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In today’s workplace, layoffs are no longer rare—they’re a reality many employees have seen up close or have experienced themselves. On LinkedIn, the posts seem endless, each one paired with the now-familiar “Open to Work” banner. Or even more jarring: a coworker’s Slack avatar is green one minute and grayed out the next—before disappearing altogether. When a teammate is suddenly let go, the instinct is often to comfort them, respond thoughtfully—say the right thing, offer support, and help them feel less alone. But in the emotional blur that follows a layoff, even well-intentioned comments can land poorly, and certain reactions can unintentionally make the moment harder. So how do you genuinely show up for a colleague or friend who’s just been laid off—without overstepping, fumbling the moment, or offering advice that does more harm than good? Do ask: How can I help you? According to organizational psychologist Erica Pieczonka, many of us have a reflex when someone we care about is going through a hard time. We jump straight into fix-it mode: “Something bad happened—let me give you a solution.” But sometimes, people don’t need advice at all. They just need someone to listen, Pieczonka explained. Maryland-based Stefanie Magness, who was laid off in 2019 from her role in public affairs, echoed this perspective. “If you know someone who is experiencing a layoff, resist the urge to offer advice or solutions. Just be there,” she said. “Sit in the room together or bring a meal for them. Even a text that says ‘I’m thinking of you’ can mean the world to someone who feels like their life is unraveling.” While it might be hard to resist offering a list of solutions, Pieczonka suggests asking, “What kind of support do you want right now?” or “Do you want me to listen, or do you want me to solution with you?” She added: “Keeping it light and small, versus dumping on them, will help. Because really, during layoffs, they’re already feeling completely overwhelmed.” Don’t say: You’ll bounce back When speaking with someone who has faced a layoff, it’s important not to fill them with empty reassurances. Pieczonka explained that this might look like: “Oh, you’ll bounce back. You got this, you’re a superstar, you’ll move on. There’s something better for you.” Magness said that one unhelpful comment she often heard was: “Something better is coming.” “People love to say this when the world is falling apart. Yes, maybe it is, but when you are standing in the chaos, you are not thinking of what is coming. You’re just trying to breathe.” For Ohio-based Kyle Rankert, who was laid off in 2020 from his role in healthcare, it’s this: “You’ll land on your feet. You always do!” “That one always made me feel like the person just assumed, ‘Hey, you’ve been lucky so far, and you’ll be lucky again,’” Rankert said. Although it might sound helpful, empty reassurances often fail to validate someone’s experience of grief, sadness, or anger. Pieczonka explained that, hypothetically, this is how someone in that position might be feeling: “It feels like you’re not seeing me. I need you to see me.” So avoiding those types of phrases can be really important. Christina Muller, a workplace mental health expert at R3 Continuum, a national HR and workplace behavioral health agency, expressed a similar sentiment. “People want to feel validated. They want to know that people care. And saying something as simple as, ‘I know this must be a really difficult time right now. I understand how this would be really hard,’” helps them feel that validation, she said. When someone goes through a layoff, focus on listening. Resist empty platitudes and allow them to express their emotions without trying to fix or minimize what they’re feeling. Do offer: your time Sometimes, supporting a colleague or friend who’s been laid off doesn’t require solving problems—it can be as simple as spending time together. “If you know somebody who got laid off, just asking them to coffee to catch up can be helpful,” Pieczonka said. You can also offer healthy habits to do together. “Do you want to go on a walk together? Should we get a yoga class?” she suggested. Muller offered a similar approach, encouraging colleagues to simply offer their time, especially if they’re struggling with the layoff: “I’m thinking about you, and I’d appreciate being a support for you. Let me know if maybe you’d like to go for a walk sometime, or if there’s anything else that would make you feel best supported right now.” Supporting them and maintaining small routines can help prevent the downward spiral that often follows a major life change. You don’t even need to bring up the layoff. Just be their friend. “In conversation, the person who got laid off will probably bring it up and ask for a favor, but you don’t have to feel the pressure to do that. Just being with them and connecting with them is gift enough sometimes,” Pieczonka said. Simply being present is the most meaningful support you can offer. Don’t assume: a layoff is the same for everyone It’s important to remember that a layoff doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone. Some people may even feel a sense of relief or excitement, especially if they had already been thinking about leaving their job. “Maybe they had one foot out the door, and now they’re going to get some severance pay and have more freedom to look elsewhere,” Muller explained. Understanding where someone is coming from matters, and if you’re reaching out, you might already have a sense of that based on your relationship with them. Do offer: helpful tools if you have them When you do offer help, it’s best to give people the option rather than assuming what they need. “Sometimes people feel a little awkward accepting help from a friend in certain ways, and they might not know if certain things are in your wheelhouse,” Muller said. She added: “I always encourage people to preface any ask with, ‘I understand if this isn’t something you’re thinking about right now or want to do. But I’d be happy to help you look at your résumé, if that’s something you’re interested in.’” Or, even check to see if they’d be interested in roles at your company. “I wish more people who truly knew me would have asked around at their own companies, looking to see who needed help where,” Rankert said. Following Muller’s advice, this could look like: “I understand if this isn’t something you’re thinking about, but I’d be happy to look to see if my company has any openings.” Just giving them the option ensures you’re not overstepping by assuming what they need, or forcing favors, even if your intentions are good. Showing up for a colleague after a layoff doesn’t have to be complicated. Overall, avoid empty reassurances, don’t assume you know what they need, and resist jumping into fix-it mode. Instead, listen, offer support in manageable ways, and simply be present. View the full article

There are three kinds of annoying colleagues. I have already written about dealing with annoying bosses and colleagues. What happens if the source of your annoyance is one of your direct reports? Once again, dealing with what bothers you depends a lot on what it is causing the problem. Here are four common causes of annoyance. 1. The one who sucks up It is natural for people who are ambitious to want to find ways to get ahead. Obviously, doing great work is important, but a little self-promotion can’t hurt either. After all, if you have lots of direct reports, you may not notice everything that everyone is doing. So, you should expect that the folks who work for you will let you know what they have accomplished. In fact, you should encourage that. But, some of your direct reports mistake the need to keep you apprised on their successes for a need to suck up. Sucking up means engaging in constant flattery, giving you constant compliments, and otherwise trying to ingratiate themselves to you in ways that are not productive or mission focused. They may do it in one-on-one meetings as well as in more public settings. It is worth chatting to your suck-ups about this. Let them know that you appreciate their intention to be kind, but that you want to stay focused on the work that needs to be done. It is important to help them to see that this behavior is having the opposite influence from what they intend. The sooner that the suck-ups learn this lesson, the better it will be for everyone. 2. The one who has no initiative The most successful people in the workplace are those who find the next task that needs to be done and then makes progress on it without waiting to be told what needs to happen. Unfortunately, a lot of people who report to you may do only what they have been told to do and no more. As a result, you may feel like you need to micromanage your supervisees’ to-do lists. You should remember that many people in the rising generation of people in the workplace grew up in a world in which everything was scheduled for them. School, activities, even playdates were arranged. Even many college students are in settings in which they have little free choice. It can be hard for people who grew up with all that structure to suddenly take initiative. You have to teach that. When you find yourself annoyed that your reports aren’t finding new tasks to do, add a section to your meetings with them. Have them identify one or two things you haven’t assigned for them that they could do. Talk through with them how to recognize things that need to be done. You’re building a new set of habits, and that will take time. It requires some effort on your part at first, but it pays off in the long-run. 3. The one who (unintentionally) pushes your buttons Everyone has pet peeves—no matter how laid back you appear to be. I tend to be loose about lots of things, but there are a few things that can really get me going. For example, when people use the word impact as a verb, it sets my teeth on edge. There are some people in this world whose default settings are designed to knock into every one of your peeves. As a result, engaging with them can set your skin crawling before they even say a word. When that person has some amount of power, then you may just have to grin and bear it. But, you can lay out some ground rules when those people are your direct reports. When I bring on a new team or start working with someone new, I usually give them a small list of things to avoid. It is amazing how that simple conversation makes so much of life go better later. 4. The one who is passive-aggressive The least benign of the annoying direct reports is the individual who is conflict avoidant but still needs to let you know when they are annoyed. These folks fall under the heading of “passive-aggressive.” They won’t come out and tell you that they are annoyed, frustrated, or angry, but they let it out in other ways. These days, it is common to have a few direct reports who have this profile. We don’t teach good conflict skills, and so people are reluctant to speak up when something bothers them. Then, their bad feelings leak out in other ways. Like the individuals who don’t take initiative, you have to teach your reports to state their conflicts more directly and to create an environment in which it is safe to do that. You need to call out the passive aggressive behavior when you see it as quickly as possible (avoiding public embarrassment, of course). Then, discuss with your direct report that they need to talk out their concerns. Developing their skills to engage in difficult conversations will benefit these individuals immensely. View the full article

AI promises a smarter, faster, more efficient future, but beneath that optimism lies a quiet problem that’s getting worse: the data itself. We talk a lot about algorithms, but not enough about the infrastructure that feeds them. The truth is, innovation can’t outpace the quality of its inputs, and right now those inputs are showing signs of strain. When the foundation starts to crack, even the most advanced systems will falter. A decade ago, scale and accuracy could go hand-in-hand. But today, those goals often pull in opposite directions. Privacy regulations, device opt-ins, and new platform restrictions have made high-quality, first-party data harder than ever to capture. To fill the gap, the market has flooded itself with recycled, spoofed, or inferred signals that look legitimate but aren’t. The result is a strange new reality where a mall that closed two years ago still shows “foot traffic,” or a car dealership appears to be busy at midnight. These anomalies may seem like innocent glitches, but they’re actually the result of a data ecosystem that values quantity over credibility. When Volume Becomes Noise For years, the industry believed that more data meant better insights. Volume signaled strength. More inputs meant more intelligence. But abundance now equals distracting noise. To preserve scale, some suppliers have resorted to filler data or fake signals that make dashboards look healthy while eroding their reliability and authenticity. Once bad data enters the system, it’s nearly impossible to separate. It’s like mixing a few expired Cheerios into a fresh box; you can’t tell which pieces are stale, but you can taste the difference. And at scale, that difference compounds exponentially. The AI Paradox Ironically, AI is both part of the problem and part of the solution. Every model depends on training data, and if that foundation is flawed, the insights it produces will be, too. Feed it junk, and it will confidently deliver the wrong conclusions. Anyone who’s used ChatGPT has probably felt this frustration firsthand. While it is an incredibly helpful tool, there are times when it still gives you an inaccurate answer or hallucination. You ask a question, and it promptly delivers a detailed answer with absolute confidence . . . except it’s all wrong. For a moment, it sounds convincing enough to believe. But once you catch the error, that small seed of doubt sets in. Do it a few more times, and the doubt takes over. That’s what happens when data quality breaks down: the story still looks complete, but you can’t be sure what’s real. At the same time, AI gives us new tools to clean up the mess it inherits by flagging inconsistencies. A restaurant showing visitors on Sundays when it’s closed? A shuttered mall suddenly “bustling” again? Those are the patterns AI can catch if trained properly. Still, no single company can solve this alone. Data integrity relies on every link in the chain, from collectors and aggregators to analysts and end users, taking responsibility for what they contribute. Progress will come not from more data, but from more transparency about the data we already have. Quality Over Quantity We can no longer assume that more data automatically means better data, and that’s okay. The focus needs to shift from collecting everything to curating what counts, building high-confidence data streams that can be verified. Leaner datasets built on reliable signals consistently produce clearer, more defensible insights than mountains of questionable information. Many organizations still equate size with credibility. But the real question isn’t how much data you have, it’s how true it is. The Human Element Changing how people think about data is harder than changing the technology itself. Teams resist new workflows. Partners worry that “less” means losing visibility or control. But smaller, smarter datasets often reveal more than massive ones ever could because the signals they contain are real. But once trust is lost, insights lose its value. Rebuilding that belief through transparency, validation, and collaboration has become just as critical as the algorithms themselves. AI won’t erase the data problem; it will magnify it. We need to be disciplined enough to separate signals from noise and confident enough to admit that more isn’t always better. Because the real advantage isn’t having endless data. It’s knowing what to leave behind. View the full article

