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Topic: Thomas Clifford

  
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Can Your Company’s Video Story Change a Life?

Do you remember the exact moment you knew what you wanted to do for the rest of your life? I do. It happened while watching a video. It took exactly seven minutes. •    Cut to 1984. Hot off the heels of two ...READ»

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5 Simple Steps to Transform Any Talking Head into an Irresistible Story

Ahhh. The “talking head.” Just the thought of it brings an overwhelming yawn to you, doesn’t it?“Talking heads” are ubiquitous in many organizations but here’s the funny thing about it– hardly anyone watches them.Truth ...READ»

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19 Often Overlooked Questions to Propel Employee Conversations

Smart leaders ask interesting questions. Questions often ignored by many; asked by a few. Here are a handful of questions to help you bridge the gap from cubicle to community. Your mileage may vary but I wonder which ones might work ...READ»

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The Hero’s Journey: Preparing the Video Interview

“C’mon. How hard is it, really, to ask a few questions to someone when the camera is rolling?” Asking questions is easy. Asking the right questions is the hard part Your audience is begging to hear something ...READ»

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19 Surprising Questions to Help You Energize Employee Conversations

“Wow” answers need “wow” questions.If you’re hungry for new answers or different ideas from your team or employees, try changing the questions. Here are a few questions to jump-start almost any conversation you might be ...READ»

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Does Your Company’s Video Have a “Mismatch” Problem?

A “mismatch” problem?” What the heck is that? I had the same question as I watched Malcolm Gladwell’s recent video presentation at the 2008 New Yorker Conference. What exactly is a “mismatch” ...READ»

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Video Storytelling Toolkit: Getting Your Company’s Story on Screen

Seen enough videos by now? How can you avoid it? They’re everywhere. Not only that, you probably feel like you’ve seen so many videos you could easily produce one for your organization, right? So imagine this. ...READ»

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The Resonance Principle: 12 Thought-Provoking Quotes

While I shared the basic concept behind Tony Schwartz’s “Resonance Principle” in a previous post, I think it’s worth sharing and taking a direct look at some of Tony’s most important quotes from his books and interviews that ...READ»

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Can You Prevent Frozen On-Camera Interviews? Try The Defrosting Technique

It’s bound to happen. It’s just a matter of time. Imagine you are about to interview someone for your company’s video.They enter the room. Your interview guest sits in their chair. You sit in yours. The camera rolls. You fire ...READ»

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The Hero’s Journey: Telling Your Hero's Story

The conversation ends. The camera stops. The lights cool. You feel good. You caught it: a real candid conversation from an employee, a customer or senior management.Here’s the thingThere’s a pretty good chance your head is ...READ»

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11 Questions to Ask Before Filming Your Company’s Story

"What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”  T.S. Elliot  “Are we in sync? “I hear what you’re saying." “Are we on the same ...READ»

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Honda’s Corporate Documentaries: Smashing The Law of First Knowledge

For some reason, we’re born to think that whatever we learn first about something continues to stay true. “According to the first law of knowledge, people continue to believe whatever they learned first, regardless of later ...READ»

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You Can Thank the Web for Finally Giving Videos a Real Home

So I’m on the phone with a fellow producer the other day and out of the blue I say…“Finally, after all these years, videos now have a home on the web…and they’re not homeless anymore.” “What do you mean?” he ...READ»

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INTERVIEW PROJECT by David Lynch: A New Blueprint for Company Videos?

How would I describe myself? What were my dreams as I child? What am I most proud of? What are my plans for the future? How would I like to be remembered? What is the most important thing in my life? Do I have any ...READ»

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Are You Using Your Ears to See Your Company’s Video Story?

You might not believe this, but video isn’t everything. The fact is, until you discover your company’s story first, video doesn’t mean much. One of the secrets to discovering and eventually “seeing” your ...READ»

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The Resonance Principle: Are Your Viewers Resonating with Your Videos?

“How do you want your audience to feel after watching your film?" I ask that question to every new client. Intellectually, I never understood why I asked that question. Emotionally, I understood why I asked it. Your viewer ...READ»

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The Hero’s Journey: Capturing the Video Interview

The crew is ready. Your interviewee, or hero, is ready. You’re ready. Now, the second part of the “hero’s journey,” the “initiation,” is about to begin. Of course, this initiation is not a series of tests in ...READ»

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3 Stage Evolution of Video Conversations

"The eyes have one language everywhere."   George Herbert / Welsh poet Hooked. Captivated. Hynotized. That’s exactly how I felt the first time I interviewed someone looking directly into the camera.  And I ...READ»

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Is This the Future of Video Storytelling for Organizations?

I don’t know how I missed this, but I did. In February of 2007, The Washington Post launched “onBeing.” The concept? We need to get to know each other better and what better way to do that than by capturing ...READ»

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9 Super Simple Ways to Rock Your Company Video

It’s the small things that can make a big difference. Anyone can implement these ideas. And the cool part? They’re free or next to free. See if you can sneak a few of these tricks into your next project. It will help your video ...READ»

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What is Our Company’s Purpose? The R-O-I Method

Have you read Daniel Pink’s new book, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us?” If you haven’t picked it up yet, don’t wait too long; this book will forever change how you think about motivating individuals ...READ»

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Employee Engagement Lessons from Fast Company’s 30 Second MBA: Part 1

I’m a big fan of Fast Company’s “30 Second MBA” site. The minute it launched, I felt it offered a simple yet highly effective way for organizations to integrate social media concepts into their internal communication ...READ»

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5 Big Ideas: What Honda’s Mini-Documentaries Can Teach Non-Filmmakers

Have you checked out Honda’s “Dream the Impossible” mini-documentary series? The video series features several big ideas in a series of mini-documentaries. And yes, they’re beautifully produced.But here’s the thing.If you ...READ»

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7 Fascinating Filmmakers to Follow on Twitter

Think today’s filmmakers are stuck behind the camera? Or the edit room? Think again.Many filmmakers are harnessing the power of the web to tell another side of the story– their story.  Readers enjoyed my earlier post, “7 ...READ»

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Multi-Media Narratives: 3 Commitments for Successful Engagement

Ever hear this at work? “Are you kidding? No one reads that newsletter.” “Hey, if it’s that important, someone will eventually tell me.”“C’mon, it’s the same ol’ stuff– over and over.”If so, you’re certainly ...READ»