St. Louis College, Valenzuela Article

Videoconferencing or VC is the "combination of dedicated audio, video, and communications networking technology for real-time interaction." It is often used by groups of people who gather in a specific setting to communicate with other, remote groups of people. Strictly speaking, videoconferencing is quite an expensive technology requiring dedicated high-end equipment and transmission capability. This is the kind of technology often used by very large corporations to coordinate activities among their far-flung offices simultaneously. It is supposed to either improve performance, lower air-transportation costs, or both. But for the purpose of this paper, we are concerned with another kind of videoconferencing -- desktop videoconferencing or DTVC. DTVC combines personal computing with audio, video, and communications technologies to provide real-time interaction from a typical PC, and the interaction embodies communications between groups of people from singular points; i.e., desks with computers. Simply put, the distinction between the two is between many-to-many simultaneously, and one-to-many -- although both could be interactive. The former is akin to a complex web; whereby each group can both access and be accessed by every other group while the latter is akin to the various groups accessing a central node. To the cost-conscious, DTVC is the only way to go. While VC costs a minimum of around USD 40,000 to set up, DTVC can involve as little as USD 2,000-4,000 (including some upgrades and ISDN setup!). Although the more mature DTVC technology uses ISDN or internal network connections, the newer alternative is to use simple dial-up connections to achieve DTVC. For this there is already a proliferation of ready made kits in the market which cost no more than USD 200-400 -- less cost and hassle but less in performance as well.

There are other types of -conferencing as well. There is audio-conferencing which, as the name implies, is simply voice communication between two or more individuals. It can be as simple as using the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) or as complex (and expensive!) as a dedicated satellite hook-up. There is also data-conferencing, which is the connection of two or more computer systems (not necessarily networks) through which information could be shared. This information could be in the form of text, data, graphics, applications, audio, or video so that VC or DTVC would be a kind of data conferencing. The converse would not be true, however, since whiteboards as well as applications which allow multiple users to add, remove, and edit documents simultaneously are examples of data-conferencing without the audio-visual part.

Throughout this paper, we will discuss various concepts, specially compression, decoding, and formats, as they relate to actual hardware or software necessary in the fulfillment of videoconferencing. This will not only present a very practical side but for those who are interested, it may also help narrow down product selection even after some time has passed.

So without further ado ... DTVC.

GENERAL FEATURES

DTVC systems come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, features, and prices. A typical 'home-made' system would consist of the usual multimedia desktop PC connected to some sort of video camera through a CODEC-compliant video capture card. Either on the camera or on the PC's sound card is a microphone through which audio is recorded, and the audio-visual output is then transmitted/received via ISDN, direct modem to modem dial-up, or Internet dial-up.

There are three major platforms or operating systems for DTVC as for almost everything else: PC's running Windows (including NT) or OS/2, Apple Macintosh, and UNIX workstations running X Window. Unfortunately, there is very little inter-operability across platforms and even across products. Some hardware can only use such and such compression/decompression techniques or transmission modes and some platform can only use such and such hardware. While products are evolving toward conformance to the emerging VC standards, it would pay to ascertain the specifications and compatibility of each and every required item of hardware and software -- that they work well together and that they work well with the audience's system!

All systems require hardware that captures and digitizes the audio and video. Video is typically input in NTSC or PAL formats. Most systems have some sort of graphical user interface that assists in making connections to other parties, usually utilizing the paradigm of "placing a telephone call." Many products allow you to store information about other parties in a phone book or Rolodex format. Systems commonly have controls to adjust audio volume, picture contrast, etc. Many systems have controls that allow you to adjust the transmitted bandwidth for video to minimize traffic on a network.

An additional feature found in most systems is a shared drawing area usually called a whiteboard which is analogous to the whiteboards found in many conference and classrooms. These whiteboards commonly allow participants to import other graphics such as images and to make annotations. Whiteboards are good for simple sketches, but fine detail is difficult to achieve using a mouse. Many systems allow an easy way to transfer files between participants. Some systems allow application sharing, which enables a participant to take control of an application running on another participant's computer. The usefulness of application sharing is often demonstrated with an example of sharing a spreadsheet or word processor program to facilitate group collaboration.

THE PC/WORKSTATION (PC/WS)

In considering the right PC/WS platform to use in videoconferencing, I have only two things to say. First, get the best that your budget as well as prudence will allow. Since audio and video alone -- not to mention transmission -- can stretch any system, it would be advisable to remove as many of the bottlenecks as possible. At the very least, the entire system should be good in current terms -- in other words, NOT the cheapest specification for each category. If prioritization is a must, then concentration should be placed on the system board/chipset, memory, video, and storage (a.k.a. hard disk). Although these should be a priority, the rest as mentioned, should still be very much up to par. While the CPU/cache isn't on the list, this is only because I'm assuming that a 'fairly recent' one is in use. I wouldn't even try experimenting on this with a two year old Pentium 75. Since the system board/chipset is a consideration, let's say we're talking P2-266MMX here, at least. While the voluminous data is usually 'streamed,' one could say that a large permanent storage is unnecessary. However, since the ability to record and playback a lecture is a definite advantage, it was included.