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Building collaboration in teams is vital for success in any workplace. Engaging in team games can improve communication, boost morale, and strengthen relationships among team members. From icebreakers like “Two Truths and a Lie” to problem-solving activities such as escape rooms, these games offer diverse ways to connect. Furthermore, outdoor activities and virtual options cater to various settings. Comprehending how these games work can provide insights into their effectiveness, so let’s explore each type in detail. Key Takeaways Two Truths and a Lie: This icebreaker game encourages team members to share personal facts, fostering conversation and connection in a relaxed atmosphere. Escape Room Challenges: Teams work together to solve puzzles under pressure, enhancing collaboration and critical thinking skills while promoting resilience. Scavenger Hunts: Outdoor activities like scavenger hunts encourage teamwork and communication in dynamic settings, while promoting physical fitness and engagement. Virtual Escape Rooms: Remote teams can enhance collaboration through virtual escape rooms, allowing members to work together in problem-solving despite physical distance. Collaborative Drawing: This creative activity promotes teamwork and communication, as team members must work together to create a unified piece of art. Importance of Team-building Exercises Team-building exercises are crucial for nurturing a collaborative work environment, as they directly influence communication and teamwork among employees. Engaging in activities like a team building escape room can greatly improve your communication skills. According to an MIT study, successful teams communicate face-to-face or via videoconferencing 12 times more than less successful teams. Furthermore, these exercises boost morale and make you feel valued, promoting a positive workplace culture that improves employee retention. Gallup reports show that engaged teams, benefiting from team-building activities, demonstrate 21% greater profitability. In addition, Deloitte emphasizes collaboration and is five times more likely to achieve high performance, as noted by a Deloitte study. Team Icebreaker Games How can icebreaker games transform the dynamics of a team? Icebreakers facilitate conversation and interaction, helping team members break down initial barriers. Activities like “Two Truths and a Lie” or “Human Bingo” promote dialogue and rapport in a relaxed atmosphere. Engaging in these games boosts morale, making employees feel connected to their peers and the organization, which can lead to improved performance. Here are some of the best ice breakers for large groups: Icebreaker Activity Purpose Ideal Group Size Two Truths and a Lie Learn personal facts 5-20 Human Bingo Encourage mingling 10+ Team Trivia cultivate teamwork 8-30 The Name Game Promote name recognition 5-15 These activities can adapt to various team sizes and formats, ensuring an inclusive environment that improves overall team dynamics and workplace culture. Problem-Solving Games After building connections through icebreaker games, teams can further improve their collaboration by engaging in problem-solving games. These activities boost critical thinking skills and encourage team members to collaborate and devise creative solutions in a low-stakes environment. One popular option is the escape room game team building, which nurtures teamwork under pressure as participants work together to meet challenges and achieve common goals. Approximately 77% of CEOs recognize the difficulty in obtaining necessary creativity and innovation skills, underscoring the importance of these games in cultivating such abilities within teams. Problem-solving games often require you to think outside the box, promoting resilience and adaptability when tackling complex challenges. By encouraging collaborative decision-making, these games can lead to increased productivity and performance, as team members learn to leverage each other’s strengths effectively. Engaging in these activities can greatly improve your team’s collaborative skills and overall effectiveness. Outdoor Team Building Activities When you take your team outdoors for building activities, you’re not just stepping outside; you’re creating opportunities for connection and collaboration in a fresh environment. Outdoor team-building activities, like scavenger hunts and group obstacle courses, promote physical fitness during allowing team members to bond through shared experiences. Engaging in these activities improves teamwork and encourages effective communication as you navigate dynamic settings together. Lining up games can add an element of fun and challenge, accommodating various team sizes and skill levels, making them accessible for everyone. Research shows that companies promoting collaboration through outdoor activities are five times more likely to perform at a high level, underscoring the impact of these events on organizational success. Remote or Virtual Team Building Games As teams increasingly work remotely, finding ways to maintain engagement and collaboration becomes crucial. Virtual team building games serve as effective tools for enhancing communication among team members in spite of physical distance. Activities like Virtual Escape Rooms and Collaborative Drawing encourage teamwork and problem-solving skills, typically lasting between 10 to 30 minutes. You might likewise enjoy lighter games such as Who Am I? Stickers and Emoji Pictionary, which promote enjoyable interactions and reduce stress during virtual meetings. Studies show that remote teams participating in structured team-building activities experience improved morale and productivity compared to those who don’t. Engaging in these games can strengthen relationships among team members, resulting in higher employee retention and job satisfaction rates. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 5 C’s of Collaboration? The 5 C’s of collaboration are Communication, Cooperation, Coordination, Conflict Resolution, and Commitment. Communication involves open dialogue, allowing team members to share ideas and concerns. Cooperation focuses on working together, leveraging each person’s strengths for better outcomes. Coordination guarantees tasks align, preventing overlap and enhancing efficiency. Conflict Resolution addresses disagreements constructively, promoting respect and comprehension. Finally, Commitment emphasizes dedication to shared goals, assuring everyone remains focused on the team’s success. What Are Some Games That Encourage Teamwork? To encourage teamwork, you can try activities like Scavenger Hunts, where you solve clues and complete challenges collaboratively. The Marshmallow Tower challenge promotes creativity as you build structures with marshmallows and spaghetti. The Human Knot game emphasizes cooperation by requiring you to untangle yourselves without letting go. Furthermore, Escape Rooms test your problem-solving skills under pressure, whereas Blind Drawing improves communication by having one person describe an image for others to draw. What Are Some Fun Team Building Activities for Work? You can improve workplace camaraderie through various fun team-building activities. Consider icebreakers like “Two Truths and a Lie” or “Human Bingo” to encourage interaction. Engaging in scavenger hunts or virtual escape rooms promotes teamwork and problem-solving. Moreover, creative challenges such as “Marshmallow Tower” or “Collaborative Mural” stimulate innovative thinking. Regularly incorporating these activities can improve communication, boost morale, and eventually lead to increased productivity and profitability within your team. What Are the Big Five Teamwork Activities? The big five teamwork activities include icebreaker activities, which help team members connect; problem-solving tasks, where participants tackle challenges collaboratively; trust-building exercises that improve reliance among teammates; collaborative challenges that encourage shared objectives; and feedback sessions to reflect on group experiences. Each activity plays a role in improving communication, nurturing creativity, building trust, and improving overall team cohesion. Engaging in these activities effectively strengthens the foundation of teamwork within any group. Conclusion Incorporating team games into your workplace can greatly improve collaboration and communication among team members. Activities like “Two Truths and a Lie” and problem-solving games encourage personal connections and critical thinking skills. Outdoor scavenger hunts promote teamwork and physical engagement, whereas virtual games cater to remote teams. By regularly participating in these exercises, you not merely improve morale but additionally strengthen relationships, creating a more cohesive and productive work environment that eventually benefits everyone involved. Image via Google Gemini This article, "5 Essential Team Games to Build Collaboration" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Building collaboration in teams is vital for success in any workplace. Engaging in team games can improve communication, boost morale, and strengthen relationships among team members. From icebreakers like “Two Truths and a Lie” to problem-solving activities such as escape rooms, these games offer diverse ways to connect. Furthermore, outdoor activities and virtual options cater to various settings. Comprehending how these games work can provide insights into their effectiveness, so let’s explore each type in detail. Key Takeaways Two Truths and a Lie: This icebreaker game encourages team members to share personal facts, fostering conversation and connection in a relaxed atmosphere. Escape Room Challenges: Teams work together to solve puzzles under pressure, enhancing collaboration and critical thinking skills while promoting resilience. Scavenger Hunts: Outdoor activities like scavenger hunts encourage teamwork and communication in dynamic settings, while promoting physical fitness and engagement. Virtual Escape Rooms: Remote teams can enhance collaboration through virtual escape rooms, allowing members to work together in problem-solving despite physical distance. Collaborative Drawing: This creative activity promotes teamwork and communication, as team members must work together to create a unified piece of art. Importance of Team-building Exercises Team-building exercises are crucial for nurturing a collaborative work environment, as they directly influence communication and teamwork among employees. Engaging in activities like a team building escape room can greatly improve your communication skills. According to an MIT study, successful teams communicate face-to-face or via videoconferencing 12 times more than less successful teams. Furthermore, these exercises boost morale and make you feel valued, promoting a positive workplace culture that improves employee retention. Gallup reports show that engaged teams, benefiting from team-building activities, demonstrate 21% greater profitability. In addition, Deloitte emphasizes collaboration and is five times more likely to achieve high performance, as noted by a Deloitte study. Team Icebreaker Games How can icebreaker games transform the dynamics of a team? Icebreakers facilitate conversation and interaction, helping team members break down initial barriers. Activities like “Two Truths and a Lie” or “Human Bingo” promote dialogue and rapport in a relaxed atmosphere. Engaging in these games boosts morale, making employees feel connected to their peers and the organization, which can lead to improved performance. Here are some of the best ice breakers for large groups: Icebreaker Activity Purpose Ideal Group Size Two Truths and a Lie Learn personal facts 5-20 Human Bingo Encourage mingling 10+ Team Trivia cultivate teamwork 8-30 The Name Game Promote name recognition 5-15 These activities can adapt to various team sizes and formats, ensuring an inclusive environment that improves overall team dynamics and workplace culture. Problem-Solving Games After building connections through icebreaker games, teams can further improve their collaboration by engaging in problem-solving games. These activities boost critical thinking skills and encourage team members to collaborate and devise creative solutions in a low-stakes environment. One popular option is the escape room game team building, which nurtures teamwork under pressure as participants work together to meet challenges and achieve common goals. Approximately 77% of CEOs recognize the difficulty in obtaining necessary creativity and innovation skills, underscoring the importance of these games in cultivating such abilities within teams. Problem-solving games often require you to think outside the box, promoting resilience and adaptability when tackling complex challenges. By encouraging collaborative decision-making, these games can lead to increased productivity and performance, as team members learn to leverage each other’s strengths effectively. Engaging in these activities can greatly improve your team’s collaborative skills and overall effectiveness. Outdoor Team Building Activities When you take your team outdoors for building activities, you’re not just stepping outside; you’re creating opportunities for connection and collaboration in a fresh environment. Outdoor team-building activities, like scavenger hunts and group obstacle courses, promote physical fitness during allowing team members to bond through shared experiences. Engaging in these activities improves teamwork and encourages effective communication as you navigate dynamic settings together. Lining up games can add an element of fun and challenge, accommodating various team sizes and skill levels, making them accessible for everyone. Research shows that companies promoting collaboration through outdoor activities are five times more likely to perform at a high level, underscoring the impact of these events on organizational success. Remote or Virtual Team Building Games As teams increasingly work remotely, finding ways to maintain engagement and collaboration becomes crucial. Virtual team building games serve as effective tools for enhancing communication among team members in spite of physical distance. Activities like Virtual Escape Rooms and Collaborative Drawing encourage teamwork and problem-solving skills, typically lasting between 10 to 30 minutes. You might likewise enjoy lighter games such as Who Am I? Stickers and Emoji Pictionary, which promote enjoyable interactions and reduce stress during virtual meetings. Studies show that remote teams participating in structured team-building activities experience improved morale and productivity compared to those who don’t. Engaging in these games can strengthen relationships among team members, resulting in higher employee retention and job satisfaction rates. