articulate clearly Archives | Accent On Business

The Bottom Line: Re-stating Your Value

Here’s food for thought: when you meet with senior management in your organization, do you know what to say? More importantly, do you know how to say it and when to say it? If not, then you may be selling yourself short when it comes to stating your value to the organization. Sure it’s great to get a company to help take care of the HR, workplace injury and other sections of the company but this won’t help increase the value of yourself if you keep selling yourself short.

For junior executives in particular, learning how to speak to and with upper management is an invaluable skill. In fact, communication skills coaching in this precise area is one of the most frequent requests from Accent On Business clients.

Getting the results you want in the boardroom and similar settings can mean the difference between being […]

2022-04-22T08:33:23-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Leadership Presence, Professional Communication, Public Speaking|Tags: articulate clearly, business, conversation, delivering a speech, executive communication, executive presence, interview, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking advisors, speaking to your boss, vocal quality, voice help, voice problem|Comments Off

It’s Never Too Early to Polish Your Speaking Skills!

beautiful-15704_1280 Earlier this month, Accent On Business hosted ten home-schooled teenagers for a public speaking practice and evaluation session. The teens, who go by the name Franklin Homeschool Group, included a mix of sophomores, juniors and seniors – three boys and seven girls – who hail from various churches in the Franklin, IN area. These young people presented speeches on some weighty and very timely topics. One student championed Dr. King and his fight to end racial oppression as a role model for overcoming current trends in marginalization of at-risk populations such as the elderly, unborn and disabled; another spoke about choosing gratitude over excess. And one young lady spoke about the difficult subject of self-abuse among ‘tweens and teens.

One thing was clear in listening to these young men and women deliver each of their 8-10 minute speeches: they were passionate about their subjects and they had a […]

2022-04-22T08:33:24-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Public Speaking|Tags: articulate clearly, Public Speaking, speaking, speech, talking, technique, teenage|2 Comments

Tips to prepare yourself for selling by phone

smartphone-431230_1280 Prepare for your call by making sure your style of communication (the HOW) matches your message. To start off with a warm, friendly message:

Think of a key word which represents the tone of voice you wish to create (warm, friendly), such as “tender”, “calm”, “sunshine”, “cozy”. Repeat that one key word to yourself several times with emphasis until you feel it.
Picture the mental image. Visualize hugging a child or your spouse, wrapping up in a blanket by the fireplace, walking along the beach in the bright sun. Make the picture clear and vivid.
Change the sound of your voice by changing your body tone and placement.

For a warm, friendly voice you must first relax. Inhale, then exhale slowly.
Look into the mirror and smile.
Talk expressively with energy.
Move. Make your movements BIG and FLUID.

2022-04-22T08:33:40-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Leadership Presence, Professional Communication|Tags: articulate clearly, business, communication, executive presence, how to sell over the phone, interview, interviews, messages, phone sales, Professional Communication, Public Speaking, speech, talking, technique|Comments Off

Eliminating Throat Clearing

Throat clearing is one of the most traumatic things you can do to your vocal folds. When you clear your throat, you create an extreme amount of movement of your vocal folds, causing them to slam and rub together. Sometimes people do not even know that they are clearing their throats; it has become a habit. Often they say that they feel something in their throat, like phlegm or mucus. The majority of the time; however, when you clear your throat, there is simply nothing there. One thing you have accomplished is to create more vocal fold trauma.

We […]

2022-04-22T08:33:40-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Public Speaking|Tags: articulate clearly, communication, conversation, filler, fillers, habit, how to stop throat clearing, Public Speaking, speech, technique, throat clearing, voice problem, why throat clearing is distracting, why you should eliminate throat clearing|Comments Off

What is Stuttering?

Stuttering is a communication disorder that affects the rhythm or “fluency” of speech. It begins during childhood and, in some cases, persists throughout llife. The disorder is characterized by disruptions (or “dysfluencies”) in the production of speech sounds. Most speakers produce brief dysfluencies in speech from time to time. For instance, some words are repeated and others are preceded by interjections such as “um.” Dysfluencies are not necessarily problematic; however, they can impede communication when a speaker produces too many of them or they are drawn out and lengthy.

Many of us find we’re out of breath or anxious when speaking in front of an audience. Speakers who stutter exhibit excessive physical tension in the throat, mouth, and jaw and may appear to be unable to recover from the tension when talking. At times, the forward flow […]

2022-04-22T08:33:41-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Professional Communication|Tags: articulate clearly, breathe, communication, conversation, how to prevent stuttering, preventing stuttering, Public Speaking, speech, stuttering, talk fast, talking, technique, tips to prevent stuttering, voice problem, what is stuttering|Comments Off

Sharpen Your Skills Before Your Next Interview!

If you’ve been considering a career change, or know someone interviewing, take time to consider a few additional items critical to the success of your interview, namely your style of presentation and your communication skills. Being mentally prepared for the interview is very important. Presenting yourself as an effective communicator qualification in great demand by employers.

Here are a few tips for before and during the interview process:

Exercise. A short workout the morning of your interview will get your blood and breathing going and will help you present yourself with energy and vitality.
Breathe. Take slow, deep diaphramatic breaths before the interview. This will help you center yourself, reduce stress, and keep your voice steady and confident. Your abdomen should extend outward upon inhalation and deflate upon exhalation. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Be positive and enthusiastic. Speak with a positive […]

2022-04-22T08:33:42-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Public Speaking|Tags: articulate clearly, breathe, communication, conversation, executive presence, exercise, how to interview well, interview, interview tips, interviews, professional communications, Public Speaking, qualifications, speaking, speech, talking, tips for interviewing, video, voice problem|1 Comment