Issue 18
Publisher: Jack Burlin Editor: Patti Hammonds
December 4, 2006
IN THIS ISSUE
Your success story
Monthly product special
Kevinisms
Trivia
Articles of Interest: Planning a Successful Video Conferencing Room Part 18: "When is a toilet like a salt shaker?"
Lisa:
Thanks so much for your help in getting our new Southlake training center fitted out with tables and chairs. The room looks great, and our CEO and clients were impressed. We look forward to working with ISC in the future.
David Francis
Manager of Training Facilities
Photo of the new Texas Training Center in Southlake, TX
8330 Series tables and
Mystic task chairs
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Call ISC at 800-458-6255 for more
information. *The 5% discount will be applied to retail customers only,
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Planning A Successful Video Conference Room
From the Bretford Furniture Planning Guide
With so many changes in technology and the need for more immediate information in business and educational environments, the move to videoconferencing is something that is becoming accessible to more people than ever before. This month, we want to outline the basics of video conferencing so you can stay a step above the quality of a web-cam sitting on top of your computer screen.
A
few general rules remain constant when planning any size room.
There are specific color schemes, lighting, furniture, and acoustics
that are standards for videoconferencing. When getting started,
your primary focus should be the number of people that will be
participating in the videoconferences. The number of people will
dictate what size
the room should be, what kind of furniture you should use, and the type
of system that is required.
For smaller meetings, a square room is acceptable. For meetings with four or more people, a rectangular room is best. Two entrances to the room are ideal so participants are able to enter the room and sit down without walking in front of the camera. The entrances should be on the camera wall or the walls perpendicular to the camera. They should be as close to the camera wall as possible. The wall behind the participants should not have any doors or windows.
Pay close attention to the ventilation system in the room. Does it create a lot of noise that could muffle the participants’ voices? If the vent is directly over the microphone, the sound will amplify like a hurricane. Try placing a cover over the vent that re-directs the airflow a different direction rather than straight down.
Does the room have a lot of exposed wood or high ceilings? Pad as much in the room as possible to prevent echoed or amplified voices in a large room. Upholstery on chairs, carpet on the floor, and ceiling tile will absorb most of the reverberations in the room.
The video
conference room should be in a remote area that is away from the
cafeteria or other gathering places in the office. It is also a
good idea to place a red light or a sign outside the room to forewarn
others that a conference
is in process.
The best choice for wall paint color is a light blue or light gray.
Benjamin Moore paint numbers 1627, 829, 996, and HC-169 all work well.
The worst wall color to use is white. White creates too much of a
contrast and can
literally erase the faces of participants with darker skin tones from
the camera’s view.
A light
to medium colored conference table will reflect light upward and make
shadows disappear from the user’s faces. Do not use a white or
black laminate or other high intensity colors that could reflect too
much light and
wash-out the participant’s faces. Also keep in mind that the
pattern on the laminate should be camera-friendly.
Wilsonart colors such as Featherstone, Pebble, Pewter, Sea Breeze,
Bronze Legacy, Grey Tigris, Saffron Tigris,
Fusion Maple, and Wild Cherry are all VC friendly. If you plan to use a
veneer conference table Natural Cherry, Medium Cherry, and Natural Maple
are excellent choices. Avoid patterns that are large or repeated on
furniture,
walls, or clothing. The room does not have to be monochromatic,
but just keep it simple.
Logos can be placed behind the users as long as they do not reflect or detract from the participants. Artwork or plants are okay as long as they are not on the table or in the camera’s view. Additional wall clocks are an excellent idea to hang in the room to display alternate time zones.
Use tables that taper to allow the camera to see all of the participant’s faces. Tables should also have modesty panels if there is a direct shot that might show leg movement. The tables should also allow for easy access to power and data.
Chairs should be padded and comfortable. They should not rock or roll. Wheels squeak when they roll, and the rocking motion provides a distracting activity for camera-shy users.
Carts or
cabinetry for the video equipment should provide power, cord management,
and rear access to fix
technical difficulties. A cart should also lock and have wheels to
stow it in the corner when not in use.
