About how the EU is moving closer to AI laws (including banning use of facial recognition tech by police & emotional recognition at work places & in schools.).
Meet the people still living on SecondLife: I still remember intro’ing folks to this in my presentations / workshops back in 2006-11, the concept of avatars, virtual currency / concerts / lectures etc.
emojikitchen.dev has over 30,000 unique emoji mashup combinations for you to play with and use.
shapecatcher.com to draw in the box and it will help you to find the most similar unicode characters (urrently, there are 11817 character glyphs in the database).
clipdrop.co/uncrop “uncrops” your images and broadens them out (just like Photoshop Generative Fill Firefly but without text prompt) for free. Here’s an example from my AI creations:
And finally, Midjourney just released their ‘zoom out’ feature (you can either 1.5x or 2x) which is like automatic generative fill / out-painting. Here are my first attempts:
A QArt Coder which makes QR codes with pixellated images which you upload.
Over 4100 pixel-perfect icons for web design via Tabler Icons, free and open source icons designed to make your website or app attractive, visually consistent and simply beautiful.
The Not By AI badge is created to encourage more humans to produce original content and help users identify human-generated content (although no information about the humans behind it).
Make It Big, an app to have full screen text message on your (iPhone) (I use it at events I’m facilitating to tell folks speaking what time they have left).
After about 20mins of reading and prompt writing, these are the first images I created on the AI-assisted-image-creation-platform Midjourney.
The fidelity of these creations are incredible. Check out these closeups:
As a further experiment and using one of the already created Celtic warriors as the basis for the design, I went on to develop some potential covers for a fiction book I’m writing:
First set of images from prompt.A further potential option.Another different option.
The reason for exploring this new platform is to understand the potential for creating images for my own creative projects and also is this something to build into the public speaking masterclasses I deliver for clients.
In a part of these masterclasses I talk about and show how to craft kick-ass presentation decks. In doing so I utilise a vast array of open sourced and creative common licensed content available on the web via a sweet bevvy of amassed resources over the years, which means that within twenty minutes or so I can find some wonderful items to embellish any story being told and build out a pretty wicked looking deck.
However, after just an hour or so playing on Midjourney, I see it becoming a powerful part of a storytellers toolkit as the business case will be: why trawl through different sites if you can very quickly state your needs and get a high-fidelity version of a specific image which serves the need.
Examples
Whether you’re an architectural student talking about the parametric abilities of your discipline:
A team leader wanting to represent a metaphoric path relating to a bold business strategy needing to be pursued:
A human resources lead presenting to the board and needing a stock-style image of people laughing in a corporate setting around a computer to demonstrate the aim for a conducive work culture:
First set of images from prompt.Second iteration with version 4 (bottom right) being my fav, see below:Boom, Count Duckula in the proverbial flesh!
The only restriction is your own imagination (which I why like the term Augmented Imagination for AI)!
Limitations
It’s not a perfect platform.
Here’s what I got when I asked for a simple yellow post-it note with the word ‘help’ written on it:
There’s also a barrier to entry from both a digital interface perspective and also an image literacy angle.
Access to Midjourney (which is still positioned as being in beta) is via the Discord platform. This means the creation and indeed craft of producing these images is done out in the open in the semi-public hosted forums. I say semi-public because without first a Discord account plus accepting a few T&C’s to access, you can’t play.
Then there’s the literacy step. Knowing about cameras, lenses, exposures, angles plus lighting will give your images the edge above others. You have to be open to the messy process of nudging the system in the right way and nuances of language along with scene setting or even world building is needed.
Whether it be creating cute little monsters:
An atmospheric and rainy backstreet in an Asian city:
To a toy figure of Michael Jordan:
…you have to guide the output heavily.
The Trick
It can all sound too good to be true, or for some I’ve spoken to before I started playing, a little too confusing as well.
Once you get your head around the interface (as it’s quite jaggedy in it’s forum style, think ‘Slack channel peppered with a cacophony of people you don’t know saying wild and wonderful things with images blooming to life in between your prompts’, as it scrolls without you and finding your creations becomes sometimes hard work), I found the trick in creating impressive images is to balance simplicity and complexity.
