Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is to use videos to share information that you
Speaker 1: can't explain in person, to update the familiar saying a
Speaker 1: video is worth a thousand words. Let videos save you
Speaker 1: time and effort so that you don't have to write
Speaker 1: something long winded or lose something in translation. I know
Speaker 1: we have all had the experience of struggling to explain
Speaker 1: a problem to a repair person. Maybe there was a
Speaker 1: geyser in your sink midway through the dishwasher's wash cycle,
Speaker 1: but of course when the plumber shows up, you are
Speaker 1: not in the middle of doing dishes, so it's kind
Speaker 1: of hard to describe. Or maybe you saw the dishwasher issue,
Speaker 1: but you have to be at work when the plumber
Speaker 1: can come, so you have to explain the issue to
Speaker 1: your roommate who works from home, and then she has
Speaker 1: to explain it to the plumber on your behalf. I know,
Speaker 1: in my house, my husband is the one who gets
Speaker 1: really into stuff like the nature of HVAC problems or
Speaker 1: potential future HVAC maintenance. But I am more usually home
Speaker 1: when the HVAC technician arrives, so I am trying to
Speaker 1: remember exactly what he said, and I am probably using
Speaker 1: the wrong names for various parts. Here's where video can help.
Speaker 1: Use your phone to take a video of the issue
Speaker 1: while it is occurring. If you know that ten minutes
Speaker 1: after you start your dishwasher, the guyser is going to
Speaker 1: go off, set a timer so you can be there
Speaker 1: and film it when it happens. Then when the plumber comes,
Speaker 1: you or your roommate or whoever is there can just
Speaker 1: play the video. Or if your partner is the one
Speaker 1: who knows all about the electrical system, he or she
Speaker 1: can just take a video documenting the problem and asking
Speaker 1: all the pertinent questions. Then the other party with no
Speaker 1: electrical expertise can share the video without missing anything. This
Speaker 1: is much more efficient. Videos can work in the opposite
Speaker 1: circumstances too. The person with expertise can make a video
Speaker 1: for use by novices. If your grandma struggles to turn
Speaker 1: on her new TV, find the channels for her favorite
Speaker 1: programs and play shows that she has recorded, you can
Speaker 1: make a video of yourself navigating the new interface. Then
Speaker 1: when she wants to watch the Great British bakeoff. She
Speaker 1: can just play your how to video and follow the
Speaker 1: steps you demonstrated. In a similar vein, you can make
Speaker 1: videos for your future self. Maybe there is a tricky
Speaker 1: to navigate online database that you use once a year.
Speaker 1: You can take a video of the steps you need
Speaker 1: to follow, so that next year you don't have to
Speaker 1: figure out, yet again through trial and error, how to
Speaker 1: use it. You can just watch your video and follow
Speaker 1: the steps. I know. I have been amazed at the
Speaker 1: variety of helpful YouTube videos out there. There are lots
Speaker 1: of things, from winning video games to tying neckties to
Speaker 1: folding a fitted sheet that are really hard to explain
Speaker 1: in words or even step by step pictures. A video,
Speaker 1: on the other hand, is truly worth a thousand words
Speaker 1: and maybe even a hundred pictures or so. You don't
Speaker 1: have to tell people to look for the big yellow button.
Speaker 1: You just show yourself clicking the big yellow button, and
Speaker 1: all is good in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks
Speaker 1: for listening, and here's to making the most of our time.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,
Speaker 1: or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura
Speaker 1: vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.
Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app,
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.