For additional information on adopting this title for your class, please contact us at

800.200.3908 x501 or info@cognella.com

SNEAKPREVIEW

On the Path

to Success Readings and Resources

Edited by

Steven D. Cohen

Bassim Hamadeh, CEO and PublisherMichael Simpson, Vice President of AcquisitionsJamie Giganti, Managing EditorJess Busch, Graphic Design SupervisorJohn Remington, Acquisitions EditorJessica Knott, Senior Project EditorLuiz Ferreira, Licensing Associate

Copyright © 2014 by Steven D. Cohen. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereaf-ter invented, including photocopying, microfi lming, and recording, or in any information retrieval system without the written permission of Cognella, Inc.

First published in the United States of America in 2014 by Cognella, Inc.

Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-1-62131-063-1 (pbk)/ 978-1-62131-723-4 (br)

To Grandpa Ben —

A role model, a hero, a success

CONTENTS

Preface ix

Part I: Developing a Leadership Mindset 1

A View from the Balcony 3Steven D. Cohen

Th ink Strategically 7Dianna Booher

How Steve Jobs Beats Presentation Panic 15Th omas Wailgum

Th e Statue Th at Didn’t Look Right 19Malcolm Gladwell

What Are You Going to Do with Th at? 31William Deresiewicz

Part II: Craft ing Memorable Messages 39

Know Your Audience and Purpose: Th e Five Ws and More 41

American Society for Training and Development

Make It Memorable—Add Pizzazz to the Presentation 51American Society for Training and Development

Infl uential Public Speaking 71Andrzej Huczynski

What Is Public Narrative? 105Marshall Ganz

Craft ing a Message that Sticks: An Interview with Chip Heath 127

Lenny T. Mendonca and Matt Miller

Part III: Delivering Powerful Speeches 137

Voice 101: How Voices Work, What Goes Wrong, and Ways to Keep Th em Healthy 139

Barbara McAfee

Selling Your Message Without Saying a Word 153Carol Kinsey Goman

Aligning the Two Conversations Will Make You a Powerful Communicator 171

Nick Morgan

Th e 10,000-Hour Rule 181Malcolm Gladwell

Th e Six Final Insights to Master 209Jeanette Henderson and Roy Henderson

References 227

Preface | ix

Preface

On the Path to Success: Readings and Resources is a collection of thought-provoking articles that I assign in my Harvard

University Extension School course, “Th e Art and Practice of Public Speaking.” Like my course, this collection is designed to challenge stu-dents to think about their own public speaking behaviors, and identify concrete strategies to become more eff ective public speakers. It builds upon and extends the ideas in Public Speaking: Th e Path to Success—a text that I wrote to help students change minds and change hearts every time they speak. Together, these two resources provide students with the knowledge that they will need to create strong impressions, sell their perspectives, and inspire their audiences to act.

Th is collection takes students on a guided journey through the art and practice of public speaking. Unlike traditional academic readers, this collection of readings and resources maintains a strong focus on praxis. To that end, I have shied away from articles that merely discuss public speaking theory. Instead, I have selected articles that will help students understand what to do and how to do it. I also have included articles that focus on strategic leadership, fi rst impressions, and moral imagination. In many ways, these articles are just as important, if not more important, than the technique-based articles. Aft er all, powerful public speaking is not simply about delivering an eff ective message; it is also (and perhaps more importantly) about exercising leadership.

x | On the Path to Success

Th is collection is divided into three main parts. Th e fi rst part, “Developing a Leadership Mindset” explores the relationship between leadership and public speaking. Given that a speaker’s job is to lead the audience toward a particular objective, it is important that students think about themselves as speakers and as leaders. Once students develop a leadership mindset, they will be able to focus on the message itself. Th e second part, “Craft ing Memorable Messages,” introduces students to the attributes of well-designed messages. Students will learn what makes some messages more memorable than others, and how to craft messages that linger in listeners’ minds long aft er a speech has ended. Aft er developing a memorable message, students will feel prepared to work on their delivery. Th e third part, “Delivering Powerful Speeches,” examines the interplay between speakers and listeners. It equips students to stand in front of a room and make an impact—on their audience and on the world around them.

Over the years, I have worked with many students who were afraid of speaking in public. Th ese students wondered whether they would ever be able to stand up and speak up about something that mattered to them. With practice and persistence, however, these students were able to show others, and frankly, show themselves that they had what it took to succeed. My hope is that other students will use the ideas in this collection to overcome their fears, and fi nd the courage to lead—for if they do, they will soon fi nd themselves on the path to success.

Steven D. Cohen