The second item aside from those mentioned already -- video. Get the best, fastest, and most capacious you can lay your hands on given the money you have. Depending on the compression used, an accelerator could even be a big help. This is not only because video is very demanding, it is also because the inclusion of a video capture card, which will be discussed later, means it does not make sense to scrimp on your (other) video components. At the very least, a good video card can remove bottlenecks for playback. And it is, after all, VIDEO conferencing. If a combination video/capture card is utilized, make sure that the VIDEO components (speed & memory) are up to par and that the card itself is ITU-standards/CODEC compliant.

SOUND CARD/INPUT

DTVC is not particularly sensitive to audio implementation. Connectors can run the gamut from phono, mini-phono, submini-phono, and telephone handset connectors. Since most desktop computer systems already have good sound capability built-in, what remains is to choose a suitable 'streaming' technique. Also, a good pair of input devices and headphones would be desirable. The input device should be able to focus on the speaker and filter out extraneous noises while the headphones could be useful not only to improve the audio output but also to prevent distractions on the part of the audience.

Isolated desktop systems typically use the ".wav" or '.mid' formats to record and playback sound. These formats are simply too large to be usable in DTVC applications in raw format, however. A recording of a few minutes could run to the tens of megabytes -- a size simply too large for current connections to handle. Furthermore the human ear is often either unable to perceive some sounds using this technique, thereby making it a waste, or the hearing of these sounds are not necessary for the purpose of VC. We are interested in the range of human speech for example and not necessarily in a Jackhammer operator from across the street.

To achieve this, there are several techniques available to 'compress' the way sound data is stored and transmitted. Typically these are techniques that can achieve real-time compression and decompression in software or inexpensive hardware. Some techniques apply to general audio signals and some are designed specifically for speech signals.

mu-law and A-law PCM. With PCM encoding methods, each sample is represented by a code word. There are two commonly used transformations: mu-law and A-law. These transformations allow 8 bits per sample to represent the same range of values that would be achieved with 14 bits per sample uniform PCM. This translates into a compression ratio of 1.75:1 (original amount of information:compressed amount of information).

The mu-law and A-law PCM encoding methods are formally specified in the International Telecommunication Union - Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) Recommendation G.711, "Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) of voice frequencies." The mu-law PCM encoding format is common in North America and Japan for digital telephony with the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). The A-law PCM encoding format is common with ISDN in other countries. [16] G.711 is one of the audio standards specified in H.320 (discussed in section 2.4.3.1). Note that at 8 kHz, 8 bits per sample, and 1 channel, mu-law or A-law PCM requires a bandwidth of 64 kbps.

ADPCM. PCM encoding methods encode each audio sample independently from adjacent samples. However, usually adjacent samples are similar to each other and the value of a sample can be predicted with some accuracy using the value of adjacent samples. For example, one simple prediction method is to assume that the next sample will be the same as the current sample. The ADPCM (Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation) encoding method computes the difference between each sample and its predicted value and encodes the difference (hence the term "differential"). Fewer bits (typically 4) are needed to encode the difference than the complete sample value. Encoders can adapt to signal characteristics by changing quantizing or prediction parameters (hence the term "adaptive"). ADPCM typically achieves compression ratios of 2:1 when compared to mu-law or A-law PCM.

Many DTVC systems use ADPCM encoding methods. The ITU-T has several recommendations defining different ADPCM methods. One specification has three modes of operation: 64, 56 and 48 kbps. With the 56 or 48 kbps modes, the additional 8 or 16 kbps of bandwidth (assuming a 64 kbps communication channel) can be used for other data.

LPC and CELP. There are some encoding methods designed specifically for speech. By using models of the characteristics of speech signals, these encoding methods can achieve good results for speech data. However, these methods usually do not work well for non-speech audio signals. Two encoding methods designed for speech signals are LPC and CELP.

A LPC (Linear Predictive Coding) encoder fits speech signals to a simple analytic model of the vocal tract. The best-fit parameters are transmitted and used by the decoder to generate synthetic speech that is similar to the original. A standard that utilizes simple LPC encoding is U.S. Federal Standard 1015 which requires a bandwidth of 2.4 kbps. Also, GSM (Groupe Speciale Mobile) encoding uses a variation of LPC called RPE-LPC (Regular Pulse Excited - Linear Predictive Coder with a Long Term Predictor Loop). GSM began as a European cellular phone speech-encoding standard. GSM compresses 160 13-bit samples (2080 bits) to 260 bits which is an 8:1 compression ratio. For 8 kHz sampling, this means GSM encoded speech requires a bandwidth of 13 kbps.

A CELP (Code Excited Linear Prediction) encoder does the same vocal tract modeling as an LPC encoder. In addition, it computes the error between the input speech data and the model and transmits the model parameters and a representation of the errors. The errors are represented as indices into a common codebook shared between encoders and decoders. This is where the name "Code Excited" comes from. The extra data and computations produce a higher quality encoding than simple LPC encoding. A standard that utilizes simple CELP encoding is U.S. Federal Standard 1016 which requires a bandwidth of 4.8 kbps. Also, ITU-T Recommendation G.728, uses a variation of CELP, LD-CELP (Low Delay CELP), which requires a bandwidth of 16 kbps and is quite computationally complex, requiring special hardware. But then, if it will perform a lot better, what's a little extra cost?