Laying down the basics along with the intricate details of how to construct the output you want to see yields high-end results. For example, to build the image above I stipulated the scene, the person, the emotion displayed, the specific laptop being used, then the angle, the camera, the lens, the exposure, the lighting and the general ‘feel’—there’s a lot steering the production of what you see but it’s worth the time.
Built in to the Midjourney service are lots of ‘commands‘ to get your head around, and an interesting one is the “/describe” command which writes four example prompts based on an image you upload. So if you’re already using an image that you own or created you can upload and use the manufactured text prompt to get a sense of how you can create another one like it.
This and many other commands is a paid for service (as part of Midjourney subscription plans) and as I’m still using the free service I point it out as a great way to get started along with finding inspiration in prompt writing approaches.
“…You own all Assets You create with the Services, to the extent possible under current law.”
…although it also states they own it all as well (including the prompts and any reference material you upload) along with some other funky stuff in there, like anyone else in the community can use them and remix them also.
It’s a bit confusing.
Just be aware of the classic adage: if it’s free or cheap you’re probably the product at this stage.
Like most though I’m worried deeply about the ethical nature of these creative engines due to questions on where they sourced their data (the large language models, LLMs, used to ‘train’ the AI on—I recommend reading A Completely Non-Technical Explanation of AI and Deep Learning if all this is gobble-dee-gook). Plus, if any output is being influenced by specific artists or other creatives, where is the attribution and citations for them? Surely that should be there as standard and would be easy to code in if you’ve come this far…?
There’s also a question of fabricating ‘alternative’ realities (like the recent Pope in a Prada coat). But what about making different historical narratives?
Like in the latter years of his life, Steve Jobs spent most of his time in his small home office working on old school computers:
He didn’t, I made this scene and story up.
Or photos of Elvis when he was a baby already playing a guitar:
It’s captivating to be generating such quality with little effort. And there lies in the danger. To not respect the background nature of the inventive act of creativity is what I fear people will miss here. I’m lucky enough to be able to navigate through my understanding and respect for what informs these constructions (I mean the influences from photographers and my basic knowledge of cameras plus image form as well as the technological interface), and yet it’s so liberating at the ease by which impressiveness can be gained.
With all technologies, I always experience it through the lens of augmentation. Does this aid what I do and offer into the world, with kindness and deep consideration on the impact?
Midjourney and the larger AI suite of tools (currently) do nothing without us. They are value-neutral. However, it’s simple to see how much negative impact they will have in the future. Have us all questioning what we see whilst bad actors look to exploit this to their advantage. And I mean much more than cheeky photographers winning prizes using AI.
So for now I invite you to take some time and look at the public Midjourney showcase to see the possibilities of what people are producing, it’s very hard not to raise your eyebrows in awe.
What about you, what potential do you see in platforms like this? Where will you use it? Why won’t you?
Because you never know when you need to create a shocked looking blue faced pink sheep in a meadow:
All images produced in this blog post was done by Midjourney and the prompts I came up with.
“Here’s something for “free” but you have to leave a comment and I might or might not send it to you based on if you’re in a position to do something for me in the future and because I already gave something to you you’re more likely to do something for me now even though I originally said it was “free”.”
For only $10NZD this bundle deal features an ebook with 37 juicy chapters, nearly 14,000 words across 89 pages plus a 1hour34mins audiobook version (read by me).
It’s loaded with personal reflections, professional experiences and insider insights on how to do that which most people fear. I’ve crammed it full of lessons from my speaker coaching career, resources and examples of best practice (which are tried and tested on me plus stolen from many others), applicable story models and frameworks, along with strategies on tackling the biggest hurdles of nerves and emotional connectivity.
Here are two teaser chapters:
1.2 SITTING
“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”— Phillip Pullman
As detailed in my bio, I was the licensee and producer of the TEDxWellington events for nearly ten years.
During that time I developed and delivered to all speakers for the later events a five week coaching experience to aid the development of their talks. One year we had an individual we were failing as we were busy encouraging them (along with the other speakers) to stand in their story, project out and connect with the audience in this single way.
