I am quoted in an article on commencement speakers that appeared in The Baltimore Sun.

Here is an excerpt:

Expectations are high for this year's commencement speakers at Maryland universities — an august crew that includes the Obamas and their team of writers as well as funnyman Bill Cosby and Hollywood director Jason Winer.

But to stand out — or simply be remembered — isn't a guarantee, no matter how high the profile of the speaker.

"The commencement speaker has to perform. He or she has the responsibility to inspire both students and graduates to make something of their lives" without falling back on cliches, said Steven D. Cohen, managing director of the oral communication program at the University of Maryland. "No one wants a speaker who's boring, who drones on and on."

Click here to watch me offer a brief tip on "How to Calm Your Nerves."

Harvard University Extension School recently interviewed me for a HarvardExtensionHub video feature.  Click here to watch me discuss "3 Tips to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking."

I am quoted in an article on charisma that appeared in The Financial Times.

Here is an excerpt:

Tapping into rhythms of speech and developing an appreciation of what is easy on the ear are important, says Steven Cohen, who teaches oral communication skills at the University of Maryland and the Harvard Extension School, an offshoot of the university that runs open-enrolment courses. His favourite techniques are anaphora and epistrophe. The first device repeats words or phrases at the start of successive clauses, as in Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. The second repeats them at the end, as in Barack Obama’s 2008 electoral refrain “Yes We CAN!”. “Just as music can stir the emotions, language that appeals to the ear can lift people’s sights and spirits, inspiring them to do things that they would otherwise not,” he says.

However, even when sentences have a musical quality, it is often everyday language that works best. US president John F. Kennedy’s famously used chiasmus – in which the second half of a statement reverses the order of words in the first − as in “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”. The words were simple and direct – and their impact all the greater.

Ultimately, however, sincerity is vital. It is not just what you say, or how you say it, that convinces people you are not phoney. As Prof Cohen puts it: “You can dress things up with all the anaphora and epistrophe in the world, but if you don’t have a deep sense that something is important you’re not going to persuade anyone.”

HarvardExtensionHub, the online gateway to Harvard University Extension School "news, blogs, stories, & events," has posted one of my "tips on public speaking" in the Business & Career section.  Click here to read my post, "Eliminating the Dreaded 'Um.'"

The Kindle edition of Lessons from the Podium: Public Speaking as a Leadership Art is now available on Amazon.  Feel free to "Look Inside"! 

I am honored to be delivering the opening plenary session address at the Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching in Bethesda, Maryland.  The title of my presentation will be "Unlocking Inspiration: Moving Students from Self-Doubt to Action."  You can read the description of the presentation here.

I am quoted in an article on "Helping Struggling Students" that appears in Teaching & Learning News, a publication of the University of Maryland Center for Teaching Excellence.  You can access the article here.

I have a posted a short clip of my one of my SPCH E-110 lectures at Harvard University Extension School. 

Here is the description:

Instructor Steven D. Cohen shares some parting advice with his public speaking students at Harvard University Extension School.  He urges his students to "find that spirit, find that passion" that motivates them to speak powerfully and show their listeners that they have what it takes to lead.

You can view the clip here.

I am looking forward to teaching SPCH E-110, The Art and Practice of Public Speaking, at Harvard University Extension School during the January 2012 term.

SPCH E-110 is not an introductory public speaking course.  It is designed for students who already have some public speaking experience and who hope to one day lead an organization, become a senior executive, or run for office.

I welcome all students who are willing and able to commit to a two-week public speaking adventure.  You can learn more about the registration process here.