As a final note, some 'branded' audio compression and streaming technologies are also available on the Internet: Shockwave and RealAudio.They enable the broadcast of stereo output through the Internet although as far as I know, they have not been adapted for use in DTVC at the moment -- as far as ready-made kits are concerned anyway. Whether or not they use (a derivative of) one of the techniques above is uncertain but they apparently provide good output and acceptable performance. Some versions are free so the price is right at least.

VIDEO

Video is merely a sequence of still images. When the images or frames are presented at a fast enough rate, it provides the illusion of fluid motion. In the United States, for instance, movies are presented at 24 frames per second. The video in DTVC typically comes from a camera or VCR which captures images in prevalently analog format -- NTSC and PAL, which I'm sure you are familiar with if you tinker with the TV control panel or manual. In order for the video to be manipulated by a computer, it has to be digitized and also compressed. It has to be compressed because in its raw form, video is at least every bit as voluminous as sound in terms of data. Following are some ways in which video is coded/decoded (CODEC) and compressed. Again, while the techniques may vary, it is important that the video capture card utilized be ITU-standards compliant. This will allow the card to be compatible with as wide an audience as possible and it will lessen the chances of premature obsolescence.

M/JPEG. JPEG is an encoding standard for still images developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group. Although designed for still images, it is possible with special hardware to encode/decode the series of images in real-time to achieve motion video. This use of JPEG is called Motion JPEG or MPEG. Although no official standard exists, this technique is widely used by PCs not only for the good quality achieved but also for the good size reduction. JPEG uses an intraframe spatial compression technique called Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) encoding, which is also being used by other encoding methods such as H.261 below.

H.261. ITU-T Recommendation H.261is a video compression standard designed for communication bandwidths between 64 kbps and 2 Mbps measured in 64 kbps intervals. H.261 was designed primarily for videoconferencing over ISDN and utilizes both intraframe spatial, wherein DCT is applied, and interframe temporal encoding. Two picture formats are defined -- QCIF (Quarter CIF) and CIF (Common Intermediate Format). QCIF is mandatory while CIF is often used for larger bit rates. Because of its internal operations, however, rapid scene changes will have poorer quality than still or slow-changing images.

CellB. Cell is a non-proprietary compression technique developed by Sun Microsystems. There are two types of Cell compression, CellA and CellB. CellA is an asymmetric technique, requiring more computation for compression than decompression while CellB is similar to CellA but is more computationally symmetric, making it more suited to real-time use such as for videoconferencing. An advantage of Cell encoding is that it is often implemented as a display primitive in graphics accelerators such that the utilization of the hardware is much more efficient.

nv. Network Video (nv) is an internet video conferencing tool developed at XEROX/PARC. It is the most widely used video tool using Internet Multicast Backbone (MBONE) transmission. The native nv encoding technique uses spatial intraframe and temporal interframe compression. It dynamically selects which transformation to use depending on whether the bandwidth (spatial-DCT) or local computation (temporal) is the more limiting factor. DCT is more desirable since it almost doubles the compression ratio so don't scrimp on the station when using this algorithm! Typically, nv can achieve compression ratios of 20:1 or more.

CU-SeeMe. CU-SeeMe is an Internet VC tool developed at Cornell University. Again, it uses both spatial and temporal compression, with a few twists to optimize performance on Macintosh which is its original platform. The compressed size is about 60% of the original, and is achieved on transmission through a loss-less algorithm developed at Cornell which takes advantage of vertical spatial redundancy. However, about a 100 Kbps connection is required for smooth motion for a typical 'talking heads' scenario.

Indeo. Indeo is a video compression technique developed at Intel which evolved from Digital Video Interactive (DVI) technology. Indeo supports motion estimation, using the previous frame to predict the values for the current frame and transmits data only when the difference is significant. Indeo specifies that the encoded bit stream be a maximum of 60% of the data such that compression is guaranteed to be at worst 1.7:1.

TRANSMISSION CHANNELS

Different data types have different service requirements. Some are more sensitive to delay while others are more sensitive to reliability. Generic data is sensitive to reliability but is not as sensitive to delay. E-mail, for example, can 'get stuck' for some time and still be relevant but one would expect that what arrives is exactly what one sent out. Audio, on the other hand, is more sensitive to delay than it is to reliability. It is more irritating to have a choppy, echoing conversation than one where sound from a radio playing in the background is removed or muted. And video is often sensitive to both, specially when the data has been compressed. A few dropped frames from video unreliability will usually not produce noticeable effect but with the required compression it will often result in jerky motion from too much dropped frames. Some video compression techniques like nv and CU-SeeMe which were designed for the less reliable internet can compensate for this by periodically sending complete information about a frame, thus allowing for some error recovery. DTVC can involve all of the data types above and it would be best to keep this concept when planning the DTVC system. This is particularly important considering the large number of transmission options available to DTVC. Although all could be classified as being either based on packet- or circuit-switching, the method of implementation, performance, cost, and advantages - disadvantages varies greatly.