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 5 C’s of Collaboration? The 5 C’s of collaboration are Communication, Cooperation, Coordination, Conflict Resolution, and Commitment. Communication involves open dialogue, allowing team members to share ideas and concerns. Cooperation focuses on working together, leveraging each person’s strengths for better outcomes. Coordination guarantees tasks align, preventing overlap and enhancing efficiency. Conflict Resolution addresses disagreements constructively, promoting respect and comprehension. Finally, Commitment emphasizes dedication to shared goals, assuring everyone remains focused on the team’s success. What Are Some Games That Encourage Teamwork? To encourage teamwork, you can try activities like Scavenger Hunts, where you solve clues and complete challenges collaboratively. The Marshmallow Tower challenge promotes creativity as you build structures with marshmallows and spaghetti. The Human Knot game emphasizes cooperation by requiring you to untangle yourselves without letting go. Furthermore, Escape Rooms test your problem-solving skills under pressure, whereas Blind Drawing improves communication by having one person describe an image for others to draw. What Are Some Fun Team Building Activities for Work? You can improve workplace camaraderie through various fun team-building activities. Consider icebreakers like “Two Truths and a Lie” or “Human Bingo” to encourage interaction. Engaging in scavenger hunts or virtual escape rooms promotes teamwork and problem-solving. Moreover, creative challenges such as “Marshmallow Tower” or “Collaborative Mural” stimulate innovative thinking. Regularly incorporating these activities can improve communication, boost morale, and eventually lead to increased productivity and profitability within your team. What Are the Big Five Teamwork Activities? The big five teamwork activities include icebreaker activities, which help team members connect; problem-solving tasks, where participants tackle challenges collaboratively; trust-building exercises that improve reliance among teammates; collaborative challenges that encourage shared objectives; and feedback sessions to reflect on group experiences. Each activity plays a role in improving communication, nurturing creativity, building trust, and improving overall team cohesion. Engaging in these activities effectively strengthens the foundation of teamwork within any group. Conclusion Incorporating team games into your workplace can greatly improve collaboration and communication among team members. Activities like “Two Truths and a Lie” and problem-solving games encourage personal connections and critical thinking skills. Outdoor scavenger hunts promote teamwork and physical engagement, whereas virtual games cater to remote teams. By regularly participating in these exercises, you not merely improve morale but additionally strengthen relationships, creating a more cohesive and productive work environment that eventually benefits everyone involved. Image via Google Gemini This article, "5 Essential Team Games to Build Collaboration" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Beijing shakes off damage caused by The President’s trade warView the full article

I’m on vacation. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. Nameplate drama I work for a very large company. My department is small and very specialized. The rest of company either doesn’t know we exist or, if they do, doesn’t understand what we do. My department has been the “stepchild” of the company. There have been growth and leadership changes that affected morale for many years. There’s a lack of role clarity, communication, overstepping of management boundaries, no policies or procedures, reactiveness, finger pointing, etc. We have one long-term employee, Jan, who is known for being rude and sarcastic and trying to pass it all off as a joke. Many of us avoid her. She has been insubordinate with her prior manager and had threatened to go to the CEO so nothing was done. She had worked with the CEO in the past and has some type of continued relationship. Morale is low and people are leaving. Our turnover has been noticed by upper management — five people have left in last eight months. The most recent was everybody’s favorite manager, Jay. Jan has been collecting all departed employees’ nameplates for years and proudly displayed them. We all have started taking the nameplates of the coworkers who have quit in past months, and Jan isn’t happy. Some had even instructed us to make sure Jan doesn’t get nameplates to display. Jan is mad that she couldn’t find Jay’s nameplate, so she printed his picture and is displaying at her desk. I walked in this morning and everybody is mad. They’re tired of Jan and all the ugliness and rudeness. The whole team is tired in general and feel, due to all the other issues, this has crossed the line. Unfortunately, the head of the department just came by asking about Jay’s picture and Jan loudly complained about not being able to find his nameplate and the reason for the picture. He laughed. The rest of us cringed. Some on my team want to complain. I decided to speak for team with my director about how this is affecting the team tomorrow. I am somewhat second guessing myself. But I am very aware as team lead of all the issues affecting everybody and the low team morale. This has been an issue for few years. As FYI, a few of us are looking to post out, including me, and are taking additional training courses to leave our department. Your take on this whole mess? I originally didn’t understand what Jan was doing with the nameplates, but commenters have pointed out that it sounds like she’s using them as “trophies” of people she’s successfully driven out. Given that, I’m rewriting this answer. If that is indeed what she’s doing, that’s incredibly messed up, and someone in a position of authority needs tell her “these aren’t appropriate to display and I’m collecting them from you today.” That person might be you, as team lead! But if it’s not, you can indeed cite this to whoever is as evidence of Jan’s toxicity. It sounds like it’s far from the only problem though, and solving this will still leave you mired in serious issues: team morale is low, communication is bad, you have no systems, and the turnover isn’t likely to stop. Absent any signs of real commitment to change that from above you, I’d focus the bulk of your mental energy on getting out. – 2018 Read an update to this letter here. 2. How do I resign without destroying my boss’s company and breaking her heart? For the last year, I have been slowly building a company while continuing to work in a senior management position with my firm. I have been with my current employer for over 10 years and have a close relationship with my boss. We are a very small and close-knit office, but I’m excited about starting something new and moving on. My master plan was to leave once it became clear that I had business to carry me into next year, which I now do. Simple enough, right? Over the last six months, our business has suffered from a lack of new clients. Two of my former coworkers who I worked closely with recently left because of this. Unfortunately, they both gave notice the week my boss’s spouse died. After this happened, she pulled me aside begging me not to leave and said she’d close the office if I quit. She also told me this is all she has left to look forward to. She gave me a raise because I will be “assuming more responsibility” with my coworkers gone (responsibility I don’t particularly want). She’s offered to pass the business along to me when she retires, which seems generous at face value, but I’m almost certain we have been operating at a loss for years. I’m at the height of my career and I’ve suddenly found myself in a failing company, with a staff entirely over 55. Mostly, I just don’t want this anymore. I want to focus on my own company and move on. I’m really at a loss on how to quit with the threat of her losing the “only thing she has left” when I go? How do I quit without hurting her deeply in an already fragile time? It feels like I’m crushing someone who’s counting on me and sees me as the future of their company. I don’t want to hurt her, but this isn’t what I want. Oh no! This is hard. But you definitely don’t need to stay. And even your boss probably wouldn’t want you to stay and be miserable if she had the full context of what you’ve been planning, but since she doesn’t know all that, the comments she’s making are all based on the assumption that you’re reasonably happy there. So yeah, you need to talk to her and let her know what your plans are. You didn’t say how long it’s been since her spouse died. If it just happened, I’d give it a few weeks before you talk to her. One advantage of your situation is that you’re not leaving for a job with another employer, with a definite start date; you have the flexibility to wait a few weeks. It’s not that a few weeks will be enough time for her to adjust to the death of her spouse; obviously it’s not. This is just about not hitting her with yet another piece of bad news while she’s still reeling in the immediate aftermath of tragedy. But it’s not a really long time (like six months), because you don’t want her making long-term plans that center around you. I totally get that you don’t want to be responsible for her deciding to the close the office if you leave. But that might in fact be the best decision for her, and that’s okay. Or she might change her mind; it’s possible that her comments to you were made in the initial stages of grief (and perhaps panic about the business) and she’ll decide to handle it differently later. But the best thing you can do is to give her the information about the situation that she currently lacks (i.e., that you are going to be moving on relatively soon), after waiting a respectful amount of time, so that she’s able to make the right decisions for her and for her business. – 2018 3. My boss and I keep accidentally wearing the same thing I work in a very small office — just my boss, me, and the maintenance guy who pops in occasionally. I adore my boss, but lately I’ve noticed that we tend to wear the same style of outfits. Like we’ll both have on a blue shirt with black pants and a black cardigan. Yesterday we both wore pink shirts with jeans and grey cardigan, etc. I’m fairly new to office environments, so I’m not sure if this is super weird or if I’m just overthinking it. We don’t wear identical outfits, but they are pretty similar in style and color. Should I go shopping or should I just chill out? Nah, you’re fine. Sometimes this happens in offices (it’s like the clothes version of women’s menstrual cycles syncing up) and you can make a joke about the matching outfits You definitely don’t need to buy new clothes. Related: is it weird to start dressing like my boss? – 2019 Read an update to this letter here. 4. My company wants me to impart years of knowledge to someone in my last week on the job My current role is multi-faceted. We’re a company of fewer than 50 employees, I do all of the marketing, all of the graphic design for our e-learning modules, and 80% of the customer service for online learning (seriously). I have a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, and taught myself the sister software for instructional design after college. With less than a week left before I leave for a new job, I’ve been tasked to teach our video production intern (turned full-time employee) everything I know about the software. This is an advanced software program that took me years to learn, and even now, I’m nowhere near master level. The intern is fresh out of college and knows video production very well, but has very little graphic design experience (not to mention, he’s arrogant, having once told me he doesn’t need to attend professional development conferences or skills trainings because “he already knows all of that”). First, I just don’t think I can get him up to par before I leave. Second, isn’t this asking a lot for a departing employee? Please correct me if I’m mistaken, but I’m used to passing off tasks and projects upon departure, but not being required to teach a newbie everything about a tool that I use…? Can I ask your thoughts? Furthermore, my superiors are holding this “carrot” of being able to take Thursday and Friday this week as PTO, giving me a couple of days off before I start my new job on Monday, provided I teach him this software. It’s totally reasonable to say, “I have a degree in graphic design and spent years getting proficient with this software, which is fairly advanced. Even now I’m nowhere