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It's a complex world out there! Whether you're in business, education, science, healthcare, or philanthropy, great leaders need to know how to simplify their messages and move their audiences. The good news is, Articulation is here to help.

Our Message Method training can teach anyone to quickly translate complex ideas and data into compelling written or verbal content-- and communicate solutions with confidence and clarity to win support. We'll show you how to use a proven process that can be applied to a casual five-minute presentation or hour-long formal keynote.

Message Method has been around for nearly a decade. We've seen it make a tremendous difference for our clients. In the words of a recent client, "It's a new way to look at breaking down the different pieces of your message and putting them together in a coherent, impactful manner." Another simply channeled Spinal Tap and said, "Take the rating scale up to 11!"

We invite you to learn more about Message Method here: http://www.articulationinc.com/message-method/

Or call us. We'd love to chat!

To ensure we can best serve you as we grow, we’re thrilled to share that we’ve added two new members to the Articulation family. Both got their start in theater, much like other members of our team. We greatly admire the skills gained on the stage—critical thinking, resourcefulness, and of course an eye for audience perception. All of these are essential in everything we do at Articulation.

Without further ado, please help us welcome Blythe and Rowan aboard. We know you’ll love working with them as much as we do.

Growing to Better Serve You - Articulation Inc To best serve our clients as we grow, Articulation has added executive communication coach Blythe C***s and production manager Rowan Winterwood to our team.

Thanks to everyone who helped us mark our big 20th anniversary milestone! If you missed our series of our top 20 tips, we've got good news. We've compiled them all on our blog. Whether you're delivering a TED-like talk, presenting to your leadership team, or making a big pitch, these tips will help you improve your speaking performance, reduce anxiety, and avoid common pitfalls!



Ruth Milligan

Top 20 Speaking Tips - Articulation Inc As we marked 20 years, we celebrated by compiling a list of our top 20 speaking tips-- proven techniques to help improve your speaking performance, reduce anxiety, and avoid common pitfalls.

Fast talkers, pause.

This may come as a surprise. But when we encounter a fast talker, our first piece of coaching is NOT to tell them to slow down.

It’s to pause.

Here’s a quick fact: audiences prefer us to keep our pace in our speaking. Being forced to listen at the rate of your kindergarten teacher is infuriating: “hello… boys…and…girls….how…are….you…today?”

Conversely: news anchors speak over 150 words a minute, which is pretty darn fast. But why don’t they seem fast?

First, they have incredible breath control and enunciation. And they pass off the show to correspondents in the field, allowing the mind to “jolt” into seeking meaning from the hand off.

But when you talk that fast in a continuous loop (and maybe with some ummms, ahhs, and words slurring together) our brains can’t keep up. We can’t process because you don’t pause.

The image we use is an oscillating sprinkler... the kind that flows back and forth. We say be the sprinkler with your words, allowing the audience to absorb and prepare for the next cycle. If you are a fire hose, all we feel is drenched by them.

Sentences have periods for a reason. Use the same “pausing punctuation” when you talk, especially if you like speaking in the fast lane.

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Let us see you.

One of the most fabled moments in Articulation’s experiences was when Ruth, during a TEDx talk rehearsal circa 2011, asked a very seasoned professor, “That was a great talk, but WHO ARE YOU?” Met with an incredible resistance, furrowed brow and rapid tone he replied, “Don’t you know WHO I AM?”

Indeed, she had no clue. And he didn’t tell her either. In his talk he revealed the genius of his research, but not why he cared, what brought him to this passion or any humanistic detail that could connect to him as a person- not just a robotic generator of data.

Show us your truth, your humanity, and why you— when sharing your intellectual property. Because we as audiences truly can’t connect with your knowledge until we connect with you.

It’s okay to cry

**But it’s not okay to keep crying.

We are big believers that audiences want you to be honest with them, as uncomfortable as it might be. Vulnerability is a way to connect, and (the overused but appropriate word) authenticity is desired. But what happens if you hit a deep chord while telling a story that triggers the tears?

Let them flow.

But know the next thing to stay to allow the talk to keep moving. Your therapist will be a little more patient to allow you to cry it out. But your audience is always on the clock, and they want to see you recover and get back to your point. So carry a key word, phrase or image that allows you to take a breath and pivot back to your talk.

Bottom line: It’s okay to cry, it’s not ok to keep crying.