Circuit & Packet. Circuit-switched communication is a method of data transfer where a path of communication is established and kept open for the duration of the session. A dedicated amount of bandwidth is allocated for the exclusive use by the session and only when the bandwidth is freed and becomes available for other sessions. Advantages of circuit-switched communication for desktop videoconferencing are that dedicated bandwidth is available and the timing of the data delivery is predictable. A disadvantage of circuit-switched communication for desktop videoconferencing is that sessions are primarily point-to-point and require expensive multi-conferencing units (MCUs) to accomodate multipoint conferences. Also, dedicated bandwidth is wasteful during periods of limited activity in a conference session. These are some reasons, perhaps, why VC is so much more expensive than DTVC.

Packet-switched communication, on the other hand, is a method of data transfer where the information is divided into packets, each of which has an identification and destination address. Packets are sent individually through a network and, depending on network conditions, may take different routes and arrive at their destination at different times and out-of-order. No dedicated bandwidth circuit is set up as with circuit-switched communication and bandwidth must be shared with whomever else is on the network. An advantage of packet-switched communication for DTVC is the capability to more easily accomodate multipoint conferences. A disadvantage is the unpredictable timing of data delivery, which can cause problems for delay sensitive data types such as voice and video.

As an aside, Broadband ISDN (BISDN) has the potential to solve all the problems associated with both circuit- and packet-based transmission. Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is the data link layer protocol associated with BISDN. ATM combines the best qualities of circuit and packet switching. It can support different transmission speeds, multiplex signals of different data types, and provide different classes of service. As of a few months ago, however, this technique has yet to become prevalent because of its infancy.

Dial-Up. If your DTVC system uses an ordinary telephone link to connect to another DTVC system, that link is using Dial-Up or POTS access. This service is very widely available but before the advent of newer technologies, it allowed very small bandwidth -- to the tune of 28.8 kbps maximum. Today, new technological implementations have seen the proliferation of complete DTVC dial-up kits for as low as USD 150-450 as well as the emergence of 56 kbps modem (modulator/demodulator) connections (just be sure you and the DTVC you are connecting to are using the same 56 kbps technology -- there are two !).

This technology has actually been existence for quite a while although it has often been a performance disappointment. In recent reviews, PC Magazine still rates these DTVC Kits a disappointment although commercial success seems imminent. For one reason or another, testing has shown that these kits provide a mere 8-15 fps in performance. The test beds, however, were not built from the ground up and utilized existing hardware. Thus the CPUs (I think a P-233 MMX was used), video, etc. were somewhat old and optimum performance could not really be shown. However, this technology definitely deserves to be on the watch-list or experimentation-list or whatever if only for the sheer performance/cost ratio, which has been steadily improving. If only our phone lines were cheaper, better, and more available !

ISDN. Integrated Services Digital Network or ISDN videoconferencing seems the most mature in terms of implementation. In fact, because ISDN offers 64 kbps of bandwidth, 64 has been somewhat of a magic number in videoconferencing. The Basic Rate Interface (BRI) of ISDN provides up to 2 data channels of 64 kbps each, and one signaling channel of 16 kbps. While the ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI) provides much more than this, it is currently much too expensive for videoconferencing applications. Current literature suggests that this method of transmission is currently the best in terms of balance -- acceptable, mature technology as well as moderately low cost. Picturetel and Intel sell packages for USD 1,000 - USD 2,000 each for example. Although installation is not trivial, it is an easily surmountable obstacle specially since the technology is mature. In the Philippines, however, ISDN is either not available or too expensive in most areas. For those of you already with an ISDN or leased line connection, however, good for you !

Jenn Manalo, Sr. Product Specialist, 3M Corp.

These are basic principles on how you conduct your presentation. I understand you are all I.T. educators so you conduct a lot of presentations and you prepare presentation materials, right? So I hope you will benefit from this seminar.

It is part of our division's service to conduct presentations like this one. It is called 3M more effective presentations seminar.

Before we begin let me tell you what 3M stands for -- Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing. It's not pizza and its not 'matandang mayamang ... ' We manufacture different kinds of products. Our division -- the visual systems division -- has, for over 30 years improved the effectiveness of your presentations covering 3 areas. We manufacture the products to support your (audio-)visual presentations. Second, we offer presentation training such as the one we are holding right now. And last, we offer visual preparation training.

Our agenda for today includes meetings and presentations -- its importance for us both in the academe and in the business world. Then how to have an effective meeting. And we will also be dwelling on how to use visuals.

In the 1970's there was a book published in the market called the book of lists. In this book, a list of the worst human fears was listed. Surprisingly, first among them was speaking in front of a group of people. In fact, its ranking was higher than 'death!'