The room
should have indirect fluorescent lighting. The light should shine
upwards and reflect evenly off of the ceiling. Lights that shine
down create shadows on the participant’s faces. If there are
windows in the room, make
sure to use light-blocking shades. Hunter Douglas Light-Lines or
Levelor’s Mark One mini-blinds are recommended because they provide the
best light control. You will be amazed to compare the room with
and without sunlight. If sunlight is shining directly into the
camera, the participants will look like silhouettes.
ISC has
the perfect solution for outfitting your
training room or video conferencing room.
Tables, chairs, screens, podiums, projector mounts,
power strips, and UPSs are all available.
Call 800-458-6255 for help in selecting the correct product for your
application.
Don't put your hardware in danger, call the
rackmount ranger!
Since no one got the correct answer the first time around (September 2005) I am offering this again. Since we have many more trivia players now, I expect someone will have the right answer.
Q: What is the relationship between the Lone Ranger and the Green Hornet?
Note: We are NOT looking for "similarity" type answers like these:
Special conveyance: The horse "Silver" (Lone Ranger), the car "Black Beauty" (Green Hornet)
Special sidekicks: Tonto (Lone Ranger), Kato (Green Hornet)
Special weaponry: Silver Bullets (Lone Ranger), Sting Gun (Green Hornet)
Both are "masked men"
All correct answers will be placed into a pool for a random drawing at the end of the month. The winner will receive a free flexible keyboard (part number FLX-2000), plus free ground shipping. Send your answers to: Jack Burlin
See next month's newsletter for the winner and the correct answer.
Answer from November's Newsletter.
Q: Who was the voice of Underdog?
A: Wally Cox
The winner was Jim Arvin
A Kevinism is a funny or intriguing statement or idea from our Vice President of Sales, Kevin Hunt. Kevin is a big fan of Sandra Bullock, Pizza Inn black olive pizza, and Dr. Pepper (not necessarily in that order). He is not a big fan of Chinese food, seafood, or other types of "dead" stuff.
Kevin has a love-hate relationship with a number of things. The three at the top of the list are:
-
Okra
-
Mr. Pibb
-
Eggplant
Kevin thinks Okra is "disgusting" in almost all forms. However, he does like fried okra. He thinks coating it with batter and frying it somehow makes it less slimy and disgusting. He is always trying to "persuade" me that fried okra is "not that bad." In fact, he recently attempted to poison me by slipping one piece into my sliced beef sandwich. Fortunately, the taste of Texas barbeque overwhelmed the sliminess of the okra, and I survived.
Okra even looks disgusting
Kevin loves Dr. Pepper. Kevin might actually have a fourth food
group (see the October 2006 newsletter). That would be Dr. Pepper.
In comparison, Mr. Pibb is a very poor substitute. Kevin
frequently blasts Mr. Pibb, and is appalled when restaurants offer it
instead of Dr. Pepper. For Kevin, Dr. Pepper is the "real
thing" regardless of what the marketing people at Coke think. Yet,
when Dr. Pepper is not available, and he could have Coke, Root Beer,
Lemonade, water, or something equally palatable, he chooses Mr. Pibb!
He tries to justify it by saying a good Mr. Pibb is equal to a really
bad Dr. Pepper (although Kevin is the first to send back a bad Dr.
Pepper). I guess a poor substitute for Dr. Pepper is better than
something totally alien. Maybe Mr. Pibb is the low end of the Dr.
Pepper food group.
Eggplant is another one of those vegetables that Kevin thinks is disgusting in its most common form. He can't stand the idea of eating Eggplant in a casserole, salad, or other similar dish. However, he will eat Eggplant parmesan. Evidently if the Eggplant is taking the place of something "dead" like chicken, then it becomes much more attractive to Kevin. The sauce and the cheese must totally obscure the Eggplant flavor, in a similar way the ketchup (on steak), or barbeque sauce (on brisket) serves to mask the "dead" flavor when Kevin has to eat meat.
If anything, Kevin is consistently inconsistent when it comes to some of these matters.
"Want slime with that?"
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like a salt shaker?
