Month: March 2018

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ARTICULATE STORYLINE 360: Publishing to Video

by Kal Hadi, COTP

When teaching my students how to publish Articulate Storyline projects during my beginner class, I often get the following question:
 
Student: “How do I publish my project as a video (MP4)?”
 
Me: “You can’t.”
 
Cue the crickets along with disappointed comments in the chat pod, especially from Adobe Captivate users (Captivate has been able to publish projects as a video for years). 
 
Why would a Storyline developer want to publish a project as a video (especially when you lose any interactivity you've built into the slides)? Video files are self-contained. They can be viewed on just about any device without the need for a web browser. You can email the video output to a colleague who does not have Storyline, so they can view your slides. And published videos can be uploaded into video streaming servers such as YouTube and Vimeo. 
 
Given that publishing as a video has been a requested Storyline feature for some time, I’m happy to report that Articulate Storyline 360 now allows you to publish a single video of a Slide, a Scene, or the Entire Course. 
 
There are some settings and best practice options in the Publish to Video dialog box we’ll discuss.
 

Under Size and Quality, there are a few choices:
  • Dimensions. This is where you can select a size for video from a drop-down menu. If video size is not a factor, you can go as high as full 1080p HD for nice quality.
  • You have two sliders for Video and Audio Quality that ranges from Low to Very High. There is of course a tradeoff between quality and file size. High is usually a good choice.
  • “Set the same volume level for all audio” makes all sounds volume consistent throughout the project. If you want to keep the volume the same as you originally had it in the Storyline project, deselect this option.
  • Prior to publishing, you can also control how the slides flow (or the Navigation). You can either follow the “next” button actions in your course, or show the slides sequentially based on their slide number (1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, and so on).
If you need to publish a course to video, I suggest that you duplicate the project and prepare a copy for video output that automatically goes through all content flow without missing main content stored in layers. You’ll likely need to adjust the Triggers so they execute automatically. For example, if a user needs to click a button to show a specific layer, you can adjust the Triggers so one layer shows when the timeline of a previous layer end. 
 
***
Looking for Storyline training? Check out these live, hands-on, online classes.
 
***
 

Kal Hadi, COTP, is a Certified Adobe Instructor with CompTIA CTT+ credentials. He has over 15 years of experience in the field of computer graphics, imaging, and electronic publishing. He was recognized by Adobe as one of the top five trainers worldwide in 2009. He is a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology Electronic Publishing graduate program. He is also the author of many books and papers in the fields of graphics and web publishing including IconLogic's Articulate Storyline books.

 
 
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ADOBE CAPTIVATE: It’s Gotta Be Friday Somewhere!

by Lori Smith, COTP

Happy Friday! Ok, maybe it's Friday when you're reading this, maybe it isn't. However, if it's not a Friday, let's pretend that it is.
 
You'd like your Adobe Captivate eLearning module to greet the learners with “Hello! It’s a lovely Friday to learn a little something. Let’s get started!” 
 
Are you wondering how to get Captivate to perform this little bit of magic? You could simply write the words “Hello! It’s a lovely Friday…” into a Text Caption or Smart Shape. However, the learner would only be greeted correctly once out of every seven days.
 
Instead of manually typing the day, let Captivate share the information with your learners. Believe it or not, Captivate already knows how to get the information: via a System Variable called cpInfoCurrentDay. 
 
If you wanted to have the day show up in a text caption, all you’d need to do is type the following text and the name of the Variable. 
 
 
I thought I had done pretty well… except this is what I ended up with:
 
 
What’s that “6” doing there? Captivate did exactly what was asked. I asked for current DAY, and the 6th day of the week appeared… Friday.
 
The reason for the confusion can be found in Captivate’s Variables dialog box (via the Project menu). The Description for cpInfoCurrentDay: “Day of the week as set on the user's computer. Values range from 1-7 starting with Sunday. Sunday=1, Monday=2, and so on.” And that explains why Friday displays as the number 6.
 
 
I’m going to show you how to create a quick Conditional Advanced Action that will ensure that 6 is displayed as Friday in my current project.
 
First, open the Variables dialog box and add a new User Variable called myDay. 
 
 
Replace the cpInfoCurrentDay variable in your caption with your new myDay variable.
 