Well this person just wasn’t comfortable with this and as the weeks passed it became apparent it wasn’t going to work. I remember the conversation with them exploring other alternatives and the answer immediately came from a simple comment she made about sitting in her office, across from her clients on two comfy sofas and how that was when she was her most authentic self.
That was it, we sat the speaker in a comfy chair and wow, instant success. The talk became intimate and focussed. Delicate as well as powerful.
This was the best version of them to deliver their story in their way, not in our expected way of standing.
It also aligns with a favourite TED talk of mine which is a deeply moving, gentle and poignant, all delivered whilst sitting in a chair (please check out BJ Miller 2015’s TED talk, What really matters at the end of life). Another case of cultivating closeness through the simple act of sitting.
You’ll learn in a later chapter (DIVA) that understanding and stipulating the best environmental factors for you to deliver a great talk is paramount. I’m hoping the above story and examples give solid reasons to think differently in this area (albeit in rare cases).
One word of caution here for those hosting and ‘sitting’ on panels at events: this is a very different domain to what is described above in terms of a solo speaker in a chair. Unless you use clever lighting it’s very hard to create the same effect as I’ve described in the other cases although much of the other stuff in the book can be applied in this scenario.
3.4 VOICE
“Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple.”— Charles Mingus
Not many people like the way they sound. However, I guarantee you sound just fine enough.
Accents rule. Lean into them with just a side consideration of clarity for those with thick regional ones. Over the years, due to my international work plus living overseas for over a decade, my Welsh accent has softened. I still roll my “r’s” heavily and when I get excited it comes out wonderfully. I just make sure I enunciate correctly and it’s never been an issue.
I’d like you to consider how cadence, the way you modulate your voice and add stresses to what’s being said, are the inflections that can assist the audience to consider the importance of certain aspects of the story. Important for those who have a quiet ‘flat’ tone and what’s needed for this is to consider elevating the stresses with emotion.
Just like the cadence, the rhythm is another aspect for consideration. Varying the speed throughout any talk can be an effective way to add some ‘colour’ to an orators style. Although, don’t have too much of a difference here as it will sound awful plus confusing, just like someone is playing with a speed dial in your brain.
It’s best to play around with just subtle shifts in both cadence and rhythm which match the emotional range of the subject being discussed, like a little faster when it’s an exciting element of the story with a higher register and then slowing down again to enunciate for the poignant aspects which allows for reflection.
By the way if you want to create tension or make the listeners understand the importance of a statement, just take a second and pause.
A pause is like an underline in writing.
It emphasises what came before.
Now the other way to do this is to repeat something. However this can only be used sparingly, like cumin in cooking.
Repeating something, even twice in a talk, gets noticed and I would suggest using this trick just once. Focus it on your biggest point or statement or piece of information which is truly arresting. Like a statistic which generates a ‘wow’ from when you share it, or a summarising line or two to distiLl a big topic which you’ve been introducing, or a revealing insight from a lived experience or even report. Again, make sure to be careful with this beyond a one time use.
In this bundle deal you not only get the ebook but also the audiobook as well, read by me. Again, here’s the SITTING chapter above in verbal form:
And here’s the ‘Table of Contents’ for the guide as well:
0.0 PROLOGUE 0.1 AIM 0.2 ME 0.3 MISCONCEPTION 0.4 EDUCATION 0.5 ELEMENTS 1.0 GRACE 1.1 FEET 1.2 SITTING 1.3 HANDS 1.4 BODY 1.5 FACE
3.3 LISTENING 3.4 VOICE 3.5 SPECTRUM 3.6 MISTAKES 3.7 BREATHING 3.8 JEDI 4.1 OUTRO 4.2 RESOURCES 4.3 OFFER 4.4 THANKS 4.5 LEGAL ABOUT THE AUTHOR (AGAIN)
If you’re new here, a little about my pedigree:
As a Creative Producer, DK works with a wide range of clients ‘crafting delicious learning experiences’ either online, in-studio or in person events. He is the 9yr-ex-TEDxWellington / TEDxWellingtonWomen licensee plus founder of the unique video podcast Creative Welly and the annual Creative Leadership NZ conference.