In creating effective presentations, we all know visuals can be of great assistance. According to research findings, visual aids help increase persuasiveness of presentations by as much as 43%. People remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, and 50% of what they see and hear. Furthermore, the use of colors can accelerate learning, retention, and recall by 55% to 73%; increase comprehension by up to 73%; and sell (products and ideas) more effectively by 50% to 85%. Notice that I'm wearing yellow. It is supposed to suggest warmth and enthusiasm. Different colors can be used to produce different emotional effects -- not just in your clothes but also in the presentation itself. You can use red to connote error and danger, green for growth or money, blue to create an atmosphere of serenity and trust, and white to denote purity and innocence.

Visual aids maximize the impact of your presentation. As the adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. People absorb and retain information better when it is communicated visually. Visuals are potentially very effective tools.

Meetings are also an often used, though at times misused, tool. Used properly for the right reasons and in the right manner, meetings can be both very useful and very productive. They provide people with opportunities not otherwise available to them. They provide the opportunity to practice leadership and inter-personal skills and to be recognized for it. Still, we have probably attended enough of them in our lives to know that some are better than others.

In the first place, the very reasons for holding a meeting are sometimes wrong. In a study, it was found that the top reasons for holding meetings include the resolution of conflict (26%), the necessity of reaching a group decision (25%), and the resolution of a problem (12%).

What are the 'right' reasons for holding a meeting? These include project explanation and direction, status reporting/updating, and training provision.

Before holding a meeting it is best that you identify exactly what you have set out to do so that you can steer the meeting in that direction always and so that you are able to evaluate the success of your meeting. Might a memo or phone call provide better efficiency in achieving your goal? Meetings, after all, are often costly events -- mostly in the time spent by the participants. If a less expensive alternative could be used to achieve the same goal then it is the better one.

If a key participant is unable to attend, then it will be better to cancel or postpone the meeting. Otherwise, much time will be lost briefing the absentee all over again. Do not hold meetings out of habit or just because it is a tradition. And finally, do not hold meetings if you or your participants are not prepared.

The good presenter will ask himself 5 questions before a meeting. Initially, why am I holding a meeting and is it really necessary? Answering these will show that the 'good' reasons for holding meetings can be classified in only 2 -- to disseminate information/learning and to solve a problem, basically.

Third, he should also ask who should be included. First, candidates will include those who have solid knowledge of your topic. Second are those who have the power to make decisions. Third are those who will be implementing whatever you resolve to do. And fourth, those who will be affected by the decision(s) you make.

The number of participants should also be ascertained. Inviting as few people as necessary will help you achieve your objectives faster. For different meeting types, there should are ideal numbers of participants. For problem solving, the ideal size is five participants. Adding an additional person will increase the complexity of the job by 127% simply because the number of questions, opinions, and choices will increase.

Last, the good presenter should also ask himself if an agenda has been prepared. This should be given in advance of the meeting because it serves as both notice for the meeting and early warning of the preparation necessary for the meeting. Also, the agenda provides a structure or framework for the meeting in order to keep things on the right track and prevent wandering or delving too much into side issues. In the agenda, it may be best to provide a timetable for the meeting -- so that everyone can schedule other tasks before or after the meeting, if possible. Of course, the exact location should be there. And if participation is encouraged then specific topic responsibilities should be pre-assigned. Other requirements like presentations should also be included as well as a time allotment. Finally, the objective of the meeting as well as other required data should be noted, whenever possible, in order to streamline the discussions.

There are other issues, of course, which may help you in the success of your presentation: the venue, the equipment, the techniques, and the visuals.

The size of the venue should first be indicative of the desired type of meeting. A small room would be more conducive to participation than a large one. Also, it should conform to the number of participants. A large room with few participants will encourage the participants to stay at the back and make the presentation more difficult while a small room for a large number of people will be both distracting and uncomfortable. Furthermore, a large room or audience should not be used for long presentations since it will be difficult to maintain their attention -- i.e., boring due to the lack of interaction.

Is the venue free of distraction? When the doors, for example, are set too near the group the entering and exiting people tend to distract both the audience and the presenter. Also, there are beepers, cell phones, and outside noises, which can add to the din.

The temperature, ventilation, and over-all comfort level of the audience should be adequate specially when it is a training session so that the participants are able to concentrate fully on the matter at hand.

There is also the matter of the accessibility of the location. Holding a meeting in the far south when all the participants come from the north is a bad way to go -- or parking might be inadequate.

In the choice of venue, it is also wise to consider the room layout. A U-shaped arrangement will stimulate participation since people will be face to face, for example. Also, the presentation screen should always be at the corner of the venue. This will provide adequate space for the presenter while maximizing the view to the audience. A stereo or double-screen setup at each front corner of the room is ideal since the main topics could be discussed on one hand and the sub-topics on the other -- or an overhead projector on one and a multimedia on the other.

The provision of the proper equipment is basic. The well-prepared visuals will do no good at all without a projector available. Or it may simply be a case of the projector's power cord not being long enough to reach the socket when you are in your desired position. Can the lights be controlled and who will control them? It is often best for a room to be somewhat dark but not totally dark during a presentation.

