After conducting 15 clear writing workshops using videoconferencing tools, I’ve learned a few things about what works and what doesn’t. I originated my workshops for in-person delivery, but for the last year, I’ve been delivering them online exclusively. There has been a surge of demand since I went virtual — I think people are looking…
Zoom went down for a lot of users on Monday morning. That was also the first day of school for a lot of public school and college students. The company treated the outage as a matter-of-fact event and communicated clearly and regularly throughout. Was that enough? How Zoom communicated Zoom’s problems first started appearing at…
For a workshop delivered by video with PowerPoint, using three monitors creates a powerful advantage. I’ll share what I’ve learned from delivering video-based writing workshops to people connecting from their homes. (Note: if you’ve arrived here to solve a technical problem regarding PowerPoint Presenter View, skip to “Resolving a technical issue with PowerPoint Presenter View…
Streaming performances are missing something crucial: the crowd. We’re going to need that. So today, I’m releasing a spec for the product we need: Virtual Stadium. If you build it, we will use it. Any good performer — musician, athlete, or public speaker — knows the crowd is an essential part of the performance. Did…
Zoom is the easiest to use of all videoconferencing systems, but its security was questionable. After two weeks of spectacular advances, it’s now on a path not only to fix its security, but to restore its brand. Zoom surged in popularity because it was easy to use for both novices and experts in a variety…
I’ve been speaking in front of groups for 40 years. The current pandemic has turned some of those live events into virtual connections or recordings. The audience is remote, or missing. And that changes things completely. A speech or class is not a one-way communication. Obviously, if there is an audience, they can ask questions….
As we all try to work from home, Zoom videoconferencing has become the hottest company on the planet. It’s also at the center of a firestorm of criticism on privacy and security. Yesterday, CEO Eric S. Yuan tried to address the problem. His post is a good first step, but now Zoom has to follow…
Workshops are a great way to train people. They can continue even when people are unable to gather in the same room, or leaders are unable to fly to present them. You just have to work a little harder to engage the participants. I’ve delivered 27 clear writing workshops so far. Three of those were…
I’ve pitched and landed some new clients lately. When we do our first “kick the tires” meeting, I always send them an invite from my Zoom videoconferencing account — partly because it works, and partly because of the impression it makes. Here’s why you should, too. My clientele are entrepreneurs, business executives, and publishers. I…