The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs summary

Introduction

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs by Carmine Gallo. Why do some presenters hold an entire room spellbound while others put their audience to sleep? Imagine standing on a stage in 2007, pulling a revolutionary device from your pocket. You do not just show a product, you tell a story that makes the crowd gasp.

That was Steve Jobs. He did not just present. He created experiences. In The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, author Carmine Gallo breaks down the exact blueprint Jobs used to captivate his audience.

To start, forget your computer and draft the presentation storyline on paper first. Nancy Duarte, the writer and graphic designer behind Al Gore's blockbuster, global warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, says presenters should use twice as much time planning their presentation on paper, as they do creating the actual slides. Start your planning by deciding on one key message you want to leave your audience with, and make that the headline of your presentation. It should be like a Twitter message, short, memorable, and attention grabbing.

If you are launching a new product or service, your key message should describe how it will benefit your customers. Repeat your key message multiple times during the presentation to make it stick. If you are holding a big presentation, the audience and press might well be searching for the right words to describe what they saw afterwards. With the key message, you can give them a memorable phrase of your choosing.

For example, when Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone, he gave the media a ready-to-use headline. Today, Apple reinvents the phone.

Practice Relentlessly

To make your presentation great, you must practice relentlessly. As in all things, practice makes perfect. Relentless practice can make anyone into a naturally charismatic presenter.

Steve Jobs practiced his presentations for hours, even days, to make everything look effortless and smooth. Even Winston Churchill's extemporaneous, off-the-cuff speeches, were in fact, rehearsed thoroughly. Rehearse your presentation to such an extent that you do not need notes. In cases where you absolutely must use notes, like for step-by-step demonstrations, have at most three to four short bullet points with keywords per slide.

Place the notes where you can glance at them inconspicuously. Or, even better, mentally connect the keywords with an image on the slide and use that image as the note itself. To aid in your rehearsal, consider using a video camera to record yourself as you practice. Review the material to see where you stumble, seem nervous, or where your voice trails off and rehearse those parts especially.

To gain a valuable second opinion, ask a friend to watch the video with you.