We have discussed the techniques a while back, and as to visuals ... let me demonstrate with an exercise. Try to translate a complex, abstract image into words ... difficult, isn't it? That shows the power of visual aids. Visual aids empower the presenter with the capability to transfer an image or idea directly from his mind to the mind of the audience. A very potent tool, indeed, especially for classes which more and more deal with the abstract and the undefined. A class usually only allows an hour to an hour and a half of time and if this time were spent on purely verbal expressions, then the lessons could go on for a very, very long time. Studies have shown that meetings are 28% shorter when visuals are used rather than when they are not. What's more, good visuals allow a person to grasp subject matter more fully and subjects that are well understood are more likely to be remembered -- by up to 50%!

So good visuals benefit not only the audience but the organization and presenter as well. This is because of increased productivity and effectiveness, enhanced professional image of the presenter, and a generally more attentive audience.

"Humans can process an outstanding amount of visual information. Actually, we can process at 60,000 times faster than text."

So how do we create good visuals?

In dealing with this problem we should keep in mind certain basic principles.

1) First, we should use visuals to clarify, reinforce, and supplement the spoken word to help the audience visualize our point. The visual is not THE point and should be used to support or clarify what is being said. The visual, in the very least, should be fully explained.

2) Your visual should be very clear, visible, and legible. As a rule of thumb, if you drop your acetate on the floor and it can be easily read while standing, then your visual should be clear enough for an average room. When your visual is presented, it should be at least 4 inches high so that even people at the back can see it. The use of large type can help in this regard.

3) The use of landscaped output is preferred since this will allow you to comfortably put more things on the visual.

4) Use a maximum of 2 types of fonts per visual. Too many fonts will confuse the audience and drive their attention away from the subject at hand.

5) Avoid using all capital letters. The use of upper and then lower case letters are not only easier for the audience to read but are also less glaring.

6) Use at least 24-points in font size to make lettering more legible.

7) And of course, avoid thin body fonts. Since they are harder to see from afar.

8) Be consistent. Notice that my slides have had the same background since the start of my presentation. This makes the presentation appear more organized and uniform.

9) Highlights/color can be used to emphasize certain points or to direct attention to certain pertinent information.

10) Present one concept or idea at a time. The best ideas or concepts are best appreciated when they are by themselves rather than in a group. Keep It Short and Simple (KISS) -- A long, complex visual aid is both more difficult to understand and is less persuasive.

11) Your visual should always appear simple and uncluttered. Use only key words, simple charts or pictures. The use of key words (instead of whole sentences) and simple charts or pictures are both easy to understand and convey impact.

12) Make the heading convey the implicit message. A good heading allows for a simpler body and an effective presentation.

13) As much as possible, avoid unnecessary interruptions. The speaker being called away in the middle of a presentation is the best excuse for the participants going on a break -- on their own time.

14) Unless absolutely necessary, text does not belong in the body of a visual. If you must, then at least do not insult the intelligence of your audience by reading the text during the presentation.

OPEN FORUM:

Question: I noticed that in your visuals, you used a serif font for the bad examples while the good examples used a sans serif font. Is there any relevance to this?

Answer: Actually, no. Sans serif, the fonts with a tail-like curl at the end, is better for readability so that they are more appropriate for visuals like acetates. And that's why I used them. For text material like brochures and pamphlets, however, people are more used to serif fonts so that has become the norm.

Question: When should you give out handouts?

Answer: You should give handouts and other material at the end of a presentation. If you give them out before or during the presentation, it will either distract the participants or even encourage them not to pay attention since he'll assume he has the material anyway.

Question: What other materials or visual aids are most often used?

Answer: You have flipcharts, which are often used for brainstorming sessions and to gather input. Anything that combines motion and sound will get a greater share of the audience's mind -- use multimedia, whiteboards, overhead projectors (OHP). Actually, at 3M our OHPs are also our whiteboards since we can write on blank transparencies or on the covering of the transparencies. There are LCD panels, the one you put on top of the OHP, as well as electronic whiteboards. We have a wide range of available presentation equipment, which you could use depending on the needs of your presentation. There are even remote controls so that you are able to manage sequence and timing from wherever you are in the room -- it gives you much more flexibility. It is possible to slowly reveal a visual like when you reveal lists of items -- although you could use a thick piece of paper with an OHP for a similar effect. This would prevent the audience from second-guessing your presentation or trying to forecast its contents.

There are some things to consider in selecting your equipment. There is the audience size -- is the crowd too large for my chosen media? There is the lighting -- is it too light or too dark for my media? There is the availability of the equipment and supplies, and of course the budget is a big consideration.

At this point, let me share with you some tips for using OHPs properly. First, you should number your visuals. Especially with a large number of transparencies, numbering would help you keep track of them. You can use write-on like the pen I am using to highlight something or you could just check or underline it. I am using flip-frame protectors so I could put my frame inside, mark it with codes or what not and still properly use the visual again. These frames also block off excessive light coming from the OHP to make the lighting less harsh. You should also position your transparency before you actually need it since a glaring blank screen is a distraction. If you don't need the visual yet, turn off the unit first. A pen could serve as your pointer although it is a bad idea to go all the way to the screen to point there -- just point on the panel directly. When presenting, face the participants and not the screen -- for self-evident reasons. You can also tilt the top of the screen forward a little in order to achieve a more square appearance. One of the best ways of creating a great presentation is for you to practice the material -- in this way, you will be more comfortable and your presentation will be more refined.