near master level or even really equipped to teach it to others. There’s no way I can teach him the software in a week, but I can show him some basics and point him to some tutorials that might be helpful.” I wouldn’t get too swayed by the promise of getting Thursday and Friday off, if it comes at the price of an unreasonable expectation. I’d rather you be straightforward with them about the limitations of what’s possible, so that they have that context and don’t blame you a few weeks from now when — surprise! — he doesn’t know an advanced program that takes years to master. – 2018 5. Recruiter says I need a “cover story” to hide that I spent eight months off with my baby I am a 16 years into my impressive (I think) career with experience working in the government in DC and for commercial industry. I also have an MBA, a master’s in Policy and a BA. For the past four years, I worked at a very large aerospace company but was part of a RIF that occurred last September due to a merger. The situation was kind of stinky as I received notice while I was on maternity leave (not illegal, just an a-hole move). I received a package which allowed me to stay with my baby (my first) for several more months before I started actively looking for a new position. I have been looking for several months now on my own and due to my industry not being strong in the state I live, it’s more difficult for me to find a job. Finding the aerospace position took just over a year last time. I have recently linked up with a recruiter who is very well connected and I think could really help me. He helped me revise my resume and LinkedIn profile and seems to know people at the companies I am interested in applying to. The recruiter has said that I need to “come up with a story” for why I haven’t been working since last September. He suggests that I tell people I was consulting or doing small projects. I pushed back and said that I am not ashamed that I got to spent time with my daughter and that any person/company I work for should appreciate the value in that. He said that at “my level,” people don’t expect that and it will look negatively for me. My husband feels very uncomfortable with this lie and I am not sure either. I’d give this recruiter a wide berth. It’s very normal to take parental leave, and there’s nothing wrong with being up-front that that’s what you were doing with that time. If you’d been out of the workforce for a much longer longer time — like years — he’d have a point that it’s better to be able to say you were doing projects of some kind (but not if that’s a lie, which is what he’s suggesting). But eight months of parental leave, particularly when it coincided with a layoff, is just not a big deal. If you’re concerned that maybe he’s right about the norms in your field, check in with people you know and respect in your industry (ideally at the level you’d be working at or higher). But this guy sounds like a tool. – 2019 The post nameplate drama, boss and I keep wearing the same thing, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

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Your workflow documentation describes the happy path: a ticket arrives, gets categorized, routes to the right team, and gets resolved. Real workflows fail at the transitions. A P1 incident escalates from the service desk. Your engineering team sees it for the first time days after the customer reported it. The ticket shows three status changes, two reassignments, and zero context about what’s been tried. The customer’s last update reads: “Still broken. This is unacceptable.” You’re about to spend your evening reconstructing days of troubleshooting from Slack messages and email threads because someone, somewhere, marked the ticket as “in progress” without documenting what progress meant. Your team already knows how to document work. The problem lives in the handoffs. Something in your workflow’s architecture actively prevents information from traveling with the ticket as it moves between systems, teams, or states. The failures are structural, not human. This guide shows you how to identify where your handoffs create information loss, when to eliminate handoffs entirely, and how to build contingency structures for the ones you can’t avoid. What makes handoffs architectural vulnerabilities in ticket management A handoff is any moment when a ticket crosses a boundary that requires translation. Not just team-to-team escalations, but also status changes that trigger automation, integrations between systems, or shifts in who owns the next action. The vulnerability isn’t the boundary itself. It’s what happens to information that doesn’t fit the receiving system’s data model. Your service desk uses a “Customer Impact” field with values like “Multiple users affected” and “Business-critical system down.” When that ticket escalates to your engineering team’s Jira project, someone manually writes “P1” in the priority field. The original context (which users, which system, what business impact means here) stays behind. It didn’t map to any Jira field, so it became a casualty of translation. Schema mismatch causes mechanical information loss. The two systems don’t share a vocabulary for that context, so the context doesn’t transfer. The engineer staring at that P1 ticket has no idea which business-critical system is down or how many users are affected. They’re making decisions with incomplete information while your customer watches resolution time stretch. The architectural vulnerability is this: every handoff is a compression point. Information gets compressed into whatever the receiving system can accept. Everything else either gets manually summarized in a comment (if you’re lucky) or simply disappears. Where handoffs lose context Between tools: Your IT Service Management platform tracks incident tickets with custom fields for affected services, business units, and configuration items. When specialized work requires creating a linked ticket in engineering’s bug tracker, most of those fields have no equivalent. The context becomes a paragraph in the description that nobody reads because it’s not structured data they can filter or report on. Between teams: Level One support documents troubleshooting steps in their ticket system’s workflow-specific fields. Level Two gets the ticket through an integration that maps title, description, and priority. The troubleshooting history exists but isn’t visible where Level Two works. They start over, or they don’t. They guess based on the description and hope they’re not repeating failed attempts. Between automation states: A ticket sits in “Waiting for Customer” status for three days. Your Service Level Agreement (SLA) clock pauses, correctly. A customer responds. The ticket moves to “In Progress” and routes to whoever’s next in the queue. The person who was working on it originally? They’re not notified. They don’t know the customer responded. The new assignee doesn’t know this ticket has history. You’ve just created a handoff inside your own system. Your workflow treats state transitions as clean boundaries, but information isn’t cleanly bounded. Context is continuous. Ticket states are discrete. Every transition asks: what travels and what stays behind? When to eliminate support ticket handoffs instead of fixing them Before you build better handoff mechanisms, ask whether you need the handoff at all. Some handoffs exist because of organizational boundaries that don’t match work patterns. You escalate tickets between tools because teams are separated, but the separation creates more coordination cost than it prevents. Look for these patterns: Handoffs that exist purely for visibility: You route certain ticket types to a manager’s queue for approval before work begins. The manager approves most of them within an hour. The handoff adds no information; it just creates a gate. Replace the approval handoff with a notification rule and an audit log. Let work start immediately, give the manager visibility to intervene on the small percentage that need it, and eliminate the compression point where context might get lost. Handoffs that separate work that naturally clusters: Your customers report issues that often require both infrastructure and application-level troubleshooting. You’ve split these into separate teams with separate ticket systems. Every ticket that crosses both domains requires escalation, linkage, and coordination. The handoff overhead is constant because the work itself isn’t separable. Create a hybrid team that works in one system, or give the infrastructure team access to the application team’s context without requiring a ticket transfer. Handoffs created by tool boundaries that don’t match problem boundaries: You’ve got a service desk tool for IT support and a separate Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system for customer success. When a product defect surfaces through customer support, someone has to manually create an engineering ticket and keep two systems synchronized. The problem is tool architecture. Integration tools that maintain bidirectional sync address the root cause rather than patch symptoms. They eliminate the handoff by making both systems share the same working context. The diagnostic question is: does this handoff add information or just redistribute it? If someone downstream needs to ask “what’s the background here?” you’ve created a lossy translation point. Handoff problems that persist despite documentation and training are usually structural. How to build ticket escalation processes that preserve context Some handoffs can’t be eliminated. You escalate between expertise levels. You integrate specialized tools that serve different purposes. You coordinate across organizational boundaries that exist for good reasons. For these, you need contingency structures: mechanisms that account for what will go wrong and prevent it mechanically. Field mapping requirements for workflow automation Document what information exists before the handoff and what the receiving system can accept. Where there’s no equivalent field, you’ve found a compression point. These are your architectural vulnerabilities. Pull five tickets that had resolution delays blamed on “miscommunication” or “missing context.” Trace backward to find what information existed in one system but didn’t transfer. This tells you which compression points actually cause failure. Example field mapping audit: Source Field (Zendesk)Destination Field (Jira)StatusImpactTicket titleSummary Direct mapNoneDescriptionDescription Direct mapNonePriority (Urgent/High/Normal/Low)Priority (P1/P2/P3/P4) Translation rule neededMinor – requires mapping logicCustomer impact (dropdown)No equivalent LostCritical – engineering doesn’t see business impactAffected users (text list)No equivalent LostHigh – repeated questions to customerTroubleshooting steps (structured)Becomes unstructured text LossyHigh – work gets repeated Known failure modes from this mapping: Engineering doesn’t see which users are affected, requests this info in comments, adds hours to resolution Troubleshooting history isn’t visible in structured form, gets repeated Business context in “customer impact” field doesn’t inform priority translation, leads to priority disagreements For fields with no mapping, you have three options: Create custom fields in the receiving system if you control the schema and the receiving team needs this information in structured form Build formatted context blocks using automation to append structured information to descriptions with consistent formatting and clear field labels Accept the information loss and document why the receiving team genuinely doesn’t need certain context State synchronization in support ticket workflows The harder problem isn’t mapping fields. It’s keeping state synchronized when the same ticket exists in multiple systems. Your workflow probably has moments like this: A ticket sits in Zendesk while linked engineering work happens in Jira. Updates happen in Jira. Zendesk shows “in progress” for days with no visible activity. Your customer asks for updates. Your support team has to manually check Jira and translate back. State synchronization solves this mechanically by making updates flow bidirectionally and automatically. Status mapping example: Zendesk StatusJira StatusSync RuleNewTo DoDirect mapOpenIn ProgressDirect mapPendingIn ReviewMap when Jira shows “waiting for review”On HoldBlockedMap when Jira shows blockersSolvedDoneDirect map, triggers Zendesk closure Bidirectional comment sync requirements: Every comment in either system appears in both, tagged with author and source Reply threads remain connected across systems Attachments and formatting preserved where possible Update triggers that notify original owners: When work moves to a new system, previous owner gets notified of updates automatically Don’t rely on people remembering to check the other system The handoff doesn’t end when the ticket transfers; it ends when the work closes Workflow design here becomes integration architecture. You’re specifying how systems maintain shared truth about work in progress. If you’re managing handoffs between tools like ServiceNow, Jira, Zendesk, or Asana, this synchronization layer is what prevents information black holes. Diagnosing handoff failures in your ticket workflow Your workflow has gaps you can’t quite name. You know information gets lost. You know things fall into black holes at certain transition points. You need a diagnostic process that finds the mechanical failures. Track tickets backward from failure: Identify tickets with unexpected delays – Pull tickets where resolution took significantly longer than the work itself should have required. Filter for tickets that spent time waiting, got reassigned multiple times, or have comment threads with phrases like “following up” or “can you clarify.” Map their path through your workflow – For each ticket, trace every status change, reassignment, system transfer, and escalation. Build a timeline. Note where the ticket sat still and where it moved between boundaries. Interview the people who touched each ticket – Ask what information they needed but didn’t have when they received the ticket. Ask what they had to look up in other systems. The pattern you’re looking for: where does someone receive a ticket and immediately have to ask questions that someone upstream already answered? That’s your handoff vulnerability. The information exists. It’s documented. It’s just trapped on the wrong side of a