 
Next, open the Advanced Actions dialog and create an action that looks like this (I named mine determineDay):
 
 
Be sure to create and fill in the Decision Blocks, one for each day of the week. As you create the Decision Blocks, remember to set the value for each appropriately (Sunday is 1, Monday is 2, etc. as shown in the images above and below).
 
 
Execute the advanced action somewhere in your project. (I’d suggest via the On Enter drop-down menu on the slide where you’ll want to display the day of the week. In the image below, I'm executing my determineDay action.)
 
 
Assuming it's Friday, preview the slide and you'll see this in your text caption:
 
 
***
 
Like this little action? Want to learn how to create more actions like this, and more complex ones too? Join me for my Captivate Variable and Action Deep Dive series. The 101 class starts with the basics. As we move through 201, 301, and 401, we will continue to build your skills and practice with Captivate Variables and Advanced Actions. Next? We conquer the world!
 
***
Lori Smith, COTP, is IconLogic's lead programmer and Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in Captivate. Lori has a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from MIT as well as a Master’s in electrical engineering from George Mason University. She has been working in the field of software engineering for more than 20 years.  During that time she worked as an embedded software engineer at Raytheon (E-Systems) and ARINC.
 
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CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS: Score Big with Town Hall Meetings

By Phil Hanyok, COTP

Every quarter, employees gather in the cafeteria for town hall meetings. The tables are removed, and seats are placed in neat rows. The podium, microphone, and projector screen are tested and ready. 
 
As employees enter the room and take their seats, the senior vice president who will present the latest company information talks quietly with one of his direct reports. At 9 o’clock he steps up to the podium, says good morning and begins reading the first slide. By the third slide, the employees look bored and ready to leave. 
 
Meetings like this don’t work. Employees prefer hearing company information from leaders who talk with them, not to them, and engage them with authentic conversation and actions.
 
Polls have shown that most employees are not engaged, even during town hall meetings. It doesn’t have to be that way. 
 
Leaders can turn boring town hall meetings into engaging experiences that score big with employees. As communicators, it’s our job to help leaders do it well so that they increase their credibility and build trust, which helps employees connect with the individual and the organization.
 
Try these techniques with your leaders to create authentic conversations and make their next town hall meeting a hit with employees.
 
Greet employees as they enter. This is a time for face-to-face conversation with leaders. Don’t waste the opportunity. The presenter and others should shake hands with employees, thank them for coming, and let them know they are appreciated. 
 
Invite new employees to stand and give them applause. Do this at the start of every town hall meeting. Choose a suitable time frame. Introduce new leaders or people who will interact with many employees. Talk about company growth.
 
Don’t read slides. Use images and talk about the slide topic in an authentic, conversational way. Give an example, highlight a challenge and how it was met, and put the information in context. Explain what it means for the future. This requires leaders to know the topics and practice their presentation. 
 
Recognize teams and individuals who have had big successes. Explain why their success is important. Use this example to highlight company values and direction. Tie it to the company vision. Ask employees to applaud those being recognized. If your town hall meetings don’t have several celebratory rounds of applause, you are missing great opportunities to engage. Mention social media that highlights successes.
 
Ask questions. For example, say, “By a show of hands, how many …” Have someone note the results and use that informal polling to help guide future engagement. Don’t be afraid to express surprise at the reaction, and let employees know what you think about the response. That will show you are listening authentically.
 
Tell an anecdote. Leaders who tell a story about their experience at the company and how it relates to the current situation appear more authentic and help employees understand who they are, which can strengthen relationships and build trust.
 
Show a movie. Highlight new products, employees who put company values into action, customer testimonials, advertising campaigns, volunteers in the community, or anything that includes employees doing great work. Keep it light and under two minutes.
 
Give swag to employees who ask questions. It’s not easy to ask the first question. Reward courage by giving the first person to ask a question and others something of value: branded merchandise, gift cards, time-off certificates, etc. Be prepared with seed questions to start the Q/A session if nobody steps up. The presenter can say, “Some of you may be wondering…” or “A question you might want to ask is …” Be creative with questions that encourage discussion about what’s on employees’ minds at the time.
 
Repeat the question. To make sure everyone heard the question and to confirm the presenter understood it, repeat or summarize the question, then answer it clearly. If appropriate, ask, “Does that answer your question?” This helps everyone know the presenter is listening. It also helps those taking notes for follow-up. 
 
