ar.tic.u.la.tion

09/05/2025

When five amazing humans bring their full selves and stories to an audience of 2000+ they are now forever in a cohort together. This one grounded in belief, faith, perseverance and love. For themselves, for each other. It’s an honor to walk with speakers to this place of a bow and standing ovation. Not just for their talks - but to celebrate the lives they have lived.

Thank you Rae, Jeff, Grissel, Keith and Louie, for trusting the process and yourselves.

03/23/2023

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!

02/16/2023

Last year we got this question frequently: "Our team is now virtual but when we come together for gatherings (monthly or quarterly), what development or training can you bring us in small digestible chunks?"

We found that Articulation's core trainings - which are half and full day sessions - didn’t quite fit. But we did realize we had “adjacent” skill building experiences to offer. We are pleased to introduce five, new team development modules.

They are:
Psychological Safety
Building the Self-Aware Team
Executive Presence
Listening
Mindset

If you’re a leader of a virtual or hybrid team, our team development modules are ideal activities for your next full- or half-day team meeting or retreat. The learnings we share are bite-sized, delivered in one- or two-hour workshops, and designed to engage teams that may be spending too much time working alone. They help make those rare moments of togetherness more meaningful and productive.

Get the details on the modules in the video from Ruth Milligan below, or click this link for more information: http://www.articulationinc.com/team-development-modules/

02/10/2023

Last-minute slide deck overhauls are so last year.

Leaders: When the message isn’t clear, neither is the deck. Let us help you tell the *right* story for the best presentation.

Thank you to Articulation coaches Acacia Duncan and Blythe C***s for sharing your talents in our ad series! We hope you are enjoying them.

02/03/2023

You’ve heard us praise the benefits of concision. Today’s video (one of our fun new ads) illustrates why. Don’t be this speaker. When time and attention spans are short, you need to deliver your message clearly and concisely. We get you there.

01/20/2023

The Articulation team is excited to bring you a series of humorous video "shorts” ads to reveal the causes of emotions we want to help you avoid when presenting, overseeing a presentation, or listening to one.

Today we introduce "Where Do I Look?" featuring Blythe C***s. Messy messages lead to messy slides. When ideas are organized and the message is clear, slides are simple.

Let us help keep your audience’s eyes on you with compelling content!

06/14/2022

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.

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.

04/07/2022

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

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.

04/01/2022

And our last tip... Have fun.

Most talks or presentations are met with long runways of messy work, heavy doses of self-doubt, and seemingly endless iterations. So when we say to a client: just have fun, it seems a little counter to the task. But in truth, the brain needs a reminder that a mindset of “fun” will get you closer to a “performance” and further away from a “chore.” You don’t need to be a comedian or acrobat. As much as audiences want to learn from you, they want to be entertained even more. The first place that starts is with you having a good time with it. So, go, have fun.

03/31/2022

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.

✏️

03/30/2022

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.

03/29/2022

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.