He’s also a Speaker Coach, working with CEO’s and senior executives plus a random ex-All Black and Dame thrown into the mix plus delivers internal masterclasses on the topics of ‘purposeful storytelling’ to small leadership groups.
Previously, DK established Collider, a city-wide programme focussed on transforming Wellington into an internationally recognised Smart Capital (with 200 events in 14 months with over 5000 attendees).
He also founded Mediasnackers in 2006 and through it has over a decade of working in the social media space consulting / delivering training & consulting on five continents and to a cross-sector range of clients from UNICEF, Gates Foundation, BBC, Ubisoft, Hasbro plus spent time as a social media manager for a national education company in NZ.
Still use RSS myself (like all of you should) but check out this great How to Take Back Control of What You Read on the Internet article on why it’s important to control your media menu.
Half-price ebook + audiobook pre-order offer open to celebrate reaching hundred thousand views (pre-order closed).
BUY NOW Speaking With Purpose: A guide to delivering impressive presentations!
For only $10NZD this bundle deal featured an ebook with a juicy 37 chapters, nearly 14,000 words across 89 pages plus a 1hour34mins audiobook version (read by me).
I remembered chatting to a friend before the above TEDx talk went live and saying how happy I would be if it hit five figures in views. Well, in just three months to the day of it going live it x10 that!
ANNOUNCEMENT
During the Christmas and New Year break I’ve been tapping away writing a companion guide to the talk which broadens out the things discussed. What it manifested into though is a series of monographs relating to the three elements of what makes a great presentation, the basis of my coaching system with clients and what I deliver in my masterclasses.
It’s currently being proofed by trusted peers under the title of “Speaking With Purpose : A guide to delivering impressive presentations!“
There are currently 30+ chapters and over 13k words detailing all that I know about public speaking, coaching this challenging skill-set plus tackling the biggest hurdles of nerves, emotional connection and storytelling models. And just as way of a teaser, here are three random un-proofed chapters:
Welcome—this book is for those who have to speak in public, present to small and large groups of people, and who want to master their nerves. It’s also for individuals looking to hone their physical and vocal nuances to deliver insightful content in a way which creates emotive action from their audiences.
These monographs detail the three elements of effective public speaking and will outline practical advice you can start applying during your next talk; whether you be a student delivering your final thesis, a confident leader having to deliver a closing keynote to a large conference crowd or a Chief Executive pitching the next 20 year plan to the board.
I trust you as an adult to take what you need and dismiss what you don’t.
This is not a ‘you should’ but more like a ‘you could’ guide based on everything I’ve learned in this arena (although these are tried and tested approaches which achieve re
After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” Phillip Pullman
As detailed in my bio I was the licensee and producer of the TEDxWellington events for nearly ten years and one thing we provided was a five week coaching experience to aid the development of the talks. One year we had an individual we were failing in this sense as we were busy encouraging them (along with the other speakers) to stand in their story, project out and connect with the audience that way.
Well this person just wasn’t comfortable with this and as the weeks passed it became apparent it wasn’t going to work. I remember the conversation with them exploring other alternatives and the answer came from a comment she made about sitting in her office, across from her clients on two comfy sofas and how that was her most authentic self.
So, we put the speaker in a comfy chair and wow, instant success. The talk became intimate and focussed. Soft as well as powerful.
This was the best version of them to deliver their story in their way, not in our expected way of standing.
It also aligns with a favourite TED talk of mine which is a deeply moving, gentle and poignant, all delivered whilst sitting in a chair (please check out BJ Miller 2015’s talk: What really matters at the end of life). Another case of cultivating closeness through the simple act of sitting.
You’ll learn in a later chapter (DIVA) that understanding and stipulating the best environmental factors for you to deliver a great talk is paramount. And hoping the above story and examples give solid reasons to think differently in this area (albeit in rare cases).
