Here’s where you’ll find insight into how we think and work, how we look and sound, and the tools we deploy to bring your goals to life. Our blog stretches way back, so you might want to peruse the list to see what strikes your interests or needs. Our videos offer a glimpse of several of our coaches — as well as insights into our methods. And when you do work with us, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with our Resource Toolbox to make working with us that much easier.
Blog
Our blog posts offer a rich gathering of insights, tips and suggestions designed to help you become more polished, more influential and more impactful in how you communicate with others. Skim to a title that strikes your interests or needs. And come back often because we are serious keeping it fresh and useful for storytellers everywhere.
How do you get speakers to do THAT?
This week I was invited by a corporate communications senior team at a Fortune 10 company to answer a singular question: How do you get
10 Tips for Entrepreneurs on Articulation’s 10th Anniversary
It’s been 10 years since I shed the skin of my first business, a traditional PR practice, which I ran for eight years, and then
Leaders: How to Alienate Your Audience in 5 Minutes or Less
As you’re preparing for your next presentation, will you engage your audience or alienate them? Here are 5 different but surefire ways to alienate your
Go Deep: How to Show and Manage Your Emotions in Public Speaking
Emotion. Besides breath, emotion is one of the most underrated attributes of our oratorical treasure chests. Dig deep and you will find it can unlock
Big talk coming up? Try these tips to get comfortable.
What do you do to feel comfortable before a big talk? In August I had my largest audience ever: 1,800 at the Convocation for the
The Values of TEDx: Building a Resilient Storytelling Culture
Year 11. Last week we announced our 11th year of speakers for TEDxColumbus. I’ve transitioned to become a member of the curatorial committee, after 10
In your next presentation, seek the question
A while back a friend was invited to speak to the Board of Trustees at his institution. We discussed that while he knew the topic
Convert the conversation into a presentation
Every conversation we have is with ourselves. And on occasion it involves someone else. Every time I repeat this quote in a public speaking class
The Power of Story and Storytelling
As part of NPR’s StoryCorp visit to Columbus, Ruth Milligan participated in a panel discussion on the power of story and storytelling.
The Most Important Day of Your Talk Preparation
This blog post is a quick dedication to the one step in the talk preparation process that is the most important outside the day itself: the final rehearsal.
Ohio State Puts Culture of Innovation in the Spotlight with TED-inspired Event
The Ohio State Research & Innovation Showcase was part of the OSU Innovator of the Year Awards Event. While the event has been held previously, it’s the first time the nominees each presented a short TED-like talk. And Articulation was called in to help. Coaches Ruth Milligan and Acacia Duncan coached the speakers using our proven Transforming Talks process.
Vocal Fry: What it is, and how to eliminate it
For the last eight or nine years, vocal fry has been a thing. And it’s kind of driving us crazy. We assure you, no leaders
What To Do When You Work with an Introvert
We’ve recently worked with an executive communication coaching client who’s been flip flopping decisions. Saying one thing in a meeting, then reversing it later in
Closings: 3 Ways to End a Speech with Impact
The hardest part of speaking is getting in… and getting out.
In this short video, Ruth explains three strategies for how to close your speech with impact.
Openings: How to Start Your Speech Strong
The hardest part of speaking is getting in… and getting out. In this quick tips video, Ruth Milligan shares an effective tip for opening your speech strong.
How to Coach Someone from Eating at the Filler Word Buffet
For over a year or more as I walked the halls at a large executive speaking coach client organization, I’d been told about an executive
What to Say When You Don’t Have Time to Prepare for a Speech
What do you say in a short speech or talk when you don’t have much time to prepare? In this short video public speaking tips, Executive Communication Coach Ruth Milligan shares a hack to help you organize your thoughts. Start by answering these 2 questions.
Metaphors for Storytelling Success
Executive communication coach Ruth Milligan is back with more quick public speaking tips. In this video, she provides some reasons why metaphors are beneficial to
Videos
Our videos offer a glimpse of several of our coaches — as well as insights into our methods. And you can find more of our videos on our YouTube channel.
Ruth's Tips
FEATURED CLIENT TALKS:
The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, WexMed Live
The Ohio State University, Masterminds
Nationwide Children’s Hospital, DiscoveryX
TEDxChicago
Talks not publicly posted: Articulation has additionally coached talks at the following institutions and corporations: UnitedHealthcare, Ford, EcoLab, NetJets, Designers Brands/DSW, Miami University and University of Virginia.
Resource Toolbox
We go through lots of Magic Markers, Post-it Notes and handouts during our classes and coaching sessions. Aside from these basics, we rely on a set of readily available resources designed to be platform agnostic, intuitive and easy to work with. Take a moment to review the tools we’ll be using together.
Voice Memos
This voice recording app comes standard on all iPhones and is available for free for Android devices at the Google Play store. We use this app more than anything else to record practice sessions. We ask speakers to use it to share recorded versions of their talks. All files can be shared via text or email.
We use this tool to record all of our coaching calls. By using it, you’ll be able to listen to your call history and measure your progress over time.
This is our first choice for remote coaching sessions. If you’re used to working with Webex, that’s okay because we are, too. However, we find Zoom better suited to remote coaching and simplifying interaction online.
Power Point and Keynote
Speakers often use support slides in their presentations. But the slides — whether built in PowerPoint or Keynote — are less important than being able to record over them for practice, timing and sharing. That’s why we encourage clients to familiarize themselves with their preferred slide presentation software and its voice recording features. For more on recording with PowerPoint, visit Microsoft support. For Keynote recording help, go to Apple support.
Undoubtedly, this is the Cadillac presenter on the market. But once you understand its capabilities to help with timing and spotlighting, you’ll want one too.
Our most valuable tool is our Mac to HDMI adapter. Regardless of which computer you use, you’ll need the right HDMI cable to connect to our projector. You’ll find the one right for your computer on Amazon.