End on a high note. Don’t end flat. The presenting leader should always end by mentioning something positive and encouraging, then thank everyone for the work they do and for making the meeting a success.
 
Want to know more about how to help your CEO and other leaders communicate well and engage employees? Enroll in my live, online class, “How to Improve Internal Visibility and Communications for Leaders.”
 
***
Philip Hanyok, COTP, has more than 15 years of corporate communications and marketing experience. He helps leaders and organizations tell their story, promote their brand, and improve engagement. Philip’s expertise is broad and includes internal/employee communications, company intranets, marketing websites, public relations, executive speechwriting, town hall meetings, digital signage, executive messaging, crisis communications, project management, social media, magazines, and newsletters.
 
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TECHSMITH CAMTASIA 9: Changes to the Duration Feature

by Kevin Siegel, COTP, CTT+

I recently received the following email from a reader of my TechSmith Camtasia 9 (Windows): The Essentials book. 

Hello Kevin,

I am really enjoying your Camtasia 9: The Essentials eBook that I purchased on Amazon recently, but I have run into a problem regarding how to extend the duration (pages 58-59) on the Timeline. 

I followed steps 1 and 2 on page 58 for the logo, but when I attempted to change (by typing) the Duration from 5 seconds to 20 seconds, I got the screen message “Please enter a number between .1 and 5,” and the time can’t be extended beyond 5 seconds. I am also attaching a screen shot so you can see the actual message. 

Camtasia-Error-Message-Page-58


I have tried grouping the items as directed on page 59 and then trying to extend the duration in that manner, but that method doesn’t work either. 

I am using Camtasia Version 9.1.2. Any suggestions you might have would be appreciated.

I was able to replicate this issue on my computer, but I found this strange because when I wrote the book, the Duration feature worked just fine (changing the Duration of a Timeline object pushed items on the same track to the right). I reached out to TechSmith support and received the following reply (and the fix).


Hi Kevin, 

Sorry for the delay – I wanted to confirm some information with the Camtasia team first.  This change was a deliberate change made in Camtasia 9.0.1.  The reason for the change was because of feedback that we were receiving from users, which was (as Matt mentioned) that projects were getting out of sync when extending frames and durations.  So, this change was implemented, and we also published this tutorial with best practices on using ripple move and extend frame (similar to duration). https://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-camtasia-ripple-move-and-extend-frame.html   I am really sorry for any trouble this change has caused!  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Kind Regards,
Nate
Senior Support Specialist

Whew! It's good to know that I'm not losing my mind. To get past the Duration issue, press the [shift] key on your keyboard and manually extend the playtime for the object on the Timeline (instead of using Duration feature).

Camtasia-manually-extend-duration

You can still use the Duration feature if there is enough space to the right of the selected object. For instance, you'll need a little over 5 seconds of space if you want to increase the Duration of an object by 5 seconds. Otherwise, you'll see the same error reported by the reader above.

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ELEARNING PRODUCTION: Getting Audio from Microsoft PowerPoint to Work in Adobe Captivate

by Kevin Siegel, CTT+, COTP

We received the following distress email a few days ago:
 
I am using your workbook (Adobe Captivate 2017: The Essentials) and I'm in Module 11: Working with PowerPoint.
 
I have a PowerPoint (presentation) I created with voice recording. The PowerPoint imports just like the books says and the hyperlinks work. However, the audio is not coming working.
 
When I spoke with Adobe support regarding the issue, I was informed that the recording file in Microsoft PowerPoint uses the m4a file format. Captivate only uses the wav and mp3 file format. How do I get the audio in PowerPoint to work in Captivate? 
 
Interesting problem.
 
In truth, I never add the audio to PowerPoint slides while in PowerPoint. Instead, I always import the audio directly onto the slides after the PowerPoint-to-Captivate import process is complete.
 
I wanted to see if the audio worked for myself so as a test, I imported mp3 audio onto a PowerPoint slide and then took the slide into Captivate. The audio worked fine. Next I recorded audio directly onto a PowerPoint slide and then took that slide into Captivate. Sure enough, the pesky PowerPoint m4a file didn’t play nice with Captivate.
 
