Filed under: Steve Jobs, Apple
How to present like Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs has been called a "master showman" whose "reality distortion field" lulls observers into believing they desperately need whatever he's pitching. However, it isn't magic that makes him so engaging, but a talent for public speaking combined with ruthless rehearsals.
Still, one need not be a visionary billionaire vegan to deliver a killer presentation. BusinessWeek has written a great article about steps you can take to bring your own talks up to that level. Tips include, "Try for an unforgettable moment," "Demonstrate enthusiasm" and my favorite, "Create visual slides." From the article:
"There is a trend in public speaking to paint a picture for audiences by creating more visual graphics. Inspiring presenters are short on bullet points and big on graphics."
Amen. We all know that slide presentations are an exquisite form of torture, made worse when the presenter is simply reading slide after slide of text. Unless we're in a foreign language class, please abandon the read-a-long.
There is one more thing Carmine Gallo failed to mention: Have a few catch phrases ready to go. See above.
Still, one need not be a visionary billionaire vegan to deliver a killer presentation. BusinessWeek has written a great article about steps you can take to bring your own talks up to that level. Tips include, "Try for an unforgettable moment," "Demonstrate enthusiasm" and my favorite, "Create visual slides." From the article:
"There is a trend in public speaking to paint a picture for audiences by creating more visual graphics. Inspiring presenters are short on bullet points and big on graphics."
Amen. We all know that slide presentations are an exquisite form of torture, made worse when the presenter is simply reading slide after slide of text. Unless we're in a foreign language class, please abandon the read-a-long.
There is one more thing Carmine Gallo failed to mention: Have a few catch phrases ready to go. See above.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tony said 9:41AM on 8-08-2008
Nice post, but I don't think Steve is vegan. The term I heard was pescatarian (vegetarian that eats seafood) but I am not sure. His wife did order some vegan cosmetics from my friends' online store, though.
Reply
macbook pro user said 9:42AM on 8-08-2008
The article you've linked to is absolute plagarism, btw. The original article was published in BusinessWeek after MacWorld 08.
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jan2008/sb20080125_269732.htm
Either way, it's spot on accurate when it comes to delivering an effective presentation. I've put the tips to use before with great success.
Reply
macbook pro user said 9:42AM on 8-08-2008
Article stolen from:
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jan2008/sb20080125_269732.htm
Reply
Rick said 10:19AM on 8-08-2008
I wonder if someone ever makes a highlight reel like this from my life what phrases they'd use....
Reply
artifex said 2:07PM on 8-08-2008
"Hey guys, watch this." At least the last words :)
DaveAronson said 10:33AM on 8-08-2008
One great place to practice, and also learn by watching others, is Toastmasters! Check it out at http://www.toastmasters.org/. (Disclaimer: I'm a member.)
Reply
hypnotoad927 said 10:40AM on 8-08-2008
Completely disagree with the whole "big on graphics" in order to get a well presentation. Completely off topic, but just look at this presentation on net neutrality to get the idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRLJGQOZmlI
A combination of being well spoken and actually knowing what they're talking about is all that's needed to give a good presentation.
Reply
Think Adrian said 7:37AM on 8-09-2008
on the contrary, there was a scientific article (can't find the link) that summed up that bullet-point presentations actually makes a presentation more forgettable and hinders the listeners to absorb the real data and learn anything.
Big graphics, however, are a complement to the speech and the right way to go if you want to catch the guests attention and be inspiring.
ZeroCorpse said 10:57AM on 8-08-2008
The one thing I learned in college: PowerPoint is the tool of the mundane, and it us pure, unadulterated evil.
When you have no public speaking skills, personality, or interesting things to say, do a PowerPoint presentation. Your audience will fall asleep before they can criticize you.
They'll still hate you, though.
Reply
ZeroCorpse said 10:57AM on 8-08-2008
Correction:
"And it IS pure, unadulterated evil."
Shut up. I haven't had coffee yet.
artifex said 12:06PM on 8-08-2008
If you're interested in this topic in a more general sense, Edward Tufte has a great little talk/essay on how Powerpoint sucks, and has books/seminars on effective information visualization.
Reply
Stephen said 1:26PM on 8-08-2008
No "Boom"?????
Reply
Robot Kitten Face said 1:41PM on 8-08-2008
I was thinking the same thing!
Kev Orng said 3:57PM on 8-08-2008
Giving Powerpoint abusers a good shake has become something of a professional pastime for me. And I hate it!
But in the process of convincing clients that Powerpoint is evil, I came across other articles on this topic that might be of interest to some here. My favourite: a comparison between the presentation styles of Jobs and Gates: truly awe-inspiring:
http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2005/11/the_zen_estheti.html
Same site, different article, focusing on Jobs' style
http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2005/10/apple_special_e.html
information from both of these links are part of my standard discussion about presentation skills that I have with clients.
Reply