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Part 18 Continued from November
Since the October 2005 issue
the following personality types have been defined:
| The men who prefer the toilet seat up are: | Macho Men |
| The women who prefer the toilet seat up are: | Fairy Godmothers |
| The men who prefer the toilet seat down are: | Men of Leisure |
| The women who prefer the toilet seat down are: | Queens of the Realm |
| The men who prefer the lid down are: | Paleolithic Men |
| The women who prefer the lid down are: | Interior Decorators |
| The men who have no preference are: | Philosopher Kings |
| The women who have no preference are: | Warrior Princesses |
In the July issue, we used the chart below to
address the conflicts that can arise when different personalities
interact within the same household. Conflict is inevitable when
multiple personalities interact, although the level of conflict differs
depending on which of the four types of men are interacting with which
of the four types of women. We have already gone over the
intersections where no conflict exists (NC).
This month we are going to cover the instances of possible conflict,
represented below by the + OR - symbol.
| Macho Man | Man of Leisure | Paleolithic Man | Philosopher King | |
| Fairy Godmother | NC | + OR - | + OR - | + OR - |
| Queen of the Realm | ++ | NC | + | + |
| Interior Decorator | ++ | + OR - | ++ | + |
| Warrior Princess | NC | NC | NC | NC |
Here is what the symbols in the above grid represent:
NC
= no conflict, + OR - = possible
conflict, +
= minor conflict, ++
= major conflict
Conflict Resolution
This section addresses the ultimate goal of this book. Once people understand which personality types are represented in their homes, they can take steps to reduce or eliminate the conflicts that exist. It can also be important for people to understand why they may not have any conflict, if in fact none exists.
We can review the last few issues in order, and examine the best ways to eliminate the conflicts that exist. Keep in mind however, that this book is not designed as a highly detailed psychoanalysis of anyone. Even though there are generally four personality types for each sex, there are probably multiple gradations within each type. Just keep things light and remember to have some fun. If all else fails, at least you will understand your partner and their motivations a little better.
Conflict Resolution - Minor Conflicts
Minor conflicts occur when a Queen of the Realm is paired with either a Paleolithic Man or with a Philosopher King. Statistically, this situation arises about 26% of the time, making it the most likely of all combinations. Resolution of this type of conflict is pretty straight forward, especially since the key point to remember is that the Queen of the Realm is NOT going to change.
For the Philosopher King, it is a simple matter of recognizing the logic of the situation. If the Queen of the Realm is not going to change, a logical man adapts and becomes the type that is most in line with what the Queen of the Realm wants. In this case the Philosopher King becomes a Man of Leisure. Having made the change personally, it is surprisingly easy to do (and can be fun as well). All that is required is applying your mind to the problem, which leads to the realization that you are doing the right thing. The benefits to the Philosopher King are enormous. No more arguments. No more time wasted in trying to demonstrate your command of logic. No more stress. Best of all, the Philosopher King gets and opportunity to relax and reflect.
For the Paleolithic Man, things are a bit tougher. He wants the lid down. She wants the lid up. The Paleolithic Man is incapable of sufficient reasoning to convince himself to do the logical thing, which would be to change into a Man of Leisure. So there needs to be another dynamic set into motion to accomplish the same thing. With sufficient prodding from the Queen of the Realm, the Paleolithic Man can "evolve." He can stop looking at the toilet as a step, and instead think of it as a "step-stool." By thinking of a step-stool, the emphasis can slowly be shifted from the "step" to the "stool." Now the Paleolithic Man can visualize the toilet as a tool that you normally sit on, but which can be converted into a step-ladder, when needed. If the Paleolithic Man can master this small transition, the conflict will be resolved. He will have evolved into a Man of Leisure, and will be able to rationalize (perhaps for the first time) that he is just "putting away" the step-stool.
Another minor conflict exists between the Interior Decorator and the Philosopher King. This one is pretty easy to solve, because the Philosopher King is, above all, a man of reason. He will be able to understand the logic of leaving the toilet in the "closed" position. He will be able to use the salt shaker analogy on himself, which will allow him to "model" the Paleolithic Man, without actually becoming one. This actually turns out to be a great resolution, since neither party has really had to "change." Both people get "their way," and peace reigns. This is all a credit to the brain power and logic of the Philosopher King, for making it all work out.
Continued next month with the resolution of major conflicts
between different personalities in the same house.
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