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 audience… and how to avoid them. 1. “Let me tell you the same 7 stories I told you I told you at my first all employee meeting.” That’s not a […]
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 the most unengaged of audiences. But what happens when you get really emotional while telling a personal story? Let me preface this by saying emotion is anything that makes you […]
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 College of Arts and Sciences at my alma mater, Miami University. While I feel at home on campus, I did the things I coach my speakers to do to feel […]
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 years of chairing and facilitating it. It reminded me of the values on which TEDx was formed and how they’ve helped to translate and ground us in our own coaching […]
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 well, he didn’t know the exact question he was answering. “Does there need to be a question?” he asked me. You decide which pathway would bring him to a more […]
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 or executive presentation training, I get a good chuckle out of my audience. It’s the nervous kind, that says, “uh, you are probably talking about me.” What can you do […]
As part of NPR’s StoryCorp visit to Columbus, Ruth Milligan participated in a panel discussion on the power of story and storytelling.
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.
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.
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 we work with have vocal fry. In this video, Ruth Milligan encourages you to reclaim your strong voice! Breathe in. Breathe out. And eliminate the vocal fry. You’ll be better […]
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 an email. It’s a huge executive communication problem. Through our experience, we’ve found a pattern with situations like this one. People like this client are almost always textbook introverts. The […]
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.
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.
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 with the UM, AH and LIKE problem. YOU KNOW, those filler words people use when speaking, and in public speaking in particular. They were correct but not complete. After a […]
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.