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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.

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Steve Jobs Apple

Steve Jobs has been called a "master showman" whose "reality distortion field" lulls observers into believing they desperately need...
 

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Kev Orng

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.

August 08 2008 at 3:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Stephen

No "Boom"?????

August 08 2008 at 1:26 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Stephen's comment
ele©tro

I was thinking the same thing!

August 08 2008 at 1:41 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
artifex

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.

August 08 2008 at 12:06 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
CZ

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.

August 08 2008 at 10:57 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to CZ's comment
CZ

Correction:
"And it IS pure, unadulterated evil."

Shut up. I haven't had coffee yet.

August 08 2008 at 10:57 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
hypnotoad927

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.

August 08 2008 at 10:39 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to hypnotoad927's comment
Adrian vG

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.

August 09 2008 at 7:37 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
DaveAronson

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.)

August 08 2008 at 10:31 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rick

I wonder if someone ever makes a highlight reel like this from my life what phrases they'd use....

August 08 2008 at 10:19 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Rick's comment
artifex

"Hey guys, watch this." At least the last words :)

August 08 2008 at 2:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
macbook pro user

Article stolen from:

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jan2008/sb20080125_269732.htm

August 08 2008 at 9:42 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
macbook pro user

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.

August 08 2008 at 9:42 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
tony

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.

August 08 2008 at 9:40 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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