boundary. Common vulnerability patterns Priority translation failures: The sending system’s “urgent” doesn’t mean what the receiving system’s “urgent” means. Teams have different SLA expectations. The ticket gets deprioritized at the handoff because the urgency context didn’t translate. Troubleshooting context loss: Level One support documents what they tried in workflow-specific fields or internal notes. Level Two can’t see those fields. They repeat the same troubleshooting steps. Ownership ambiguity after reassignment: A ticket moves to a new queue, but the previous owner doesn’t realize they’re not responsible anymore. Or the new assignee doesn’t realize they’re responsible now. The ticket sits unnoticed. Automation black holes: A ticket enters an automated workflow state. Something about the ticket doesn’t match what the automation expects. The automation fails silently. The ticket sits orphaned. For each vulnerability pattern you find, trace it back to the mechanical cause and document it as a design requirement: “When escalating from service desk to engineering, customer impact information is lost because Zendesk’s custom ‘Business Impact’ field has no equivalent in Jira. This causes priority disputes and requires engineers to ask clarifying questions that delay resolution.” Support ticket workflow templates and documentation Workflow documentation usually describes the happy path. Your team needs documentation that describes the failure modes and how the architecture prevents them. Handoff specification template For each handoff point in your workflow, document: Handoff: [Source system/team] → [Destination system/team] Trigger conditions: What causes this handoff to occur? Specific status changes, assignments, or automation rules Information requirements: What context must travel with the ticket? Required fields, attachments, conversation history Field mapping: Source FieldDestination FieldMapping TypeNotes[Field name][Field name]Direct/Translation/Lost[Impact of lossy translation] Ownership transfer: Who is responsible after the handoff? Notification requirements State synchronization: How do systems stay synchronized during work? Bidirectional update rules Status mapping between different state machines Rollback conditions: When should this ticket return to the source? Information requirements for rollback Known failure modes: Historical problems with this handoff Contingencies built to prevent recurrence System integration requirements If your handoff crosses tool boundaries, specify the integration layer: Integration: [System A] [System B] Configuration: Sync direction: Unidirectional/Bidirectional Sync frequency: Real-time/Scheduled interval Triggered by: Specific events or conditions Field mappings: System ASystem BData TypeTransformation[Field][Field][Type][Rule] Conditional logic: When should records sync? Filters, status requirements, team ownership rules Conflict resolution: What happens when both systems are updated simultaneously? Which system is authoritative for which fields Error handling: What happens when sync fails? Notification procedures, retry logic, manual intervention requirements Audit trail: How do you verify sync is working? Logging requirements, monitoring and alerting Handoff contingency checklist For unavoidable handoffs, give your team a checklist that accounts for what will go wrong: Before escalating or transferring: All required fields populated with decision-useful information Attachments included (specify required types) Troubleshooting history documented in structured format Customer impact explicitly stated (which users, which systems, what business function affected) Expected next action clearly defined Receiving team or person notified directly (not just via automated assignment) SLA clock status verified (running, paused, or about to breach) After receiving: Verify all required context is present before starting work If context is missing: request it explicitly in comments, notify previous owner Update status immediately so sending system reflects current state Document next steps in both systems if working across tools Notify customer if handoff will cause delays beyond normal SLA This isn’t process overhead. It’s forcing functions that prevent the mechanical failures your diagnostic audit found. Building ticket workflows that work at scale Handoffs fail when workflow design treats them as clean boundaries instead of translation points that compress information. The tickets that fall through aren’t exceptions. They’re symptoms of architectural gaps between systems, teams, and states. If your workflow has persistent handoff problems despite training and documentation, the root cause is structural vulnerabilities in how information flows across boundaries. Better architecture, not better discipline, fixes this. This is why workflow integration tools that maintain bidirectional synchronization between systems matter. When platforms like Unito keep tickets synchronized across Jira, ServiceNow, Zendesk, and Asana, they maintain shared working context so handoffs don’t require lossy compression. The synchronization layer handles state translation, field mapping, and bidirectional updates automatically. Your workflow probably needs both: architectural fixes for handoffs you can eliminate and synchronization infrastructure for the ones you can’t. Start with the diagnostic audit. Find where information actually gets lost in your specific workflow. Then decide whether you need to redesign the boundary or build better contingencies for crossing it. The tickets that fall through the gaps? They’re telling you exactly where your workflow’s architecture needs work. Ready to build a workflow that actually works? Meet with a Unito product expert to see how a two-way integration can transform the way you handle tickets. Talk with sales View the full article

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When you’re ready to commence video editing with images, it’s vital to start with a clear process. First, preview your images to assess their quality and relevance. Then, select the best ones for your project. Planning your sequence is critical, as it sets the tone for your video. As you move through the steps, keep in mind that each decision, from trimming clips to choosing transitions, impacts the final product’s quality. What comes next might surprise you. Key Takeaways Import and organize high-resolution images in editing software, previewing each for quality and relevance to the narrative. Create a storyboard to outline the image sequence, timing, and any text overlays or audio elements. Trim unnecessary footage and use transitions sparingly to maintain a smooth flow and engaging storytelling. Apply color grading for visual consistency and select background music that complements the theme and pacing of the video. Export the final product in a compatible format, ensuring quality, while gathering feedback for further refinement and alignment with the original vision. Previewing Your Images When you start video editing, the first step is to preview your images, as this process helps guarantee that each visual element aligns with the narrative you want to create. Begin by importing your video editing images into your chosen software, ensuring they’re organized for easy access. Preview each image to assess its quality and relevance, noting any that require adjustment. Use the software’s preview feature to visualize the sequence of your images, allowing you to refine the flow. Take notes on which images you plan to include and specify edits like cropping or color correction. Familiarizing yourself with the timeline feature will aid in placing your images accurately, making the editing workflow smoother with your video editor pic HD. Selecting the Best Images How do you choose the best images for your video project? Start by selecting high-resolution images to guarantee clarity and avoid pixelation. Next, align your images with the narrative and theme of your video to engage viewers effectively. Consistent lighting and color tones are essential for a cohesive visual experience. Furthermore, choose images that evoke emotions or convey relevant messages, as this can improve viewer retention. Finally, consider the aspect ratio of your images to prevent cropping or distortion. Criteria Importance Example Resolution Guarantees clarity 1920×1080 pixels Theme Alignment Maintains viewer engagement Travel, nature, or events Consistency in Lighting Creates a cohesive look Warm tones throughout Planning Your Sequence To create an engaging video sequence, start by reviewing all your selected images to identify those that best tell a cohesive story or convey a specific theme. Organize your chosen images in a logical order that promotes a smooth flow and improves the narrative you want to present. Creating a storyboard can help outline the sequence of images, including notes on shifts, text overlays, and any accompanying audio that will enrich your visual narrative. Consider the timing for each image, deciding how long to display them to keep viewers engaged and match the pacing of your background music. Finally, use your editing software’s timeline feature to arrange your images, allowing for easy adjustments as you refine your sequence. Creating a Rough Cut Creating a rough cut is crucial for establishing the backbone of your video. Start by organizing your footage chronologically, which will help you assemble a basic structure that supports your narrative. As you work, identify key elements that improve the story, and remember to use basic editing tools to trim any unnecessary clips for better pacing. Organizing Your Footage Organizing your footage is a crucial step in the video editing process, as it sets the foundation for a cohesive final product. Start by importing your images into the editing software, then arrange them into designated bins or folders based on themes, events, or sequences. This organization streamlines your editing workflow. Next, create a rough cut by assembling your images in a timeline according to your planned narrative structure. Use links and timing adjustments to establish a logical flow between visuals. Regularly review your rough cut to assess pacing and visual coherence, making necessary adjustments. Finally, gather feedback from peers or collaborators to identify areas for improvement, ensuring that your narrative effectively engages your audience. Assembling Basic Structure Once you’ve imported your footage into the editing software, you can begin assembling the basic structure of your video by creating a rough cut. Start by organizing your images into designated bins for easy access. Drag the images onto the timeline in a sequential order that tells your intended story, adjusting each image’s duration to maintain viewer engagement. Use basic editing functions like trimming to refine display lengths, guaranteeing a smooth flow. Incorporate transitions between images to improve the narrative, but do so sparingly to avoid distractions. Finally, review the rough cut to verify logical sequencing and continuity, making necessary adjustments before proceeding to more detailed editing. Step Action Organize Images Place images in designated bins Sequence Timeline Drag images onto the timeline Review & Adjust Check for flow and continuity Identifying Key Elements In the process of assembling your video, identifying key elements during the rough cut phase is vital for establishing a coherent narrative. Start by arranging your selected images in a logical order that supports your video’s theme. This creates a basic structure and flow, which is important for storytelling. As you place images, trim or adjust their display duration to keep viewer engagement and guarantee the pacing aligns with your message. Incorporate minimal transitions between images to improve visual flow without distraction. After assembling your rough cut, review it for consistency in style and theme. Take notes on any areas needing refinement or additional visuals to bolster your narrative further. This careful attention will raise your final product. Trimming Clips for Clarity Trimming clips is crucial for enhancing clarity in your video projects, as it helps you eliminate unnecessary footage that could distract viewers. By perfecting techniques for effective trimming, you can precisely control video duration and maintain a smooth flow throughout your content. This skill not merely improves viewer engagement but additionally raises the overall quality of your final product. Importance of Trimming Effective video editing hinges on the ability to trim clips, as it lets you control the duration of each segment, ensuring your content remains relevant and engaging. Trimming improves storytelling by removing unnecessary pauses and irrelevant footage, which helps maintain a smoother narrative flow. By utilizing trimming tools, you can achieve a more polished final product, eliminating distractions and keeping your audience focused on key messages. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgrXxAPxmEY Consistent trimming practices lead to coherent pacing throughout the video, allowing viewers to stay engaged without losing interest. In the end, trimming is crucial for creating a tighter edit, greatly improving the overall quality and professionalism of your finished video, making it more appealing and effective for your audience. Techniques for Effective Trimming Perfecting the art of trimming clips can greatly improve the clarity and effectiveness of your video content. By trimming, you gain precise control over each segment, ensuring only the most relevant content remains. Use the trim function to cut out unnecessary pauses, stutters, or filler material that may disrupt the flow of your narrative. This careful selection keeps your pacing tight and focused on key moments, which helps maintain viewer engagement. Most video editing software offers visual indicators, like waveforms or clip markers, to identify sections needing trimming. Regular practice with these techniques can improve your editing efficiency and considerably raise the quality of your final video projects. Focus on clarity; it’s crucial for impactful storytelling. Adjusting Transitions When you adjust shifts in video editing, you’re fundamentally fine-tuning the flow of your narrative, which can markedly impact how viewers perceive the story. Transitions are vital for creating smooth visual shifts between clips, maintaining viewer engagement throughout the video. Common types include cuts, fades, dissolves, and wipes, each serving different narrative purposes. Adjusting the duration of these transitions is significant; faster transitions create urgency, whereas slower ones lend a relaxed feel. It’s important to use transitional effects sparingly, as excessive use can distract from the story. Most video editing software offers preview options, allowing you to see how each transition looks before finalizing your edits, ensuring your choices improve rather than detract from the overall narrative flow. Enhancing With Color Grading Color grading is crucial for improving the visual quality of your footage, allowing you to adjust elements like color balance and saturation for a specific mood. Utilizing tools such as histograms and LUTs can streamline the process, ensuring accuracy and consistency across your clips. Understanding Color Grading Basics As you improve your video’s visual appeal, understanding the basics of color grading is essential for creating a polished final product. Color grading involves adjusting colors, contrast, and brightness to achieve a specific aesthetic while maintaining a consistent look across all clips. Here are key elements to focus on: Video Scopes: Use waveform monitors and vectorscopes for precise adjustments to color balance and exposure. Look-Up Tables (LUTs): Apply LUTs to quickly achieve distinct color styles or moods that enrich your storytelling. Consistent Color Palette: Guarantee a cohesive color scheme to maintain viewer engagement and reinforce your narrative’s tone. Visual Quality: Proper grading raises the perceived quality of your footage, making it more appealing and professional. Tools for Color Grading To improve your video projects through effective color grading, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with a variety of tools designed to streamline the process and raise the visual quality of your footage. Software like Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve are popular choices, providing robust features for color adjustment. LUTs (Look-Up Tables) are vital for quick, consistent color applications across scenes. Moreover, video scopes like waveform monitors and vectorscopes help you achieve accurate color correction and balance. Maintaining a consistent color palette is imperative for a cohesive look, enhancing the storytelling aspect. Below is a quick reference table for effective tools: Tool Type Purpose Software Editing and color adjustments LUTs Preset color adjustments Waveform Monitor Luminance level visualization Vectorscope Color distribution feedback Techniques for Effective Grading Effective grading techniques play a crucial role in shaping the visual narrative of your video projects. By applying these methods, you can greatly improve the emotional impact of your storytelling. Use video scopes, like waveform monitors and vectorscopes, to guarantee accurate color correction and balanced exposure. Implement Look-Up Tables (LUTs) carefully to maintain your footage’s unique qualities during the application of a consistent style. Achieve a cohesive color palette across all clips, improving the overall quality and guiding viewers’ emotional responses. Leverage built-in tools in non-linear editing (NLE) software to adjust hue, saturation, and luminance for precise improvements. Adding Background Music When adding background music to your video, it’s crucial to choose tracks that not just resonate with the theme but additionally improve the overall viewing experience without overpowering the visuals. Opt for royalty-free music or licensed tracks from platforms like Epidemic Sound and Artlist to avoid copyright issues. Adjust the music volume to blend well with other audio elements, typically keeping it around -12 to -18 dB. Use audio editing tools to trim, fade, or loop music tracks to fit your video’s length and structure seamlessly. Consider the pacing of your video; upbeat tracks can energize fast-paced edits, whereas slower melodies may suit reflective or emotional narratives better. This careful selection boosts your video’s impact. Incorporating Text and Captions Adding background music can greatly improve your video, but incorporating text and captions plays a crucial role in ensuring that your audience fully understands the message. Properly used, text and captions elevate viewer engagement and comprehension. Here are some tips to effectively integrate them: Use lower thirds to present vital information without obstructing key visuals. Choose font sizes and colors that contrast well with the background for better readability. Synchronize captions with audio to accurately reflect dialogue, improving accessibility for hearing-impaired viewers. Consider using animated text effects sparingly, adding visual interest without overwhelming the viewer. Exporting Your Final Product Exporting your final product is a crucial step in the video editing process, as it determines how your audience will experience your work. To guarantee broad compatibility, consider using MP4 format. Aim for higher quality exports at 1080p or 4K resolution, which improves clarity and presentation. Utilizing lossless and uncompressed formats will help preserve your video’s integrity, avoiding quality loss for smaller file sizes. Familiarize yourself with exporting tools like Adobe Media Encoder and Apple Compressor, as they offer advanced options and settings. After exporting, always conduct a final review of your video. This step confirms that all edits, audio levels, and visual elements align with your original vision, providing a polished and professional final product. Choosing the Right Export Format Selecting the right export format for your video is just as important as the editing process itself. The format you choose affects compatibility, quality, and viewer experience. Here are some key points to contemplate: MP4 is widely recommended for its compatibility with most devices and platforms, ensuring broad accessibility. Export in higher resolutions, like 1080p or 4K, to improve image clarity, particularly for high-quality content. Although lossless formats preserve video quality, they often result in larger file sizes, which can be impractical for sharing. Use codecs like H.264 for MP4 exports to balance file size and quality, making it suitable for streaming and social media. Sharing Your Video Sharing your video effectively can greatly improve its reach and impact. First, export it in a widely compatible format like MP4 to guarantee it plays on various platforms. Utilize social media’s built-in sharing features for direct uploads, enhancing audience engagement. Consider hosting your video on platforms like YouTube or Vimeo, as they offer valuable analytics tools and viewer interaction options. Don’t forget to optimize your video’s title, description, and tags with relevant keywords to boost searchability and SEO ranking. Platform Benefits Tips YouTube Analytics, broad reach Use engaging thumbnails Vimeo Professional hosting Customize player settings Facebook Immediate engagement Post during peak hours Instagram Visual storytelling Utilize reels for short clips Twitter Quick sharing Use hashtags for visibility Gathering Feedback for Improvement How can you guarantee your video reaches its full potential? Gathering feedback is crucial in refining your edits. By actively seeking input, you can uncover overlooked details and improve the overall quality of your work. Consider these effective strategies: Utilize tools like Dropbox Replay for frame-accurate annotations. Collect constructive feedback from peers to gain fresh perspectives. Organize comments from multiple sources in one centralized location. Engage clients early by sharing drafts to confirm alignment with their vision. Implementing feedback not only enhances your storytelling and visual flow but also cultivates collaboration, streamlining the revision process. In the end, this approach leads to a more polished final product that resonates with your audience. Frequently Asked Questions How to Make a Good Video Editing With Photos? To make a good video editing with photos, start by choosing high-resolution images that fit your theme. Use editing software to arrange the photos in a logical sequence, ensuring smooth shifts between each one to maintain viewer interest. Improve your video with suitable background music that aligns with the visuals, adding emotional depth. Finally, export your project in MP4 format for broad compatibility, ensuring it supports high-quality resolutions for the best viewing experience. What Are 321 Rules of Video Editing? The 321 rule of video editing emphasizes the importance of data safety. You should keep three copies of your footage, stored on two different media types, with one copy stored off-site. This approach protects against data corruption, hardware failure, and accidental deletion. What Are the 5 Stages of Video Editing? The five stages of video editing are crucial for crafting a polished final product. First, you preview media to select the best clips. Next, you plan the story structure, outlining the narrative arc and clip arrangement. Then, you create a rough cut by sequencing the clips into a coherent flow. After that, you refine your edits for clarity and pacing. Finally, you export the project in the desired format, ensuring quality and compatibility. How Do You Edit Video on Photos? To edit video from photos, first, choose a user-friendly software like Descript or Adobe Premiere Pro. Import your high-quality images and arrange them on the timeline in your desired sequence. Apply changes for smooth flow between images, enhancing the overall viewing experience. Consider adding background music or sound effects that align with your visuals, as this can greatly improve emotional engagement. Finally, export your project in MP4 format, selecting an appropriate resolution like 1080p or 4K. Conclusion By following this step-by-step video editing guide, you can effectively transform your images into a polished video. Start with careful selection and organization of your visuals, then plan and execute your sequence with attention to detail. Trimming clips and adding transitions improves clarity, as proper color grading and music selection raise the overall experience. Finally, choose the right export format for your audience, share your video, and seek feedback to continually improve your editing skills. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Step-by-Step Video Editing Guide for Images" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

When you’re ready to commence video editing with images, it’s vital to start with a clear process. First, preview your images to assess their quality and relevance. Then, select the best ones for your project. Planning your sequence is critical, as it sets the tone for your video. As you move through the steps, keep in mind that each decision, from trimming clips to choosing transitions, impacts the final product’s quality. What comes next might surprise you. Key Takeaways Import and organize high-resolution images in editing software, previewing each for quality and relevance to the narrative. Create a storyboard to outline the image sequence, timing, and any text overlays or audio elements. Trim unnecessary footage and use transitions sparingly to maintain a smooth flow and engaging storytelling. Apply color grading for visual consistency and select background music that complements the theme and pacing of the video. Export the final product in a compatible format, ensuring quality, while gathering feedback for further refinement and alignment with the original vision. Previewing Your Images When you start video editing, the first step is to preview your images, as this process helps guarantee that each visual element aligns with the narrative you want to create. Begin by importing your video editing images into your chosen software, ensuring they’re organized for easy access. Preview each image to assess its quality and relevance, noting any that require adjustment. Use the software’s preview feature to visualize the sequence of your images, allowing you to refine the flow. Take notes on which images you plan to include and specify edits like cropping or color correction. Familiarizing yourself with the timeline feature will aid in placing your images accurately, making the editing workflow smoother with your video editor pic HD. Selecting the Best Images How do you choose the best images for your video project? Start by selecting high-resolution images to guarantee clarity and avoid pixelation. Next, align your images with the narrative and theme of your video to engage viewers effectively. Consistent lighting and color tones are essential for a cohesive visual experience. Furthermore, choose images that evoke emotions or convey relevant messages, as this can improve viewer retention. Finally, consider the aspect ratio of your images to prevent cropping or distortion. Criteria Importance Example Resolution Guarantees clarity 1920×1080 pixels Theme Alignment Maintains viewer engagement Travel, nature, or events Consistency in Lighting Creates a cohesive look Warm tones throughout Planning Your Sequence To create an engaging video sequence, start by reviewing all your selected images to identify those that best tell a cohesive story or convey a specific theme. Organize your chosen images in a logical order that promotes a smooth flow and improves the narrative you want to present. Creating a storyboard can help outline the sequence of images, including notes on shifts, text overlays, and any accompanying audio that will enrich your visual narrative. Consider the timing for each image, deciding how long to display them to keep viewers engaged and match the pacing of your background music. Finally, use your editing software’s timeline feature to arrange your images, allowing for easy adjustments as you refine your sequence. Creating a Rough Cut Creating a rough cut is crucial for establishing the backbone of your video. Start by organizing your footage chronologically, which will help you assemble a basic structure that supports your narrative. As you work, identify key elements that improve the story, and remember to use basic editing tools to trim any unnecessary clips for better pacing. Organizing Your Footage Organizing your footage is a crucial step in the video editing process, as it sets the foundation for a cohesive final product. Start by importing your images into the editing software, then arrange them into