The Visual Lounge

What happens when everyone can create AI videos with just a text prompt?

We’re entering the “watch bait era” where AI-generated short clips may start dominating social media feeds, making it harder to distinguish between AI content, misinformation, and reality.

The technology is improving but still has real limitations. While AI avatars and lip-sync are getting better, we’re still dealing with 8-second clip restrictions, consistency issues (your character might lose their glasses between scenes), and the ongoing challenge of writing effective prompts.

Joining us is Myra Roldan, Founder and Chief AI Officer...

We've all sat through presentations that feel like a performance, polished, professional, but somehow disconnected. The speaker hits every point perfectly, yet we walk away feeling nothing. So, what's missing?

For this episode, we're revisiting a conversation with Leslie Chamberlain, Head of Customer Success at Gibbs Smith Education. Leslie knows that great presentations aren't about perfection, they're about connection.

She shares why infusing your personality into presentations matters more than hitting every bullet point, and reveals the secret to keeping audiences engaged through authentic delivery.

You'll hear Leslie's approach to making presentations "sense-rich,"...

What if your carefully crafted training course could become a content campaign that actually drives behavior change? Most L&D professionals create amazing content that gets consumed once and forgotten. But what if that single course could spawn dozens of touchpoints that reinforce learning over time?

We're seeing a shift where smart L&D teams are borrowing from marketing playbooks, and it's working. The secret isn't creating more content; it's strategically repurposing what you already have.

Joining this episode is Mike Taylor, Learning Consultant at Nationwide and co-author of "Think Like a Marketer, Train Like...

Have you ever watched a learning video and felt completely overwhelmed, even though the topic itself wasn't that complicated? That feeling of mental exhaustion is cognitive overload, and it's often the result of poor instructional design.

Host Matt Pierce introduces Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), a framework that explains how our brains process information and, more importantly, how we can design learning experiences that work with our cognitive limitations rather than against them.

Matt breaks down the three types of cognitive load: intrinsic (the inherent difficulty of the material), extraneous (unnecessary mental effort caused by poor...

Lo-fi and authentic works. Just look at the best short-form creators, they’ve figured out engagement. They know how to be authentic, intentional, and drop hooks that make people actually want to watch. No matter what kind of video’s you make, what can you learn from how short-form creators do it?

In this episode of The Visual Lounge, host Matt Pierce explores how creators, educators, and businesses can borrow the best parts of short-form video to make any kind of video more effective. Matt unpacks why lo-fi, authentic content often outperforms polished production, how to apply shor...

We've all been there, clicking on an instructional video only to sit through minutes of backstory when all we wanted was the solution. In a world where attention spans are shrinking, viewers want one thing: get to the point.

For this episode, we're revisiting a fantastic conversation with Doug Brunner, Customer Education Manager at TechSmith. Doug knows firsthand what makes instructional content work (and what makes viewers click away). He shares why leading with the 'how' beats starting with the 'why,' and reveals the secret to keeping audiences engaged from the first second.

You'll...

AI is transforming how we create content, but there’s also a growing problem: AI slop. It’s the flood of auto-generated videos, images, and text that takes up space without adding value; and we’re seeing it everywhere. So how do you use AI to enhance your work without the noise?  

Host Matt Pierce introduces TechSmith’s HUMAN Framework, a practical approach to keeping the human element at the center of AI-assisted content creation.  

We hear why your expertise and lived experience gives you access to nuance that AI can’t replicate, how authenticity has become c...

What if pro-level video creation didn't require a film crew, expensive equipment, or weeks of production time? Imagine literally describing what you want and having it appear on screen. 

We're living through a moment where AI video generation has gone from science fiction to "just about usable" reality. The technology is still rough around the edges (and yes, you might find yourself shouting at your computer.) But we're witnessing the evolution of something new. 

Joining us in this episode is Ellis Pratt, Director at Cherryleaf, a UK-based technical writing and training services company, and host of...

Customer education is a must-have for a lot of businesses these days, especially software companies. But reading thick manuals and wordy passages of jargon is no one’s idea of a good time. 

So what’s the key to great customer education?

For this episode, we look back at an older conversation we had with Greg Mead. Back then, he was Senior Instructional Designer at ClickUp, so we talked about ClickUp’s approach to instructional videos and the power of GIFs in learning design. Since the episode first went out, Greg has moved on to become...

What if we had to rebuild L&D from scratch? What could we do differently?

