Steve Jobs, the long time leader of Apple Computer, has been controversial over the years. According to the author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How To Be Insanely Great In Front Of Any Audience (McGraw-Hill, 2010), Jobs is a complicated man, a passionate perfectionist, and one who cultivates intense loyalty, but also scares people.
Regardless of how Jobs is described as a boss or on a personal level, there is little doubt that he is one of the great contemporary presenters.
Presentation Secrets
Carmine Gallo wrote this book to help presenters capture the passion of a Jobs’ presentations and use it to their advantage. Gallo is communication-skills coach and a business columnist.
He has broken Jobs’ presentation techniques into three acts:
- Act1 is to create a story with seven tips (chapters or scenes) in crafting a great story behind the presentation.
- Act 2, delivery of an experience with six scenes for adding appealing visuals to a presentation.
- Act 3, refine and rehearse and rehearse some more with five scenes discussing body language, verbal delivery, and using appropriate dress.
Keep it Short and Simple
There is an old adage employed for years by communications experts and presenters. KISS, keep it short and simple. Jobs uses this rule to the maximum.
Gallo shows the readers some of the presentation scripts that Steve Jobs has actually used. Most of his computer slides have one image, one word, or one idea on them. Not only are the slides themselves short and simple, he uses very few slides per presentation.
Jobs talks his audience through each slide. As he goes through a presentation, he builds suspense and expectations with each slide.
According to Gallo, Jobs also uses video, props, and brings other people on stage during his presentations.
Some of the ways to keep presentations short and simple offered by Gallo include:
Answer the one question that matters most to the audience.
- Do NOT use bullets on slides.
- Write Twitter like headlines.
- Build presentations around three key messages.
- Use demonstrations, video clips, and third-party endorsements.
Macworld Expos
Steve Jobs has turned the world on its axis with his much sought after Macworld Expo presentations. He has used the platform to introduce products such as the SmartPhone, the iPOD, and the MacBook Air just to name a few.
One reason that Jobs is such a good presenter is, according to Gallo, that Jobs rehearses for months.
Gallo suggests to presenters they need to rehearse:
Eye contact
- Body language
- Vocal delivery
- Their energy levels
- And, even practice using filler words
Another issue is what to wear when presenting. Jobs has one costume he wears for all his presentations. Gallo wrote, “Steve Jobs is the anti-Cher. In her Vegas concert, Cher and her dancers had 140 costumes changes: Jobs has one costumer for every performance.”
Jobs wears a black mock turtleneck, faded blue jeans, and white sneakers.
A Great Presentation
This is a great book and is actually a great presentation itself offering great advice on how to present with purpose, pizazz, and how to produce results. Apple computer has generated a user base that is almost cult like. Much of which is a direct result of the manner and methods of Jobs’ presentations, especially at the Macworld Expos.
Gallo’s writing style is easy to follow and carries the reader through the book enthusiastically. The book is destined to become a cult like reference book for all types of presenters.
Read about viewing clips of Steve Jobs’ presentations here.
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