Being Meaningful
August 17, 2010 by Ed McLaughlin
Shortly after his return to Apple in 1997, Steve Jobs defined the company’s purpose to employees. The brief video below captures the essence of this message.
Belief in the mission matters. Do you believe in yours?
Present Like Steve Jobs
February 24, 2010 by Ed McLaughlin
The purpose of a presentation is to change minds. Yet this won’t happen if the presenter uses PowerPoint or Keynote to hide behind a wall of bullets and graphs. Of course, that doesn’t mean people still won’t try.
If you want to improve your presentation skills, there is no one better to study than Apple CEO Steve Jobs. His keynotes captivate audiences – and you can learn to do the same. Communications coach Carmine Gallo breaks down his methods in the video below.
Here is a summary of the Jobs presentation approach:
- Create a headline that sets the theme. Make sure that it is clear and consistent throughout your presentation.
- Provide an outline. Then open and close each section with a clear transition. This makes it easy for others to follow what you’re saying.
- Generate enthusiasm. Nothing is worse than a listless presenter. Remember, great communicators don’t transfer words – they transfer emotion.
- Make numbers meaningful. You should back up your points with numbers, and those numbers should be expressed in context.
- Make it visual. Limit bullet points and text. The more data you put into each slide, the more likely it is the audience members will start checking their PDAs.
- Create a memorable moment. Identify this ahead of time, then spend your presentation building up to it. Jobs is known for keeping audiences in suspense waiting for his “one more thing” – a traditional joke he makes before announcing the next big thing at the end of his keynotes.
- Rehearse. No one – not even Steve Jobs – can pull off an intricate presentation with video clips and demonstrations without hours of rehearsal. If people are willing to invest time listening to you, then you ought to be willing to spend the time necessary to create a polished presentation.
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