There have been rumblings in the L&D world that roles are gradually going to be replaced by AI. While we don’t predict an L&D apocalypse coming our way, maybe it’s time to start thinking differently about the role of L&D in broader business terms. 

Joining this episode is Tracie Cantu, Chief Learning Strategist at her company, Your CLO, and a Training Advisory Board Member at TechSmith. Tracie comes on the show with two decades of exper...

The internet’s relationship with visuals and video has been a rocky ship over the past few years, constantly pivoting and evolving. And most creators are either playing catch up or are stuck playing by the same old rules with limited success. 

But luckily, we have Andy Crestodina, Co-Founder and CMO of Orbit Media Studios, on the show to share his current strategies on how to make your visuals truly effective.  

Andy explains some of the top content mistakes he sees people make, how to use visuals to better deliver your message, and the number one...

Need to create an e-learning presentation but don’t have an eye for good visuals? This episode is for you! 

We revisit a great past episode with Diane Elkins, instructional design pro and owner of Artisan Learning. There’s so much solid advice in this episode on what works, what to avoid, and how visuals impact the learning experience (probably more than you think).

Diane explains how bad visuals inhibit learning, why simpler is often better, and why “slides” are due a name change. Plus, she gets on her soapbox to explain the real goal of e-lear...

It’s time to ditch the lectures. The secret to creating powerful learning content that people actually pay attention to and use in their daily lives is all about action. 

Dr. Karl Kapp introduces us to action-based learning in this episode – his go-to tactic for making learning more engaging, useful, and practical. Karl is a Professor of Instructional Technology at Bloomsburg University and the author of multiple books, including Action-First Learning and Learning in 3D.

He explains what action-based learning really looks like and why front-loading learners with bags of information is the wrong approach. His m...

How do some people just seem to command attention the moment they walk into a room? They’ve nailed their personal brand.

Dr. Dustin York, who's worked with everyone from the Obama campaign to Nike, breaks down the science behind personal branding and shares actionable tips you can start using today. Today he’s a Professor at Maryville University of St. Louis and a professional speaker for his business Dr. York Training where he shares advice on how to communicate more effectively.

He talks about the power of body language, consistent visual style, and how to b...

What if all that time you spent learning Python on YouTube or mastering Photoshop through online tutorials could actually count toward formal education credits?

For this episode, we’re at the U.S. Distance Learning Association’s (USDLA) latest conference, to talk with Dr. Joe Sallustio, veteran higher ed expert and Co-Founder and Host of The EdUp Experience podcast. We chat about how learning has fundamentally changed and why it may be time for higher education to wise up to the trend of video-based learning.  

After all, YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit are the go-to places for m...

What makes you click away immediately from a video vs. stay glued to the screen? Maybe it’s overwhelming background music or cursor movements that make you feel seasick.

We’ve all seen videos that don’t quite click for us (and perhaps made a few of them ourselves). So, in this episode, we look at common instructional video mistakes to avoid to keep your learners watching. It’s an older episode and one of our most popular ones but is still packed with plenty of must-know tips.

Host Matt Pierce sits down with Andrew DeBell...

Learning and development isn’t just up to the folks in the L&D department anymore. In this episode, we hear how modern workplace communication and learning extend to the wider organization, thanks to technology breaking down barriers in visual communication.

Host Matt Pierce sits down with David Kelly, former Chairman and CEO of The Learning Guild, to explore how L&D has changed over his career and why the role of an L&D professional needs to go beyond just creating content.

David brings over two decades of learning and performance leadership to this ep...

Want to know the secrets of the L&D content pros?

Become an even better visual designer today with these simple, quick tips for improving your approach to creating content. We hear from three visual design and learning strategy experts in part two of our special 250th episode celebration.

Hear how to escape the “curse of knowledge” from Abbey Cooke, Director of Training & Onboarding at Effective School Solutions, why visuals should be the supporting act not the star of the show from Jeff Weaver, Expert in L&D, Training, Culture, and OD, and how to stay...

We like to ask anyone who joins The Visual Lounge, what’s your one take you want to give our audience? It’s an open-ended question so we always get a good variety of unique answers and love hearing the advice, life lessons, and mindset changes we can apply to using video and images in our work. 

To celebrate our 250th episode milestone, we bring together friends of The Visual Lounge to ask them this question.  

In part one of this episode, you’ll hear from: 

Is video always the best way to teach something? Video has transformed the world of workplace learning and still makes up a huge part of it today. Just about any workplace, big or small, can create training videos with minimal cost. But it doesn’t always make it the right tool for the job.

