Words & Banter

Adult Education Lessons … From The Racetrack?!

The last time I was in Indianapolis, I became the first woman to race the road course at Indy (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) — in a Ferrari Challenge support race on a Formula One (F-1) weekend, no less. Although I did not know it at the time.

So, when I heard about a national conference of adult educators being held in Indianapolis, I thought it was the perfect location.

Are you wondering, “What is the connection?”

In racing, people focus on the driver. The one in the car. The one who crosses the finish line. But, that is not how racing works. No driver is alone — there is always a team with us. Plus, we are constantly learning — from coaches, from other drivers, from trying something new. And, adapting — to changing conditions, new technology, more experience.

There is an old racing axiom,

To finish first, first you must finish.

But, even more basic … you cannot finish if you do not start. And, for many adult learners, starting is the hardest part. Some are doing it for the first time. Some are trying again. All are stepping into something uncertain. For some, it is scary. For others, it is exciting. Often, it is both. No different than when I go to a new track.

There are many similarities between racing and adult education. So, if I could provide adult educators with just one takeaway, it would be this,

You are an integral part of the student’s “crew” … You are often the reason people start. You make sure they are not alone when they do. You help them get to the finish. And, without you, they might never get out of neutral.

So, throttle on.

adult education
Banter Bites

What Are Banter Bites?

BANTER BITE BASICS

The intent was always to give two perspectives on any given topic — Red’s and Black’s. And some things will never change. But how we’ve formatted BANTER BITES has … and we see the value in providing both long and short versions.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY

Everything with us is a story. Years ago, we were working with a branding company, and one of the team imagined us as cartoon characters. (Thank you, Puneet!) People told us they loved our sisterly banter, so we started doing a single-frame cartoon to introduce our monthly columns. Then we used them on slides at speaking engagements (Black’s corporate background taught her how BORING PowerPoint presentations can be, so she refused to have slides filled with words).

Then we modified them so each of us was in our respective environments — Red in the kitchen and Black in her office — and people suggested we syndicate them. (Black, of course, then researched syndication.) And we even used them at a pitch meeting with Hasbro. When we started working with an animation company and saw their version of our “creatures”, we decided they needed to be front and center.

Fairly early on, Black suggested to Red that we start a daily BANTER BITE that we could post on our website and also social media. It could be about something happening in our lives, current events, some obscure fact/study Black happened across, the list goes on and on …Red’s reply? (Keep in mind, she’s the self-proclaimed queen of blah-blah-blah.) “I’m not sure we’ll have enough material to be able to post every day.”

THE REALITY?

To make her point, Black started churning them out based on our conversations — and not only did it seem like there was something every day, but some days they just kept coming, and soon there was a huge backlog.

No, we didn’t publish them all, and we usually don’t post anything on our website on weekends (except for holiday wishes) because we strongly believe weekends shouldn’t be spent on gizmos, although that doesn’t stop Black from working. (FYI, our social media guru schedules posts on Sundays because that’s what the data supports, although we still think people should digitally disconnect on weekends.)

The feedback? Almost instantly,

People told us our BANTER BITES are fun and quick to read. But also relevant to their day-to-day lives – and not just on the day they’re published.

In other words, they didn't have an expiration date! Amazing, since in today's world of social media and constant news, even something from earlier in the day can be considered old or outdated.

FIXING WHAT WASN’T BROKEN

They started as a two-frame cartoon with a sentence or two below them. Then we were advised that, for SEO purposes (in other words, to “please” the online algorithms), we needed to have more words and key phrases. So, we expanded them.

Now, we realize there’s room for both. Some will be short and to the point, while on others we may have more to say (but you’ll have a “keep reading” option).

P.S. – If there’s a topic you want us to talk about, you can email us at Banter@RedandBlack.email.

banter
Animation

We’ve Always Been Animated

OK, we have to give credit where credit is due … When Black first envisioned “Red & Black” (before she even let Red know that she was turning her crisis into a book — a brand — a business), she thought it could be a sitcom. Because all successful sitcoms are relationship-based. However, years later, at a meeting with Hasbro, they said they thought our sitcom concept would work better as animation. So, thank you, Hasbro!

