Tech Your Business Needs - By Heather Sidorowicz, Southtowns Audio & Video
Beyond computers and smart phones, every business can benefit from the following technologies incorporated into their businesses. They will improve productivity and well being, and what company does not need that?
Music: "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." -Plato
Researchers at the University of Maryland discovered that when people listen to music that made them feel good, they had better blood flow. This crazy factoid that is good for your heart and blood vessels is reason enough turn on the tunes for yourself and your employees.
But wait, there's more...
Music can also increase your ability to think, learn, reason, and remember. For this reason, I am always utterly amazed when I walk into a quite lobby or office space. Studies have now proven music can improve how well you speak and even your connection with others. Songs create sense memories and transport us back in time to happy places (and sometimes unhappy ones). Isn't this why we have weddings songs, to form a connection between two people? Most of us remember our prom song or songs from that era of our lives. These songs capture significance bits of our lives, and these 'bubbles' can help the brain produce melatonin, the calming substance. This is why music can make you feel better (cue scene of Jerry McGuire belting out Free Falling when he thinks he has a chance of success).
Digital Signage: Does your business have a lobby or waiting area? How about a break room or lunch room? These areas are wasted space without digital signage, or maybe I should say they are spaces of great potential. In a lobby, tell people what you do and why you do it (See how I brought the CEL 'Why' into this?). It is also a great place to report specials and sales if it is the public entering the space.
In break areas and lunchrooms, you can tell your employees items they need to know without the dreaded interoffice memo. Digital signage has come a long way. Gone is the day of monthly charges, as today you own your signage. You can choose to have live TV with an information crawl at the bottom of the screen, or instead just set it up without a live feed (similar to a PowerPoint slide). Changes can now happen from anywhere you have an internet connection and a computer; no longer is there a need for downloading or connecting at the TV site. Best part is that this is a simple, and who does not like simple?
Interactive boards: Bring your meetings to the next level with an interactive board. There are still some pretty expensive ones out there, but prices have dropped on others that offer most of the same thing. The way you choose what is right for you is first to decide what you want to do on the screen.
Do I want to bring up pictures and slides and annotate over them?
Do I need live video? If so, where am I getting the content (Internet, DVD's, other)?
Am I looking for video conferencing as well? If so, what service am I using (Skype, WebX, other)?
Connecting a laptop to a TV is cool. Being able also to write on the screen, makes it interactive and awesome. This technology takes boarding meetings to the next level. I promise you'll feel like a kid again when you start playing with one and your audience will be more engaged.
Technology should make life better, whether on the home front or in the office. These are a few technologies being utilized today to improve the office space, a space that over our lifetime we will spend 90,000 hours at according to business insider.
Why not make your space a better place?
Music: "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." -Plato
Researchers at the University of Maryland discovered that when people listen to music that made them feel good, they had better blood flow. This crazy factoid that is good for your heart and blood vessels is reason enough turn on the tunes for yourself and your employees.
But wait, there's more...
Music can also increase your ability to think, learn, reason, and remember. For this reason, I am always utterly amazed when I walk into a quite lobby or office space. Studies have now proven music can improve how well you speak and even your connection with others. Songs create sense memories and transport us back in time to happy places (and sometimes unhappy ones). Isn't this why we have weddings songs, to form a connection between two people? Most of us remember our prom song or songs from that era of our lives. These songs capture significance bits of our lives, and these 'bubbles' can help the brain produce melatonin, the calming substance. This is why music can make you feel better (cue scene of Jerry McGuire belting out Free Falling when he thinks he has a chance of success).
Digital Signage: Does your business have a lobby or waiting area? How about a break room or lunch room? These areas are wasted space without digital signage, or maybe I should say they are spaces of great potential. In a lobby, tell people what you do and why you do it (See how I brought the CEL 'Why' into this?). It is also a great place to report specials and sales if it is the public entering the space.
In break areas and lunchrooms, you can tell your employees items they need to know without the dreaded interoffice memo. Digital signage has come a long way. Gone is the day of monthly charges, as today you own your signage. You can choose to have live TV with an information crawl at the bottom of the screen, or instead just set it up without a live feed (similar to a PowerPoint slide). Changes can now happen from anywhere you have an internet connection and a computer; no longer is there a need for downloading or connecting at the TV site. Best part is that this is a simple, and who does not like simple?
Interactive boards: Bring your meetings to the next level with an interactive board. There are still some pretty expensive ones out there, but prices have dropped on others that offer most of the same thing. The way you choose what is right for you is first to decide what you want to do on the screen.
Do I want to bring up pictures and slides and annotate over them?
Do I need live video? If so, where am I getting the content (Internet, DVD's, other)?
Am I looking for video conferencing as well? If so, what service am I using (Skype, WebX, other)?
Connecting a laptop to a TV is cool. Being able also to write on the screen, makes it interactive and awesome. This technology takes boarding meetings to the next level. I promise you'll feel like a kid again when you start playing with one and your audience will be more engaged.
Technology should make life better, whether on the home front or in the office. These are a few technologies being utilized today to improve the office space, a space that over our lifetime we will spend 90,000 hours at according to business insider.
Why not make your space a better place?