In this throwback episode of The Visual Lounge, host Matt Pierce revisits a conversation with Jonathan Halls, author and head of his own company as a workplace learning and talent development consultant.

Jonathan breaks down the three questions to ask to de...

In just a few short years, AI usage has boomed in the content creation world. Not just that, it’s also changed a LOT, and in ways many of us never predicted.

In this episode, Matt Pierce takes us back to 2023 when many of us were still experimenting with AI and had bold predictions about its future. He asked the audience on LinkedIn for predictions, fears, and insights into how people were using AI for video content.

How much has changed since then? Were our predictions right? Matt unpacks some of the top trends people we...

Have you ever felt a little out of your depth when making an extra complex or brand new video type? Maybe AI could help.

Host Matt Pierce shares his experience as someone used to creating training content, adapting to creating content for a commercial. We hear about the script drafting process, the challenges of balancing feasibility, including budget and resources, with creative ideas, and the different stages of storyboarding.

Naturally, we should always look at tools to help us out in unfamiliar territory. So Matt breaks down how he’s been using AI for tasks li...

What’s really holding your learners back from absorbing the information they need? We’ve all been through training at some point that’s either confusing or too broad, or perhaps the kind that puts you to sleep.

The truth is that training and learning design are complicated. It’s a balancing act between the learners themselves (how they learn, their interests and attention span), the designers (their desire to create engaging content), subject matter experts (who have the knowledge but aren’t always the best teachers), and then the organization, which has its own goals to achieve.<...

You have just five seconds. So hook ‘em in, keep them watching, and make those seconds count.

Starting with a clear hook isn’t just for YouTubers looking to make it big. Even if you’re creating instructional videos that people have to watch for their job, you have just a few seconds to grab attention. If you don’t, the video might still play but their concentration will be long gone.

When you put all that effort into creating a video, the last thing you want is for your viewer to click away or leave it...

Here’s a secret… most people aren’t naturals on camera.

For many, it can be daunting and can even hold us back from trying to make videos in the first place. But if you’re running training or making content, video is no doubt a part of your job.

So how do you look good on camera? It’s a question we hear a lot, so we pulled this 2022 episode from out of the archive, which has some great tips from Diana Howles, the CEO and Co-Owner of Howles Associates.

You’ll hear practic...

What do you need to know about the L&D space in 2025?

The L&D Global Sentiment Survey is now in its 12th year and records the trends, attitudes, top challenges, and priorities in the L&D space. This year, over 3,000 voters from almost 100 countries participated in the research, sharing their experiences and thoughts on L&D today.

We invited the author of the report Donald Taylor onto the show to get his thoughts on the biggest trends and insights revealed by the study. We talk about the ongoing focus on AI, and Donald shares...

Can using AI in visual design ever be truly creative? This week’s guest would go one step further and call AI the “future of creativity.”

Mike Parkinson, Principal of 24 Hour Company and Owner of Billion Dollar Graphics, joins us for a special live show of The Visual Lounge, hosted at Training 2025, a conference and expo produced by Training Magazine.

We chat about where AI can fit into visual design and content creation and why Mike calls it a “friction fixer” or a “smart start” rather than a replacement for creative talent. His take on AI is to view...

A while back, we sat down with Edie Clarke, Virtual Video Producer and Editor and YouTube Strategist, to talk about why simpler is often better when it comes to video creation. And guess what? That advice still holds up. So, we’re bringing this episode back for another listen.

With AI changing the way we create and edit videos, there’s never been a better time to embrace video content. The latest TechSmith research shows that audiences are demanding more authentic, concise, and engaging content – so if you’ve been holding off on making videos, consider this your sig...

The medium of video transformed drastically since it was first invented, but there’s one thing that hasn’t. Regardless of whether you’re creating entertaining or training content, storytelling is at the heart of video.

The CEO of Cinécraft, Dan Keckan, heads up a learning solutions company that’s been around since 1939! As one of the first corporate training film companies, Cinécraft has evolved alongside the technology changes in video to become a training solution truly fitting in with the modern age of learning.

We welcomed Dan on the show to share a little b...

Storytelling is the golden ticket to understanding how we communicate and absorb information. It’s already a big focus in the marketing world. But what about learning design and training content? Can we (and should we) use storytelling to get key messages across? Spoiler: yes! And this episode is all about how to do it. 

Christy Tucker is a learning experience design consultant who forges engaging learning experiences with the power of storytelling and multimedia content. She joins The Visual Lounge to take us through her tips for writing, using storytelling elements, and when to use multimedia to...

Take your mind back to 2023. Generative AI was still relatively new on the scene, and we were all curious about how it would impact the world. Would it be a short-lived trend or would it signal a new age of tech? From content creation to data analysis, the potential of AI skyrocketed in just a few years and the technology and tools show no sign of slowing down.

For this episode, we head back to 2023 to our episode with Josh Cavalier, L&D expert and long-time friend of The Visual Lounge. While we chat about the trends...

Rarely do we get the chance to hear the C-suite side of things when it comes to content and learning design. What do they really think about the training content they see out in the wild? But in this episode, we hear from business transformation expert and former Chief Learning Officer Christopher Lind on adapting your content creation process for the modern working world.

Christopher introduces us to what a CLO really is and offers a peek into his main responsibilities. He explains how L&D teams can work with their CLO (or do well without one...

Get to the point. That’s the way you entice audiences and ensure they stay. While front-loading instructional videos with the ‘why’ is tempting, it’s the ‘how’ that audiences have tuned in for.

Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, which is why you need to deliver value as soon as possible. This means a clear narrative, great video quality, and authenticity.

In this episode of The Visual Lounge, Matt Pierce meets with Doug Brunner, the Customer Education Manager at TechSmith. They discuss why video is the most effective way to deliver content, their biggest pet...

Training videos have a reputation for being dry and boring, but it doesn’t have to be this way!

By communicating value and involving your audience, training videos can be an engaging part of your development strategy, as well as, dare we say, something to look forward to?

In this episode of The Visual Lounge, Matt Pierce discusses widespread beliefs about training videos and debunks some myths. He highlights ways that training videos can be both useful and fun, and offers some suggestions about how to tackle common problems with their creation and delivery. 

L...

Are you overcomplicating your videos? Great editing software comes packed with features that can transform simple videos into an all-singing, all-dancing production.

But just because those features are there doesn’t mean you have to use them… Sometimes less is more.

Matt Pierce dives into the art of simplicity in video production in this week’s episode of The Visual Lounge. He discusses the fine line between simple and simplistic, and how you can rethink each step of the video creation process.

But don’t worry. Simplicity doesn't mean boring! Matt shares insights on how t...

The success of any instructional piece of content is in how well the information is retained, memorized and actioned. After all, we want the lessons we teach to have an impact. So, if you want to level up your instructional design skills, you need to know how people actually learn first and foremost.

In this episode, we revisit a fascinating discussion with Julie Dirksen, Learning Strategy Consultant at Usable Learning and author of two brilliant books, Design for How People Learn and Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change.

Julie joined us back...

Matt Pierce dishes out exciting updates for Camtasia 2024 in this mini episode. Enhanced functionality around dynamic captioning plus new color labels for the timeline are two features that will help to make your editing experience a lot smoother – something we can all get behind!

He also teases an upcoming video mastery workshop at DevLearn in Las Vegas, a great opportunity for those looking to level up their video skills.

Matt tops off this short episode with an important reminder about the power of practice. Great tools and workshops can help you improve your video creation sk...

Have you ever needed a great story to help with your training? This episode focuses on the power of storytelling with Rance Greene, the Founder of School of Story Design and Needastory.com.

Host Matt Pierce and Rance explore the essential elements of compelling stories, including conflict and relatable characters, and how they can be used to drive behavior change in training. Rance shares practical tips on using visuals effectively and provides insights into creating engaging characters and scenarios, even for technical topics like system rollouts.

Whether you're an instructional designer, L&D leader, or...

You asked, and we’re here to answer! Host of The Visual Lounge Matt Pierce has collected some of the most burning questions video trainers have about the art and science of making great videos.

Ever wondered how to coach a camera-shy subject-matter expert to shine on screen? Matt's got you covered with tips that'll turn even the most reluctant expert into a video pro. And for those battling with stubborn colleagues who think they know better than the "rules of video," fear not! Matt shares diplomatic strategies to work with differing opinions without rocking the boat.

Who is your audience and what do they need? Whenever we create content, this should be top of mind. Whether we’re creating something fun and entertaining or educational and skill-based, our audience’s response and experience are the ultimate measure of success.

But what do people want to see in videos? The good news is you don’t have to guess! We look at what the average video viewer prefers in our Video Viewer Trends Report each year to get an up-to-date picture of how people are responding to video content in the here and now.

T...