As a workaround, I right-clicked the audio in PowerPoint and selected Save Media as. I saved the m4a file to my computer (m4a is the only export option in the Save as type drop-down menu).
 
 
 
 
Then I used Adobe Media Encoder (it’s a program that is probably on your computer already) and converted the m4a file into a mid-quality mp3. That process took a few seconds.
 
To begin, drag the m4a file into Media Encoder.
 
 
From the right side of Media Encoder, expand Audio Only. Drag one of the MP3 options over to the m4a file you added to Media Endcoder. Then click the green arrow to convert the m4a to an mp3.
 
 
Once I had the mp3 file, I imported it onto a Captivate PowerPoint slide and all was right with the world.
 
Perhaps one day Microsoft will use mp3 files for recorded audio, or Adobe will one day allow for m4a imports directly into Captivate. Until either of those events occur however, at least there’s a workaround that will not require you to re-record your audio.
 
***
 
If you're looking to learn Adobe Captivate, check out these awesome online classes.
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ADOBE PRESENTER 11: Creating Packages

by Kevin Siegel, CTT+, COTP

If you need to share an Adobe Presenter presentation with another developer, you’ll find the Presenter's Package tool very useful.
 
Presenter projects begin as a single, self-contained PowerPoint presentation. You can transfer them from one computer to another without worrying about leaving a part of the presentation behind. However, once you add audio or videos assets to a PowerPoint slide via the Presenter tab on the PowerPoint Ribbon, those assets aren’t embedded into the presentation. Instead, Presenter creates a folder that houses those assets every time you save. Should you forget to include the assets folder when you send the PowerPoint presentation to a colleague, the person opening the presentation will receive alert messages about missing files as Presenter attempts to load the assets.
 
When you package a Presenter project, everything a developer needs to open the project is included in the package (except for the actual Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe Presenter software). A developer simply needs to double-click the prpkg file they receive from you to extract all of the project assets into a self-contained folder.
 
To create a Package, from the Adobe Presenter tab, Presentation group, click the Package tool.
 
 
 
Click the Browse button (the three dots) and select a folder for the package.
 
 
Click the Pack button and you're done. As mentioned above, the prpkg file contains everything a fellow developer needs to make changes to the project (assuming they have both PowerPoint and Presenter installed).
 
 
***
My "Adobe Presenter 11: The Essentials" skills & drills workbook is available now on amazon.com. And if you are looking to learn all things eLearning, check out these live, online and awesomely interactive classes
 
***
 
Kevin Siegel, CTT, COTP, is the founder and president of IconLogic. Following a career in Public Affairs with the U.S. Coast Guard and in private industry, Kevin has spent decades as a technical communicator, classroom and online trainer, public speaker, and has written hundreds of computer training books for adult learners. He has been recognized by Adobe as one of the top trainers world-wide.
 
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New 1-Hour Live, Online Course: Microsoft PowerPoint to eLearning via Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, TechSmith Camtasia, or Presenter

If you intend to create an eLearning course, it’s a good bet that you’re going to start the development process in Microsoft PowerPoint. However, PowerPoint is missing some key eLearning features to allow you to output finished eLearning content. For instance, PowerPoint cannot create software simulations or video demos. There is no way to add quizzes or learner interactions in PowerPoint. And, because there are no reporting features or provisions for SCORM or AICC, you cannot effectively integrate PowerPoint presentations with Learning Management Systems. 

Instead of relying on PowerPoint alone for your eLearning content, you’ll need to take your finished presentations into an eLearning development tool such as Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, or TechSmith Camtasia. While in those tools, you’ll add the necessary eLearning features and then publish your content. Alternately, you can rely on Presenter, a PowerPoint plug-in that works together with PowerPoint to accomplish many of the things you can do in Captivate, Camtasia, and Storyline.

But what happens to your beloved PowerPoint slides when they get incorporated into today’s eLearning tools? Do the animations still work? How about the hyperlinks? Does the voiceover audio you added to your PowerPoint slides still work when the slides are imported into your eLearning tool? Do the fonts look okay? If you or the subject matter expert updates the PowerPoint presentation outside of the eLearning tool, does the eLearning version update or do you have to re-import?