designated bins or folders based on themes, events, or sequences. This organization streamlines your editing workflow. Next, create a rough cut by assembling your images in a timeline according to your planned narrative structure. Use links and timing adjustments to establish a logical flow between visuals. Regularly review your rough cut to assess pacing and visual coherence, making necessary adjustments. Finally, gather feedback from peers or collaborators to identify areas for improvement, ensuring that your narrative effectively engages your audience. Assembling Basic Structure Once you’ve imported your footage into the editing software, you can begin assembling the basic structure of your video by creating a rough cut. Start by organizing your images into designated bins for easy access. Drag the images onto the timeline in a sequential order that tells your intended story, adjusting each image’s duration to maintain viewer engagement. Use basic editing functions like trimming to refine display lengths, guaranteeing a smooth flow. Incorporate transitions between images to improve the narrative, but do so sparingly to avoid distractions. Finally, review the rough cut to verify logical sequencing and continuity, making necessary adjustments before proceeding to more detailed editing. Step Action Organize Images Place images in designated bins Sequence Timeline Drag images onto the timeline Review & Adjust Check for flow and continuity Identifying Key Elements In the process of assembling your video, identifying key elements during the rough cut phase is vital for establishing a coherent narrative. Start by arranging your selected images in a logical order that supports your video’s theme. This creates a basic structure and flow, which is important for storytelling. As you place images, trim or adjust their display duration to keep viewer engagement and guarantee the pacing aligns with your message. Incorporate minimal transitions between images to improve visual flow without distraction. After assembling your rough cut, review it for consistency in style and theme. Take notes on any areas needing refinement or additional visuals to bolster your narrative further. This careful attention will raise your final product. Trimming Clips for Clarity Trimming clips is crucial for enhancing clarity in your video projects, as it helps you eliminate unnecessary footage that could distract viewers. By perfecting techniques for effective trimming, you can precisely control video duration and maintain a smooth flow throughout your content. This skill not merely improves viewer engagement but additionally raises the overall quality of your final product. Importance of Trimming Effective video editing hinges on the ability to trim clips, as it lets you control the duration of each segment, ensuring your content remains relevant and engaging. Trimming improves storytelling by removing unnecessary pauses and irrelevant footage, which helps maintain a smoother narrative flow. By utilizing trimming tools, you can achieve a more polished final product, eliminating distractions and keeping your audience focused on key messages. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgrXxAPxmEY Consistent trimming practices lead to coherent pacing throughout the video, allowing viewers to stay engaged without losing interest. In the end, trimming is crucial for creating a tighter edit, greatly improving the overall quality and professionalism of your finished video, making it more appealing and effective for your audience. Techniques for Effective Trimming Perfecting the art of trimming clips can greatly improve the clarity and effectiveness of your video content. By trimming, you gain precise control over each segment, ensuring only the most relevant content remains. Use the trim function to cut out unnecessary pauses, stutters, or filler material that may disrupt the flow of your narrative. This careful selection keeps your pacing tight and focused on key moments, which helps maintain viewer engagement. Most video editing software offers visual indicators, like waveforms or clip markers, to identify sections needing trimming. Regular practice with these techniques can improve your editing efficiency and considerably raise the quality of your final video projects. Focus on clarity; it’s crucial for impactful storytelling. Adjusting Transitions When you adjust shifts in video editing, you’re fundamentally fine-tuning the flow of your narrative, which can markedly impact how viewers perceive the story. Transitions are vital for creating smooth visual shifts between clips, maintaining viewer engagement throughout the video. Common types include cuts, fades, dissolves, and wipes, each serving different narrative purposes. Adjusting the duration of these transitions is significant; faster transitions create urgency, whereas slower ones lend a relaxed feel. It’s important to use transitional effects sparingly, as excessive use can distract from the story. Most video editing software offers preview options, allowing you to see how each transition looks before finalizing your edits, ensuring your choices improve rather than detract from the overall narrative flow. Enhancing With Color Grading Color grading is crucial for improving the visual quality of your footage, allowing you to adjust elements like color balance and saturation for a specific mood. Utilizing tools such as histograms and LUTs can streamline the process, ensuring accuracy and consistency across your clips. Understanding Color Grading Basics As you improve your video’s visual appeal, understanding the basics of color grading is essential for creating a polished final product. Color grading involves adjusting colors, contrast, and brightness to achieve a specific aesthetic while maintaining a consistent look across all clips. Here are key elements to focus on: Video Scopes: Use waveform monitors and vectorscopes for precise adjustments to color balance and exposure. Look-Up Tables (LUTs): Apply LUTs to quickly achieve distinct color styles or moods that enrich your storytelling. Consistent Color Palette: Guarantee a cohesive color scheme to maintain viewer engagement and reinforce your narrative’s tone. Visual Quality: Proper grading raises the perceived quality of your footage, making it more appealing and professional. Tools for Color Grading To improve your video projects through effective color grading, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with a variety of tools designed to streamline the process and raise the visual quality of your footage. Software like Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve are popular choices, providing robust features for color adjustment. LUTs (Look-Up Tables) are vital for quick, consistent color applications across scenes. Moreover, video scopes like waveform monitors and vectorscopes help you achieve accurate color correction and balance. Maintaining a consistent color palette is imperative for a cohesive look, enhancing the storytelling aspect. Below is a quick reference table for effective tools: Tool Type Purpose Software Editing and color adjustments LUTs Preset color adjustments Waveform Monitor Luminance level visualization Vectorscope Color distribution feedback Techniques for Effective Grading Effective grading techniques play a crucial role in shaping the visual narrative of your video projects. By applying these methods, you can greatly improve the emotional impact of your storytelling. Use video scopes, like waveform monitors and vectorscopes, to guarantee accurate color correction and balanced exposure. Implement Look-Up Tables (LUTs) carefully to maintain your footage’s unique qualities during the application of a consistent style. Achieve a cohesive color palette across all clips, improving the overall quality and guiding viewers’ emotional responses. Leverage built-in tools in non-linear editing (NLE) software to adjust hue, saturation, and luminance for precise improvements. Adding Background Music When adding background music to your video, it’s crucial to choose tracks that not just resonate with the theme but additionally improve the overall viewing experience without overpowering the visuals. Opt for royalty-free music or licensed tracks from platforms like Epidemic Sound and Artlist to avoid copyright issues. Adjust the music volume to blend well with other audio elements, typically keeping it around -12 to -18 dB. Use audio editing tools to trim, fade, or loop music tracks to fit your video’s length and structure seamlessly. Consider the pacing of your video; upbeat tracks can energize fast-paced edits, whereas slower melodies may suit reflective or emotional narratives better. This careful selection boosts your video’s impact. Incorporating Text and Captions Adding background music can greatly improve your video, but incorporating text and captions plays a crucial role in ensuring that your audience fully understands the message. Properly used, text and captions elevate viewer engagement and comprehension. Here are some tips to effectively integrate them: Use lower thirds to present vital information without obstructing key visuals. Choose font sizes and colors that contrast well with the background for better readability. Synchronize captions with audio to accurately reflect dialogue, improving accessibility for hearing-impaired viewers. Consider using animated text effects sparingly, adding visual interest without overwhelming the viewer. Exporting Your Final Product Exporting your final product is a crucial step in the video editing process, as it determines how your audience will experience your work. To guarantee broad compatibility, consider using MP4 format. Aim for higher quality exports at 1080p or 4K resolution, which improves clarity and presentation. Utilizing lossless and uncompressed formats will help preserve your video’s integrity, avoiding quality loss for smaller file sizes. Familiarize yourself with exporting tools like Adobe Media Encoder and Apple Compressor, as they offer advanced options and settings. After exporting, always conduct a final review of your video. This step confirms that all edits, audio levels, and visual elements align with your original vision, providing a polished and professional final product. Choosing the Right Export Format Selecting the right export format for your video is just as important as the editing process itself. The format you choose affects compatibility, quality, and viewer experience. Here are some key points to contemplate: MP4 is widely recommended for its compatibility with most devices and platforms, ensuring broad accessibility. Export in higher resolutions, like 1080p or 4K, to improve image clarity, particularly for high-quality content. Although lossless formats preserve video quality, they often result in larger file sizes, which can be impractical for sharing. Use codecs like H.264 for MP4 exports to balance file size and quality, making it suitable for streaming and social media. Sharing Your Video Sharing your video effectively can greatly improve its reach and impact. First, export it in a widely compatible format like MP4 to guarantee it plays on various platforms. Utilize social media’s built-in sharing features for direct uploads, enhancing audience engagement. Consider hosting your video on platforms like YouTube or Vimeo, as they offer valuable analytics tools and viewer interaction options. Don’t forget to optimize your video’s title, description, and tags with relevant keywords to boost searchability and SEO ranking. Platform Benefits Tips YouTube Analytics, broad reach Use engaging thumbnails Vimeo Professional hosting Customize player settings Facebook Immediate engagement Post during peak hours Instagram Visual storytelling Utilize reels for short clips Twitter Quick sharing Use hashtags for visibility Gathering Feedback for Improvement How can you guarantee your video reaches its full potential? Gathering feedback is crucial in refining your edits. By actively seeking input, you can uncover overlooked details and improve the overall quality of your work. Consider these effective strategies: Utilize tools like Dropbox Replay for frame-accurate annotations. Collect constructive feedback from peers to gain fresh perspectives. Organize comments from multiple sources in one centralized location. Engage clients early by sharing drafts to confirm alignment with their vision. Implementing feedback not only enhances your storytelling and visual flow but also cultivates collaboration, streamlining the revision process. In the end, this approach leads to a more polished final product that resonates with your audience. Frequently Asked Questions How to Make a Good Video Editing With Photos? To make a good video editing with photos, start by choosing high-resolution images that fit your theme. Use editing software to arrange the photos in a logical sequence, ensuring smooth shifts between each one to maintain viewer interest. Improve your video with suitable background music that aligns with the visuals, adding emotional depth. Finally, export your project in MP4 format for broad compatibility, ensuring it supports high-quality resolutions for the best viewing experience. What Are 321 Rules of Video Editing? The 321 rule of video editing emphasizes the importance of data safety. You should keep three copies of your footage, stored on two different media types, with one copy stored off-site. This approach protects against data corruption, hardware failure, and accidental deletion. What Are the 5 Stages of Video Editing? The five stages of video editing are crucial for crafting a polished final product. First, you preview media to select the best clips. Next, you plan the story structure, outlining the narrative arc and clip arrangement. Then, you create a rough cut by sequencing the clips into a coherent flow. After that, you refine your edits for clarity and pacing. Finally, you export the project in the desired format, ensuring quality and compatibility. How Do You Edit Video on Photos? To edit video from photos, first, choose a user-friendly software like Descript or Adobe Premiere Pro. Import your high-quality images and arrange them on the timeline in your desired sequence. Apply changes for smooth flow between images, enhancing the overall viewing experience. Consider adding background music or sound effects that align with your visuals, as this can greatly improve emotional engagement. Finally, export your project in MP4 format, selecting an appropriate resolution like 1080p or 4K. Conclusion By following this step-by-step video editing guide, you can effectively transform your images into a polished video. Start with careful selection and organization of your visuals, then plan and execute your sequence with attention to detail. Trimming clips and adding transitions improves clarity, as proper color grading and music selection raise the overall experience. Finally, choose the right export format for your audience, share your video, and seek feedback to continually improve your editing skills. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Step-by-Step Video Editing Guide for Images" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

