Fail Better, for sure!
This group of junior and high school students took over a big, open, colorful studio space filled with German-designed, state-of-the-art, learning-inspired furniture created within the
February 2, 2011
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 about keeping it fresh and useful for storytellers everywhere.
Our Speech from the Throne
When Thomas Jefferson was President, he didn’t give a State of the Union. And it wasn’t until 26 Presidents later that Woodrow Wilson took up the
January 26, 2011
Your talk is a tour, not a race.
“I guess I just want to get it over with. ” – Julie, an ar.tic.u.la.tion client. When someone is either bored with their content, nervous to speak
January 16, 2011
A new governor, MBA students, and a homeless guy.
SLXLM Yesterday I attended the 69th inauguration of a governor in Ohio, this time for Gov. John Kasich. His personal brand is immutable: he’s
January 12, 2011
11 things to look forward to in 2011
Last year when we launched ar.tic.u.la.tion in mid-summer, we had no idea that we’d get the overwhelming response that we did. Between individual style coaching,
January 10, 2011
10 for 20
Here’s my list of bad to beautiful public speaking moments for 2010: 10. We’ll start with bad: I’m still amazed that this guy made it onto national news
December 30, 2010
When you find the pain
While executing a public speaking and presentation training for rising executive at a national manufacturer recently, we inadvertently found a deep breaking point. While she
November 18, 2010
Are 6 minutes or 20 slides more important?
If you were invited to share your story or idea at an event with 400 progressive minds in a contemporary art museum, how could you
November 14, 2010
TEDxColumbus Saves the Cat
Two weeks ago we produced the second TEDxColumbus. Huzzah!!! A wonderfully moving and inspiring afternoon of 13 different short talks and performances over 5 hours. I
November 10, 2010
How was your summer?
In our Influential Storytelling class at ar.tic.u.la.tion, we apply critical thinking methodologies to help properly frame a story. So on our summer family vacation a week ago, I
September 23, 2010
On Pausing.
A college professor commented that his students were giving him a wide range of feedback on his lectures. “Some students think I’m the second coming
September 4, 2010
Why a fine presentation isn’t good enough
Today I found a little black dress. There it was hanging on the clearance rack, all unassuming, half-dangling from the hanger, slotted in the wrong
July 20, 2010
A presentation transformation: part 2.
On Wednesday this week, Jan and I attended the ‘final exam’ in Alaina Sheer’s presentation transformation. I hadn’t written about our style and delivery session that
July 3, 2010
Talk Back: Tis the Season
Every May and June for 15 years I’d tune into CSPAN and watch graduation speeches. Thank goodness I got married one June and now have
June 14, 2010
A presentation transformation: part 1
From fairy tales to extreme makeovers, who doesn’t love a good before-and-after story? HGTV has built an empire around ’em (with good reason) and TLC offers a veritable
June 10, 2010
Unplug it
In today’s New York Times, an illuminating story about multi-tasking adorned the front page. It’s disintegrating our ability to focus, the research argues (I would personally
June 8, 2010
From Ruth: 25 years in the making
San Diego, August, 1996: I was sequestered for a day in the speechwriters’ room behind the big stage at the Republican National Convention. I was
June 2, 2010
So you have invited someone to talk, eh?
This is a note to organizers. Your role in getting a speaker ready to talk is as important as the speaker’s own preparation. In the
May 12, 2010