how you can improve the performance of your content. Carl and Tripp share tips on how creators can battle with audiences’ dwindling attention spans to get the message across and how to keep people engaged with your content. They also...

New ways of working, besides being in the office all day, have been a huge talking point since the pandemic pushed many of us into remote or hybrid work. But is this trend dying down in 2024? We published the 2024 Workplace Flexibility Trends Report recently to dig into what the data says about workplace flexibility today. To talk through the findings, we welcomed two experts on workplace flexibility and analytics – Nida Mehtab, the CEO and Founder of Caryatid, and Kate Lister, President of...

At first glance, it might seem that marketing and Learning and Development (L&D) are very different. But if you dig a little deeper, they both have similar goals – to grab attention, raise awareness, and spread a message to the audience. So, what can L&D creators learn from marketing? It turns out a lot! In this episode of The Visual Lounge, we speak with Bianca Baumann, VP of Learning Solutions & Innovation at Ardent, and Mike Taylor, Learning Consultant at Nationwide, to get...

By now, many of us are content connoisseurs. With millions of videos out there in all different shapes and sizes, we need to be selective with what we consume vs. scroll past.  So, is your imagery – whether that’s images or videos – resonating with your audience? We invited Leanna Pham, Director & Executive Producer of the widely popular Social Pros Podcast, to The Visual Lounge to share her insights and expertise on creating imagery that engages audiences.  In this episode, she shares...

Times have changed in the world of video creation. The “rules” of the past have been broken, issuing a new age of how we make and watch videos.  Whether you’re a content creator, an influencer, or are creating videos in a corporate setting, you should still aim to master the basics of what makes a good video. After all, the goal of your video is to deliver value and solutions to your audience.  But how we approach shooting, scripting, editing, and everything in between is ripe for...

Getting content out there fast is more important than ever. You don’t want to keep people waiting for your content, after all. But getting faster at video creation is no easy thing, and the last thing you want is to push out low-quality content just in the name of speed.   In this episode of The Visual Lounge, we hear from Brandon Burtner, the Senior Director of Learning Strategies and Solutions at Scaled Agile, on his approach to accelerating workflows in video creation.   A big takeaway...

With millions of videos at our fingertips, what is it that makes you stop scrolling and click on a video?  Aaron King, an entrepreneur and filmmaker of the DeepSnap YouTube channel, joins this episode of The Visual Lounge to give his take on what makes scroll-stopping videos. We hear about how he got started in content creation, coming in from the world of entrepreneurship, and what he’s learned about content in the past few years.   Aaron talks about the power of video in helping to build...

Whether you’re in training, in learning development or you’re a creator making videos for your own YouTube channel, learning and understanding are key, which is why it’s great to welcome Dr Clark Quinn PhD back onto The Visual Lounge to talk about cognitive media.  Dr Quinn provides learning experiences and design strategy to corporations, higher education government, and not-for-profit organizations. He joins this episode to take a deep dive into the idea of cognitive properties as it...

Content creation is no walk in the park. While many underestimate what creators do all day, there’s a lot of work and necessary skills that go into producing content week in, week out.  Joining this episode of The Visual Lounge is Britt Carter, the Creator Success Manager at GigaStar and one-half of the duo behind The Betting Belle YouTube channel. Britt’s career has seen her work with big-name content creators, including MrBeast and Ryan Christopher Slots. Now, she runs her own YouTube...

How do you become a better video creator? Sometimes, other creators make the best teachers. Who better to learn from than those who have been in the same boat?  In this episode of The Visual Lounge, we speak with Rob Balasabas, the Head of Partnerships & Community at Uscreen, whose top tip for creators is to surround yourself with other creators.  Rob explains why collaboration, not competition, is key to succeeding in the creator space and shares stories of how he’s managed his own...

Script or no script – which side are you on when creating videos?  It’s one of the top debates in the video creation world, and there’s no clear-cut answer. After some recent experiments where we tossed out the script, we weigh up the pros and cons of scripting your videos in this episode.  Joining the debate are TechSmith’s Ryan Knott, Marketing Content Strategist, and Andy Owen, Video Producer, to share their thoughts on whether scripts are necessary and the best times to use one.  As a...

Whether you’re a B2B or B2C brand, grabbing and holding your audience’s attention is everything. So could YouTube be the ideal place to build a dedicated, long-term following?  On this episode of The Visual Lounge, Finn McKenty, founder of Punk Rock MBA and Head of Product at URM Academy, shares the benefits to creating YouTube content. He talks about how it’s less competitive than other social platforms and how it could help build rapport with your peers before meetings and talks.  But how...