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Central bank will purchase short-term Treasuries just weeks after it stopped shrinking its balance sheetView the full article

The shift to hybrid work promised flexibility, but it also introduced a pervasive, often-overlooked challenge: the psychological burden of constant video conferencing. While initially hailed as the essential bridge for remote teams, the relentless string of video calls has led to a widely recognized phenomenon—"Zoom fatigue"—which is just the surface of a deeper, more complex issue impacting employee well-being, engagement, and inclusivity. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. RAM, also known as random-access memory (or just memory for short), is an important part of most electronics these days. It essentially allows programs to keep key information at the ready so they don't have to dig through your storage (like your hard drive or solid state drive) to find it. RAM is in laptops, phones, tablets, gaming consoles, and even cars, and all apps rely on it at least a little bit. Essentially, if your device has a computer in it, it probably comes with RAM equipped, or it'll want you to install some before it'll boot up. But that dependency has become a big problem recently. While RAM has historically been one of the cheaper components for home techies to buy, over the past few months, RAM has gotten much more expensive, going from an afterthought on many people's budgets to something you have to save for. There are a few reasons for that, but even if you're not a hardcore PC builder and you're not buying RAM outright, these price jumps could still affect you in the long term. What happened?Like with most tech shakeups these days, the big reason for the sudden explosion in RAM pricing is AI. Citing trade research firm TrendForce and Korean publication The Chosun Daily, Lifehacker sister site PCMag started reporting on shifting RAM prices in October, and it's only gotten worse since. According to these analysts and industry insiders, manufacturers have slowly been focusing more of their attention on RAM specifically meant for AI data centers, with Samsung and SK Hynix in particular prioritizing production of high bandwidth memory that consumer goods don't use. Tom's Hardware backed this up with its own reporting in October, saying that these companies have devoted what may be around 40% of global RAM output to a single AI project—OpenAI's Stargate project. Those are two out of the three biggest RAM makers right now, and while all this was followed by a bombshell last week, the situation already didn't look good as we entered fall, with a shortage beginning to affect consumer prices. "This is insanity," wrote one Reddit user in October, with more pessimism coming around Black Friday, when other users and even publications like other Lifehacker sister site Mashable noticed that some RAM was selling for as high as four-figures, during what was supposedly a sales season. But the largest RAM price hikes hit at the start of December, following an announcement from the last remaining major RAM producer—Micron. The company, long known for its consumer-focused Crucial series, said it would be leaving the consumer RAM business in 2026 to focus on AI, bringing an end to Crucial's 30-year history in the process. Since then, RAM prices across several products have jumped even higher, even as RAM producers report doubled profits over last year. Essentially, as Gartner analyst Shrish Plant told The Verge, "If you are not a server customer, you will be considered a second priority for memory vendors." How expensive is RAM now?While all computer component prices fluctuate, RAM has usually been among the cheaper ones, generally coming in under $100 for a respectable amount from a good brand, or closer to $150 for an upgrade. Those days, it seems, have gone out the window. A streamer and TikToker I follow, Christian Divyne, recently posted that a RAM kit he bought in April for $90 is now over $400, and he's not alone. I've seen this sentiment all over social media lately, so to check it myself, I went through PCMag's list of the best RAM for gaming in 2025, and here are the price differences I found from August of 2025 to now. G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB DDR5-7200, was $110 in August, $360 now. G.Skill Trident Z5 64 GB DDR5-6400 CL32, was $170 in August, $640 now. G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB DDR4-3600, was $46 in August, $105 now. While this is a small selection of RAM, it's clear these higher prices are present across the whole industry. PCPartPicker, a popular site where PC building enthusiasts rate parts for their machines, currently says its highest rated RAM is $407, with competing memory often hitting similar highs. Essentially, it's now difficult to find any RAM below $100, and most likely, you'll need to pay two or three times more than you might have earlier in the year. These price jumps are most apparent when buying RAM directly, which mostly affects PC builders, but others will likely feel the crunch soon. How is more expensive RAM going to affect me?So far, I've only focused on higher prices for people buying RAM outright, which mostly affects PC builders. But if you prefer to buy your tech pre-built, don't assume that means you won't end up paying more, too. Laptop, tablet, and phone makers all need to get RAM from somewhere, and as prices increase, they'll also be affected. Already, prices at companies like CyberPowerPC, which offers pre-built desktops, have gone up, and modular laptop maker Framework has announced that it will soon follow suit. Even Raspberry Pi, known for making cheap single board computers for home projects, was forced to raise prices on its most recent flagship, while calling out memory costs as the reason. All of those products are aimed more at enthusiasts, sure, but consider them the canary in the coal mine. Leaker Moore's Law is Dead recently suggested RAM prices could lead to another price hike for the Xbox, while Dell COO Jeff Clarke said in a recent earnings call that "the fact is, the cost basis is going up across all products." Some companies are doing their best to keep consumers from feeling the effects of the shortage. Bloomberg recently reported that Lenovo is currently stockpiling RAM to try to "strike a balance between price and availability" for consumers in 2026, while HP said it might limit the memory inside its devices, but could still end up having to raise prices. In short, it's a tough time to be buying tech, even if you're more casual with your devices. And it might affect more than RAM, too—speaking to The Verge, Research VP at IDC Jeff Janukowicz suggested some companies might skimp on other components, like battery or display, to help avoid raising prices due to increased memory costs. He also suggested that more affordable devices, where corners have already been cut as much as possible, could end up seeing more price increases than others. Will RAM prices go back to normal?As Dell COO Jeff Clarke mentioned in that earnings call, this isn't the first time RAM prices have fluctuated, but he did admit this particular bump is "unprecedented." While I'd agree that's true for memory, it does remind me of the graphics card price hikes that happened around the early 2020s. Graphics card demand is still not a solved problem, as those components are also very useful for AI, but towards the start of the decade, it became very difficult for gamers to get their hands on GPUs, especially for close to MSRP. That was thanks to demand from cryptocurrency miners, which was high enough that Nvidia actually started making its cards worse at mining. Manufacturers reported thereafter that demand was drying up, largely in response to changes in how cryptocurrency works and lowered interest in cryptocurrency overall. While the AI bubble hasn't popped (yet), it's possible RAM could follow a similar cycle if interest in AI starts to cool. Otherwise, it'll be up to manufacturers to balance supply and demand. Going back to Clarke's comments, he said "I'd categorize it as demand is way ahead of supply." On that note, while Micron is supposedly getting out of the consumer RAM game, Samsung and SK Hynix haven't stayed silent on the issue. As reported by Korean outlet Seoul Economic Daily, SK Hynix is planning to spend $500 billion to build new production plants, with the first set to open in 2027. The company also told The Verge that, concerning consumer products, it "is not considering to discontinue the related business." So, supply could see a boost in coming years. At the same time, it's difficult to know for sure when the RAM shortage will clear up. Contrasting SK Hynix, Samsung recently said during an investor relations call (as translated by PCGamer and originally reported on by Tech Insight) that it won't be "rapidly expanding facilities," and will instead pursue a much harder to define plan of "maintaining long-term profitability." Tech Insight took the opportunity to speculate that RAM prices could remain high through 2028. In short, it's clear that the market is still volatile, and that companies are still figuring out ways to address pricing. I can't say for certain when RAM prices will drop again, but going on what those in the industry are saying, as well as similar issues with GPUs in the past, it seems like the key indicators here would be a reduced interest in AI, or increased production capacity. What if I need to buy RAM now?In the meantime, because so many electronics need RAM, you may find yourself needing to bite the bullet and buy during the shortage. If that's the case, here are the best ways to buy RAM right now. Buy prebuilt. While smaller prebuilt device manufacturers are already increasing prices, it's clear that larger device makers like Lenovo are doing their best to keep their customers from feeling the shortage. Right now, Apple has yet to raise prices on MacBooks or the iPhone 17, and devices like the Pixel 10 and Microsoft Surface Laptop are actually on sale. Historically, buying a computer prebuilt instead of building it yourself has come at a premium, but during a component shortage, a large company is going to have more avenues to mitigate costs than you. Use less RAM. While I wouldn't suggest going for less than 8GB of RAM, most users shouldn't need more than 16GB, even if they want to game. More headroom is good when you can get it, and while it's been a good suggestion to err on the side of caution in the past, as prices get higher, it might be better to figure out the bare minimum you can skate by with for now. Buy now, or choose to wait. This one sounds a bit contradictory, but basically, I wouldn't expect RAM prices to normalize anytime soon. Take a look at your needs and figure out whether you need a new laptop, PC, phone, tablet, or game console anytime soon. If so, it might be worth going in on one now, before manufacturers like Dell, HP, or even Xbox have a chance to raise prices. If you think you can hold out for a few more years, though, it might be better off waiting to see how the situation plays out rather than trying to build during a shortage. Either way, make your decision soon, because you probably won't want to be buying RAM as supply starts to shrink even further through 2026. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Apple released the latest 14-inch MacBook Pro with the powerful M5 chip this October, and ever since then, it has been steadily dropping in price—right now, it's down to $1,349 (originally $1,599) for the base model. This new price is $50 cheaper than it was during Black Friday, when Lifehacker's Senior Tech Editor Jake Peterson called it "a ridiculously good value." At the time of this writing, Amazon is sold out of the base model, but it's still available at Best Buy. Apple 2025 MacBook Pro Laptop With M5 chip 10‑core CPU and 10‑core GPU $1,349.00 at Best Buy $1,599.00 Save $250.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,349.00 at Best Buy $1,599.00 Save $250.00 To be honest, this laptop is overkill for most people. The M4 MacBook Air is a more than capable laptop and will get the job done for under $800, but for those who need that extra oomph, like those who do media editing or complex programming, the MacBook Pro will be worth every penny. This is the first laptop Apple makes with the latest M5 chip, which offers significant upgrades in many aspects, like graphics performance compared to the M4. In addition to performance improvements over the MacBook Air, the Pro model also has a fan, which the MacBook Airs don't. This should help keep the machine's temperature down and prevent performance hiccups. This base model starts with a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU M5 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. PCMag says this laptop is so powerful that you can play most games without issues in its "outstanding" review. If you're looking for the one of the best laptops Apple has to offer, this is likely the best price you'll see on it for some time. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $219.99 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.00 (List Price $349.00) Sony WH-1000XM5 — $278.00 (List Price $399.99) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $149.99 (List Price $219.99) Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $329.00 (List Price $429.00) Blink Outdoor 4 1080p 3-Camera Kit With Sync Module Core — $74.99 (List Price $189.99) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

YouTube adds comment sections to eligible Shorts ads, lets creators link to brand websites, and expands Shorts ads to mobile web browsers. The post YouTube Adds Comments To Shorts Ads, Expands To Mobile Web appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article