To be the best presenter you have to be able to get the right information to the right people at the right time and in the right format. For you to be able to do that, you had best use the right visual for your presentation because during your presentation, the spotlight is on you.

The Internet will change the way we play, the way we live, and the way we learn. That is already happening in a lot of ways. Two months ago, I came across a study by a Singapore-based firm. The highlights of that study pointed to the fact that of the number of available PC's in any geographical region, the Philippines had the second largest percentage of machines that could access the Internet -- second only to the United States. This shows that our acceptance and absorption of Internet technology is more than most anybody else in the world. This is a very interesting paradigm. We always think we are the last, compared to Singapore for example, but this study shows that we are more adept at the adoption of this technology.

It also points out that our propensity to utilize the Internet in various ways -- transactions, for example -- is greater than most other peoples around the world. Take e-commerce. E-commerce doesn't necessarily mean simply handing over your credit card number. Rather, it is about influencing buying decisions. For example, Amazom.com, which is a multi-billion online bookstore, has changed the way in which we purchase books. On their site can be found one of the most comprehensive listings of books anywhere. When you go there, you can find whatever you're looking for -- or just browse the listings and descriptions -- check out the price and order online instead of actually going to a store. This is one of the ways by which we are able to streamline certain processes using Internet technology. This is not to say that traditional bookstores or channels will become obsolete, but rather they will live harmoniously side by side. Going to a bookstore, for example, has a certain social function to it -- interaction with other people. The Internet and Multimedia may augment our ability to educate others but it is the skills, which they attempt to teach that are more important -- reading, arithmetic, etc. Although the Internet will change the way we live, work, and play, there are certain things we have to keep in mind, certain constants -- that we are still (social) people, for example. While traditional ways will be there for quite some time, we should realize that this technology is here to stay whether we like it or not.

And children are the ones who are very much exposed to this technology -- a lot more than you or I. I would not even dare challenge a 10-year old as far as computer proficiency is concerned -- and I've been an I.T. professional for 13 years! But what I've learned at the time is mostly obsolete already. Think back 5 years ago and the Internet as it is today probably can't even be foreseen. The wave of technological change is that fast. And it has created the desire on everyone's part to create the infrastructure to be able to ride on this wave. The bottom-line being that this is creating a demand for networking technology and skills with which the world, at present, is unable to cope --particularly in the professionals needed to administer, develop, and support said technology.

This is where CISCO's networking academy comes in.

Back in 1993, a consulting engineer named George Ward of CISCO presented a desire to create school networks for laboratory purposes. They had some difficulty implementing it because they found that the instructors just weren't proficient enough with regard to networking. Neither did they have enough time to actually learn this technology. This was the point where they considered using the students instead. They found that the students had everything needed -- the proficiency, willingness, and the dedication to learn the networking technology. This is where the development of the networking academy curriculum began. Once this program began, it spread to various schools and universities in the United States.

Today, we have formalized this program into the CISCO networking academy. In a nutshell, this program provides a basic set of skills in setting up, administering, and designing networks.

Right now, the curriculum is for High Schools because in the U.S., colleges are not as accessible as in the Philippines and we want High School graduates to become readily employable. Although in the Asian context, we will be coming out with this program at the collegiate level.

This is in support, as I have discussed, with the I.T. infrastructure necessary in the information age. This era of general Internet access is fast approaching and we have to cognizant of this not only in the U.S. but even here in the Philippines. Since it is needed within the lifetime of everyone in this room, even the children have to know it in order to prepare them for the future since this is the realm of reality they will have to deal with by the time they get into the real world.

If we think we are exempt from this by virtue of our feeling inadequate in terms of equipment, that is not the case because even in U.S. schools there is a dearth in available computers. This is a phenomenon common across all cultures and geographies -- and yet the requirements are there.

To address this, the Networking Academy will provide 4 semesters or 72 hours of education, the curricular and training support, the courseware, and the necessary equipment for as low as CISCO can provide it. Currently, the whole package costs 14,000 USD although the actual value is much, much more. At the end of the course, it will enable the student to be eligible for CISCO certification.

The highest level of this certification program is the CCIIE -- CISCO-Certified Internet Internetworking Expert, of which there are only 2,000 in the whole world. To attain this certification, testing is administered much like board exams. In the level below this is the CISCO-Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) which, although considered basic, allows only a 5-10% chance of passing without undergoing the formal review process. The Networking Academy is actually designed to enable students to pass the CCNA qualification, which is recognized anywhere in the world much like a diploma. Were a student to enroll in a separate program designed for the same purpose, the cost to the student is likely to go up to the PHP 80,000 level.