Adding videos and GIFs to your customer learning strategy can add a brand-new dimension to your content. But what role do they play and how do you know which to choose?  Videos are useful during the onboarding process and for evergreen content, whereas GIFs can be helpful to explain advanced concepts, says Greg Mead, Senior Instructional Designer at ClickUp.  Greg joins The Visual Lounge to share how he creates content to engage thousands of learners with learning tool, ClickUp University. He...

If you’re a creative, pitching ideas to stakeholders can be stressful! So how can you adapt your strategies, control your variables and form ideas you’re proud to pitch?  Guy Bauer, Founder and Creative Director of B2B video marketing agency Umault, tells us his tips and tricks as he joins The Visual Lounge.   He says your first step should be to form a strong, clear idea that you’re happy with and that won’t be misunderstood by your management. Asynchronous communication is his go-to method...

On The Visual Lounge, we often talk about getting better, leveling up, and improving how we make and use video by 1%. It's great to talk about, but what's the secret to that happening? Pretty easy; you have to do something. However, for that to work, you need to not just talk about it but make the time available to play, experiment, to try new things with the videos you create. Thanks for being a viewer of the channel. From all of us at TechSmith & The Visual Lounge podcast, we want to...

Creating video content can be a highly effective way to spread the word about your brand and build authority in your industry. But the toughest thing can often be just getting started…  So how can professionals fight their fears and take those all-important first steps towards growing their business through video?  On this episode of The Visual Lounge, we ask someone who has been there and done it – Texas master plumber, entrepreneur and YouTuber Roger Wakefield. Roger is a plumber by trade...

Whether or not you have a brand-new camera or premium microphone, you are missing a trick if you don’t unlock the power of storytelling. But what makes it so important? And how can video creators reap the benefits?  YouTuber and video marketing course creator Amanda Horvath joins this episode of The Visual Lounge to share why storytelling should be the beating heart of your content.  She explains how to showcase your authentic self on camera, align your personality with company values on...

Creators can gain traction and build a dedicated following without hair and make-up, expensive cameras or top-of-the-range microphones – as long as they provide value to their audience.  Sharing valuable messages in a friendly, informative and engaging way is more than enough to start seeing success, says YouTuber, food blogger and cookbook author Lisa Childs.  Lisa joins this episode of The Visual Lounge to share her recipe for success, detailing her introduction to video creation and how...

Explore the art of efficient video creation with a focus on time management…  Each stage of production takes consideration, time and effort, so what tools and processes can you put in place to streamline your workflow and create fantastic videos faster? This is part 2 of our fascinating conversation with YouTube creator, speaker and entrepreneur, Nick Nimmin. In it he explains his super-organized video creation process and takes us through the tips, tricks and hacks that make his work...

For any video creator, efficiency is critical. Ideating, scripting, recording and editing can be hard work, so what can you put in place to make things run more smoothly?  On this episode, we ask Nick Nimmin, YouTube creator, entrepreneur and speaker for his tips and tricks. He takes a deep dive into his content creation strategy, explaining how he leverages audience feedback to form ideas for his videos and uses AI tools to speed up his workflow.  Plus, he shows us his content file...

Whether you create videos for YouTube or internal training content, you should have one top priority – keeping your audience engaged.  But what steps can you put in place to make sure this happens? And what should you do if your videos aren’t making the desired impact?  On this episode of The Visual Lounge, Matt Pierce shares top tips for making engaging YouTube and internal content, why jump cuts could be the simple tool that makes your videos more compelling and why it’s vital you know your...

Whatever type of presentation you’re delivering it’s important to remember that building a relationship with your audience is paramount. Your slides are not the presentation, you are the presentation, says Senior Director, Customer Education, Leslie Chamberlain.  Leslie joins this episode of The Visual Lounge to guide us through making effective, “sense rich” presentations faster, from concept to completion. She provides tips on keeping things clear and concise and balancing individualism...

To thrive in the modern workplace, good communication is critical. But how can managers identify the most efficient ways to exchange messages with their teams?  We asked Jane Bozarth, Director of Research at Learning Guild, to join us on The Visual Lounge and help unpack our recent research report, ‘Chaos to Clarity: How to Thrive in the Modern Workplace’.  Jane shares her thoughts on the most interesting findings from the research, explaining how to make meetings more productive, leverage...