One word of caution here for those hosting and ‘sitting’ on panels at events: this is a very different domain that what is described above in terms of a solo speaker in a chair. Unless you use clever lighting it’s very hard to create the same effect as what I’ve described in the other cases although much of the other stuff in the book can be applied in this scenario.
So lets get back to presenting and the body by focussing on the…
Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple.” Charles Mingus
Nobody likes the way they sound. That’s a given, therefore, get over it. I guarantee you sound just fine enough.
Accents rule. Lean into them with just a side consideration of clarity for those with thick regional ones. Over the years, due to my international work plus living overseas for over a decade, my Welsh accent has softened. Then again, I still roll my “r’s” heavily and when I get excited it comes out wonderfully. I just make sure I articulate correctly and it’s never been an issue.
Cadence is how you modulate your voice and add stresses to what’s being said. These inflections can assist the audience to consider the importance of certain aspects of the story.
Just like the cadence, the rhythm is another aspect to consider. Varying the speed throughout any talk can be an effective way to add some ‘colour’ to an orators style. Although, don’t have too much of a difference here as it will sound awful.
Play around with subtle shifts in both cadence and rhythm which match the emotional range, like a little faster when it’s an exciting element of the story with a higher register and then slowing down again to annunciate for the poignant aspects which allows for reflection.
By the way if you want to create tension or make the listeners understand of the important of a statement, just pause.
A pause is like an underline is writing. It emphasises what came before.
Now the other way to do this is to repeat something. However this can only be used sparingly, like cumin in cooking.
Repeating something, even twice in a talk, gets noticed and I would suggest using this trick just once. Focus it on your biggest point or statement or piece of information which is truly arresting. Like a statistic which generates a ‘wow’ from when you share it, or a summarising line or two to distill a big topic which you’ve been introducing, or a revealing insight from a lived experience or even report. Just be careful with this one beyond that one time use.
The ebook and audiobook will be available on sale from end of March 2023 although making this pre-order live in celebration of the 100,000 views mark. Half-price. If you purchase I’ll send it through a couple of days before going live to the public (pre-order sales closed).
‘Speaking With Purpose’ is my second book, my first being ‘Zen And the Heart Of Social Media’ (see books), written back in when I was delivering in the social media space. This book is now free if you want it (all you have to do is ask).
Again, HUGE thanks to the TEDxNelson team, the other speakers and organisers plus licensee & producer Kara for the original invitation.
Chats about public speaking, coaching, presenting online vs in-person, event design and delegate experience development etc.—all the stuff I’ve been doing these past few years condensed into 30mins.
Dan produces a very impressive podcast with an eyebrow-raising amount of featured talent (like Daniel Pink, Tom Peters, Arianna Huffington etc.). Was lucky enough to spend some time rapping about what I’ve been up to in the past few years and hope you enjoy!
Who’s around in February 2023 and wants some professional development for public speaking?
At the end of the month I’ll be back in the valleys spending time with my immediate family again plus old friends. Will then be delivering more of my masterclasses for some clients and then be off to mainland Europe for more exploration.
I have the following dates available:
South Wales: Friday 3rd Feb
London: Mon 6th Feb (afternoon) + Tue 7th Feb (morning)
Dublin: Friday 10th Feb
Munich: 16&17th Feb
Berlin: 21st Feb
Here is the blurb for my ‘Purposeful Storytelling’ beginners masterclass (there’s also an advanced one as well if you need it):
Public speaking is a skill set which can be nurtured and developed. When combined with a range of storytelling techniques it provides a powerful strategy which is guaranteed to have a positive impact on achieving communication which resonates. This half-day OR full-day session, for up to 12 leaders, will cover: – Why nerves are your best friend – What personal qualities to amplify – Where TED/TEDx gets it right / wrong – Which body language techniques resonate – How to engage the audience from passive listeners to active participants
The above can be delivered also as a stand alone talk of about 75mins (which includes Q&A) and there’s no limits on attendee numbers for that. Great for a ‘lunch & learn’ session with the teams to kick off a year of professional development. Happy to also explore some 1-2-1’s as well on crafting great presentations plus delivering them with style.
If you haven’t seen my in action before check out the recent TEDx talk which went live last month (December 2022):