So the schools have an opportunity to offer this prestigious program plus the necessary equipment and support at low cost, the industry and government can get a steady supply of skilled workers, and the students are eligible to get the CCNA. As for CISCO, the company has determined that in this industry, one of the limiting factors to Internet success is the availability, in considerable numbers, of qualified networking professionals. From a CISCO standpoint, if the Internet does not expand anymore, then CISCO's business will be in peril. That's what's in it for CISCO. So that directly, this networking academy has no 'catch' to it. It is in CISCO's best interests to see to it that the Internet and networking has the capacity to expand.

Will this encourage another 'brain-drain?' In the 1970's when the IBM mainframes were at the peak of popularity, the Philippines lost most of its best systems programmers to the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Europe. In the U.S. right now, for instance, there are 40,000 jobs unfulfilled in this field. Is CISCO contributing to the migration of professionals?

I have said before that we are preparing this program at the high school level. Later, we have plans of making this available to provincial schools, for example -- and to Out-of-School youth. We want to make this available to kids and to students who otherwise would not have access to this kind of technology. This will help them to alleviate their poverty, and this is the social dimension to the CISCO Networking Academy.

At the turn of the previous century, the skills in demand were those of factory workers and craftsmen. This is not to say that they are no longer relevant. But in the next century, the demand for these jobs will shift, to a large extent, on jobs which involve technologically linked skill sets.

I am sure you are aware of certain articles in the newspapers encouraging a return to the educational basics -- reading, writing, etc. -- instead of spending their budget on I.T.-related acquisitions. My response to that, as I have said, is that we have to put everything into context. We obviously cannot afford to forget skills as basic as these, nor could we forget the humanities side of education. Information Technology, after all, is only a medium but it is a medium on which we can no longer turn our backs.

Regional academies outside the U.S. have been identified to which local centers will report. These regional academies will provide the training requirements, curricular evaluation, instructional quality, etc. and in Southeast Asia, the regional academy is the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) in the Philippines, which is also the first regional academy outside the United States. We are somewhat leading edge in this regard since our educational system is similar to the U.S. model so it is easier to implement things this way. So the other participants will now be under the umbrella of the PSHS.

Our program is not CISCO or CISCO-product centric. To give you an idea of the curricular content, it includes specific, generic networking and I.T. topics which makes it somewhat unique compared to the programs of other companies in that our certificate-holders can even work for our competitors. It includes the OSI reference model, splicing cable, configuring routers and switches, basic network design and implementation, network topologies, etc. More information can be obtained from our web site regarding this.

As you can see from the pictures, our students can splice cable, configure routers, etc., which even I cannot do since the networking technology training I underwent is quickly going away. That's how advanced and state-of-the-art our program is.

OPEN FORUM:

Question: What are the requirements of the program?

Answer: In a nutshell the school needs to have at least one or two instructors to undergo the training at PSHS, who are scheduled to undergo training in the U.S. and who, in turn, will train the others in Southeast Asia. And while some technical proficiency is preferred, there is no qualification or examination required of these instructors. Also, the PC component of the network will be needed. Any Windows-capable PC will do since the rest of the equipment will be provided.

Question: What is the actual equipment included in the package?

Answer: While I haven't seen the actual configuration of the equipment, it includes several hubs, several routers, a LAN switch, and a web server. If you need more specifics, we'll be promoting this some more and we expect to have even more information by then.

Question: What prevents our students from dropping out after this program has been completed even before they finish their degree?

Answer: None, really. But most students who have the opportunity will probably not drop out of college anyway since their horizons will be expanded even more -- they can get an even better job, go to another country, for example. Besides, CCNA is not the only certification. To advance to CCIIE they'll probably need a university education also.

Question: How are you going to address our bad communications infrastructure and imminent phone-metering program?

Answer: The local measured service was intended to address the problem of overly long, unnecessary use -- 'telebabad.' Long distance charges here are so high compared to other countries mainly because they are used to subsidize local usage. Since switches are limited and since all calls use them, the longer someone engages a switch, the greater the probability of another person not getting through. Of course, there has been a paradigm shift since then with the Internet. And we expect even further paradigm shifts before long. This may include the manner in which voice service is delivered to the home. Eventually, even voice communication may use the Internet -- not the Internet as we know it today, which is based largely on circuit-based switching (which provides us with the dial tone) but one capable of higher speed, higher bandwidth signals perhaps using packet-based switching. So the network infrastructure itself will change over time. And this will include not only the infrastructure but also the way in which the technology is used as well as paid for. Who knows? Perhaps in a while, you'll have your phone service delivered through your Skycable and through that same cable you can get Internet access. These are the types of paradigm shifts we are expecting in this lifetime. Don't you wonder why everyone is rushing into Cable TV? So companies are already preparing the infrastructure for paradigm shifts such as these.

Question: Will the provided equipment be Year 2000 compliant?

Answer: As far as the networking hardware is considered, these are all Y2K compliant. CISCO does not, however, guarantee the same with regard to the application software. A lot of the problems with Y2K have something to do with either the legacy applications developed back in the 1970's -- specially those written for the mainframes, or the application programming platforms or operating system platforms under which the systems are operating.

This is a collage of photos from an assortment of PSITE meetings: