May 7, 3pm-4pm EDT, SmartSound’s Stephanie Joyce joins us to demonstrate the new features of Sonicfire Pro 5. This is the latest release as well as a new Final Cut plug-in just launched at NAB. Join us to discuss practical applications and basic copyright issues of custom music in the AV world. More about SmartSound here.
InfoComm 2009

Title: SmartSound Sonicfire Pro5 Demonstration
Date: Thursday, May 7, 2009
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/521459541

Posted by Todd Dunn, CTS at 10:39 AM .

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New color research that studied the perceptual influence of red and blue might be useful when designing presentation images, sets, lighting or even the presenter’s outfit. Might it also explain why we call them red and blue states?

Posted by Robert L. Lindstrom at 12:33 PM .

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I have a bit of advice for any presentation professionals out there who might be listening. It could help you explain to a client, or potential client, why you are so vitally important–or, maybe reinforce your career decision. The next time you face a skeptic who is not sure you are worth the money, or is not resonating to your brilliant ideas, tell them to consider the complexity paradox.

When they say they’ve never heard of it, which they will because they haven’t, explain to them that the complexity paradox is one of the defining attributes of our modern world. Go ahead, lay it on thick. Tell them that it is a phenomenon well-understood by few and poorly addressed by most. They should be hooked by now, so lean back in your chair, look professorial, and say, “Increasing complexity demands increasing simplicity.”

Before they have time to respond with “ah”, “oh” or “hunh?” expand your explanation by telling them that the more complex a system becomes, the simpler the processes for understanding it must be. If they still aren’t with you, whip out a few pithy examples. Explain how we frequently use metaphors to reduce the difficult complexity of one thing by directly comparing it to the familiar simplicity of another. All the world’s a stage. Love is a flower. War is Hell. There goes the ballgame.

Point out how in the hands of a professional simple images can convey complex messages with vivid clarity. That is what charts, graphs and diagrams do when they are well designed. Remind them that physicists and engineers routinely reduce vastly complex equations into simple animations in order to grasp what is happening. The greater the complexity, the simpler the visualization required. You might also explain how psychologists and biologists are trained to identify simple patterns in order to understand complex behaviors. The list goes on. By now they should have the point.

Close the deal with the statement that you are in the business of addressing the complexity paradox. You make the complex simple so that your clients and their audiences understand faster, make better decisions and take more effective actions.

And be aware the real value of citing the complexity paradox is not that it will make you sound erudite or even that it might get you that job. The real value lies in the fact that the world is getting more complex by the nanosecond, and for presentation pros that reality translates into job security.

Posted by Robert L. Lindstrom at 8:03 PM .

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Here’s a list that’s been around for a while. Landed in my box recently… KNOWHR Blog – 10 Best

………TD

Posted by Todd Dunn, CTS at 3:53 PM .

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Compare yourself with your peers in InfoComm International’s annual Presentation Professional survey. This year it’s shorter, easier and faster to complete. Whether you’re one of many in a corporate setting, or a one-person shop wearing all the hats, see how you compare in the skills you have and the challenges you face.

To thank you for sharing your opinions and experiences, you will receive a free survey report by e-mail.

The survey is at http://infocomm.qualtrics.com/SE?SID=SV_56aKHqv6ZbwQi3O&SVID=Prod. Contact marketresearch@infocomm.org if you have any questions.

Posted by Todd Dunn, CTS at 2:56 PM .

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A little birdie told PowerPoint MVP Echo Swinford about the feedback page. We’re not sure where the input goes but at least it’s a place to vent!

Give Us Feedback for Microsoft Office 2007

……………TD

Posted by Todd Dunn, CTS at 9:00 AM .

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………………..TD

Posted by Todd Dunn, CTS at 12:01 AM .

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The public beta has been released. Many folks have asked about Producer since Office 07 came out and for a while the official word was…..not going to do it for PPT 2007. Read about it and find the beta download at The PowerPoint Team Blog.

…………TD

Posted by Todd Dunn, CTS at 10:13 AM .

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Can we have a president that does this? Looks like she, like so many others, can use our help! Is Rick just a Republican or are folks at the highest levels of the presentation world idiots?

http://betterppt.com/blog/

…………………TD

Posted by Todd Dunn, CTS at 3:44 PM .

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Following Bob Befus’ recent example (House Warming for Presentation Facts) I’ve also started a new solo blog project. Like Bob’s new blog, it’s continues in the Visual Being tradition of serving the presentations professional but it focuses on a single area of interest. It’s called Breaking Murphy’s Law and it’s about all the things that can go wrong when you’re a presenter or when you are supporting someone else’s presentation efforts. Some recent posts include “Jedi Knights With Frickin’ Laser Pointers”, “Blinded by the Light”, “Don’t Give a Pigeon a Perch to Poop From”, and “The Valium Bubble”. Please stop on by and check it out. I hope you find it interesting as well as useful.

Posted by Lee Potts at 7:40 PM .

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MAKE: Blog: DIY Blu-Ray laser pointer
“He said that you could even see the beam of light in a dark room, that’s cool.”
(tags: laserpinter presenting gear)

Posted by Lee Potts at 6:51 PM .

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The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. –Marcel Proust

This post should not be written.

It should be depicted. A video. A slideshow. Sketches on a cocktail napkin. Charades. Anything other than letters, words and sentences. Why? Because, according to the nearly 400 people who gathered at the first annual VizThink conference in San Francisco, we comprehend better, learn faster and communicate more effectively when we do so visually. Writing about a visual thinking conference is like singing a P&L statement, or designing an integrated circuit using mosaic tiles. It’s not the right medium for the message.

But, having no immediate access to a camera and lacking the drawing skills to make even a stick figure look like a stick, words must suffice. Or, here’s an idea. Stop reading right now and visit www.vizthink.com. The website, wiki and blog have plenty of visuals. Lots of color. Even some video.

The timing of VizThink, a first-of-its-kind conference for visual communication specialists that launched in January, is non-coincidental. It didn’t just happen because a bunch of visualistas wanted it to happen. It had to happen. Its rationale is so obvious it almost sounds silly when spoken out loud: to promote a global community of visual thinkers.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Robert L. Lindstrom at 8:33 PM .

1 Comment »

Please join us on Friday, March 14 at 2:00 PM ET for a discussion of screen capture tools and a demonstration of the latest version of TechSmith’s Camtasia Studio. We will cover screen capture and how you can use it for training and production and take a look at the new features of Camtasia 5 with Troy Stein, Camtasia Studio Product Manager.

Please RSVP to Rachel Melnykovich (rmelnykovich@infocomm.org) at InfoComm if you wish to attend.

Details on how to join the webinar will be sent to you.

……………TD

Posted by Todd Dunn, CTS at 7:06 PM .

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Toshiba threw in the towel a few days ago. I expect to see some nice sales on HD-DVD players. I’ve already seen the entry level Toshiba player way under $200 with 7 free movies for a couple of months now. That was the sign of the impending doom for sure. Check out the Reuters release in a PC Mag article here.

Posted by Todd Dunn, CTS at 10:32 PM .

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