Attend this action-packed session and learn how PowerPoint works with the top eLearning tools of the day. You’ll learn the strengths and weaknesses of each eLearning tool via live demonstrations (there is no pre-recorded content). This is live, online training at its very best!

You’ll learn how to integrate PowerPoint with:

  • Adobe Captivate
  • Articulate Storyline
  • TechSmith Camtasia
  • Presenter

Learn more or sign up.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: The Hottest Tech Skills & Certifications for 2018

by Kevin Smith, COTP

According to reports published at Dice Insights (dice.com), a leading website for technology careers and The Channel Company, a top IT firm (CRN.com), there are some hot careers and certifications that you should definitely consider if you’re looking to maximize your income potential.
 
According to DICE, here are some of the fastest-growing tech sectors:
 
Application Service Provider: A business providing computer-based services to customers over a network, such as access to a particular software application using a standard protocol (such as HTTP)
 
Docker: An open platform for developers and system administrators to build, deploy, and run distributed applications.
 
HTML/HTML5: Hypertext Markup Language is the core language of the World Wide Web and is used to develop most websites.
 
Kanban: A lean method to manage and improve work across human systems that aims to balance demands with available capacity and improve the bottlenecks.
 
Help Desk: As the new technologies emerge and evolve, competent Help Desk personnel with a high-level of technology knowledge are in demand.
 
Network Attached Storage: A file-level computer data storage server connected to a computer network providing data access to a heterogeneous group of clients.
 
Mastering the skills above is a great idea, but according to CRN, getting certified is even better. Here is a list of some of the hottest IT certifications and how the CRN website describes them.
 
PMP: The Project Management Professional certification indicates someone has the knowledge and skills needed to guide projects to a successful conclusion, on-time, on-budget, and using available resources. Currently 1,400 jobs on Dice request PMP certification.
 
MCSE: Microsoft's Certified Systems Engineers is for professionals who spend their time maintaining, designing, implementing, and administering technology infrastructures using Microsoft 2000 Windows Server and other Windows server platforms. Nearly 1,000 available career opportunities on Dice request this certification.
 
CompTIA's A +: Professionals with this certification have demonstrated they can install networks, conduct preventative maintenance, secure them, and troubleshoot them. Currently more than 500 jobs on Dice require A+ certification.
 
CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associates can install, configure, run, and troubleshoot midsize routed and switched networks, know the basics about security and wireless, and can work with a number of protocols. There are more than 650 job opportunities on Dice request the CCNA designation.
 
MCP: Microsoft Certified Professionals include developers, trainer, system architects, and other IT professionals.
 
CompTIA's Network +: Network+ proves a technician's competency in managing, maintaining, troubleshooting, installing, and configuring basic network infrastructures. It's included in the certification programs of vendors including Microsoft, Novell, Cisco, and HP.
 
CISSP: Five years of experience in information security are needed before a professional can become a Certified Information Systems Security Professional. Nearly 750 open available career opportunities request this certification.
 
MCSA: The Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator certification is earned by experts in systems administration and troubleshooting networks that use the Windows Server operating environment.
 
ITIL: The three-tier IT Infrastructure Library certification comprises the Foundation Certificate (basic knowledge of ITIL terminology, service support, and service delivery), Practitioner Certificate (an understanding of specific processes within IT Service Management), and Manager's Certificate (expertise in overseeing service management functions).
 
CompTIA's Security +: Knowledge of system security, network infrastructure, access control, and organizational security is needed to obtain this certification.
 
If you don't think a certification is important for your dream job seach, check out the requirements for two IT jobs posted on the DICE site:
 
 
 
Over the next several weeks, I’ll be delving deeper into some of these technology skills and certifications in more detail.
 
***
Kevin Smith is a service veteran and has been teaching the CompTIA A+ Certification prep course since 1999. He has served CompTIA as an A+ Subject Matter Expert for several versions of the A+ examination. Kevin, who is the author and publisher of the “A+ Study Hall’ electronic courseware, which includes practice testing, received his A+ Certification in 1997 while owning a small computer service company. 
 
Kevin is a graduate of the SUNY Buffalo system, holds the CompTIA A+ Certification, and is a Certified Online Training Professional (COTP) with the International Council for Certified Online Training Professionals (ICCOTP).
Kevin Smith is a service veteran and has been teaching the Com