ANIMATION … MADE THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY: FRAME-BY-FRAME

We worked with an industry-renowned animation firm based in Austin, and from the start — beginning with character development — we felt like they “got us” and captured our personalities in our animated “creatures.” But we never realized the incredible amount of work that goes into creating animation (including storyboards and animatics)! And the long lead time between concept/script and final product.

Plus, we decided that the voices of the “animated” Red and Black needed to be done by us. We wish we had videoed the sessions in the sound booth as Red’s theater degree kicked in and she got almost everything in the first take. And Black? Well, she sounded more like a robot than a robot. (Talk about someone who can’t be scripted!)

AND USED IN A WAY THAT WORKS TODAY

We started with the key stories that people seem to love (or at least seem entertained by) at speaking engagements. But even before they were done, we were presented with an opportunity we never expected. The Greater Houston Partnership’s UpSkill Houston initiative asked us to create a Red & Black Soft Skills Animation Series.

It wasn’t long before Red's daughter, Sawyer, told us we needed to do some very short animated "teasers" … so Black said, "Great. Go for it. And, keep track of your hours.” She took the final versions of our animation and started creating teasers for our website.

In late 2025, we hired a social media “guru”, and she started creating content using the animation for our Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages. Which, we’re thrilled to announce, have far exceeded our expectations.

WHAT ABOUT AI? DO YOU PLAN TO USE IT TO GENERATE ANIMATIONS?

This question seems to be on many people’s minds.

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: We’re committed to supporting the real-world creative community. Does that mean we’ll never use AI to generate animations? (For an amusing story on how wrong AI got our “creatures”, see this LinkedIn post that got over 15,000 views.) Well, at the point in time we can provide AI with “scripts”, and it can generate new animation that’s consistent with our current animation, then yes. Or, at least, yes, we might seriously consider it.

WANT MORE ANIMATION?

Click ANIMATION for an assortment of “teasers” from our longer stories, while more, including ones from our social media posts, will be loaded on a regular basis. And, of course, they’ll be scattered throughout this site based on subject matter.

Plus, we’ll probably “sneak preview” the full animated stories on our weekly newsletter, so …

Register for our newsletter on the “sticky bar” at the bottom of the page.

P.S. – For those of you who've met us or seen us at speaking engagements, we'd love to know if you think the animators have accurately captured us! (You can email us at Banter@RedandBlack.email.)

Words & Banter

It’s Not Just Words … It’s Sisterly Banter


Red's Head Red assets.rebelmouse.io


So, how do you plan to explain how our WORDS & BANTER section is different from BANTER BITES? Although it often takes more than a "bite" of sisterly banter to address topics, especially since we always seem to have very different perspectives.


Black's Head Black assets.rebelmouse.io




You just explained it.


Red's Head Red assets.rebelmouse.io

Doyou think we should mention how, on the surface, it may appear as a hodge-podge?An assortment of topics. Things that don’t fit “nice and neat” in specificcategories.


Black's Head Black assets.rebelmouse.io

Areyou describing WORDS & BANTER? Or, life?


Red's Head Red assets.rebelmouse.io




I should've known that you'd answer my question with a question.


Black's Head Black assets.rebelmouse.io




How long have I been your sister? By now, you should be used to it.


Red's Head Red assets.rebelmouse.io




True. Just like you should be used to my blah-blah-blah.


Black's Head Black assets.rebelmouse.io




Which explains why we never have a shortage of words … or sisterly banter.


Red's Head Red assets.rebelmouse.io




That, and the fact that you always seem to have a different point of view or perspective on any given topic.


Black's Head Black assets.rebelmouse.io




We are sisters— not clones.



Red's Head Red assets.rebelmouse.io




Well, sometimes I think you’re a Vulcan. Anyway, should we mentionthat if they want a weekly dose of Red & Black banter and perspective, theyshould sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page?


Black's Head Black assets.rebelmouse.io


You just did.
banter