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The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great In Front of Any Audience

Carmine gallo.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

Welcome to the latest episode of Book Insights from Mind Tools.

In today's podcast we're looking at The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, subtitled How to Be Insanely Great In Front of Any Audience, by Carmine Gallo. It explores what makes Apple's CEO and co-founder such a captivating speaker – and how we can learn from his techniques.

When it comes to presentations, most people who've seen him speak agree that Steve Jobs is a legend. His talks do much more than just give information. They're events. They inspire, excite, spark imagination, and build a following.

Seeing Jobs speak is like spending an evening watching a high-quality theater production. And this is a big reason why people will spend all night, in freezing temperatures, waiting in line just so they can get a good seat.

So, how does he do it? How does Jobs manage to turn a relatively dry subject like computers into a seductive experience that everyone wants tickets to go see?

Well, that's what this book sets out to explain. The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs passes on the tips, techniques, and tricks that make the legendary leader's presentations so inspiring and effective. Reading this book is like getting coaching sessions from the master himself.

Here, you learn how Jobs crafts his messages, presents his ideas, generates excitement, and creates a memorable experience for his audience. And, it's all laid out in an easy-to-digest format that allows you to quickly find what you need.

The author highlights dozens of relevant examples from speeches that Jobs made as early as 1984. We get to read in detail what he said, what he did, and how it relates to the lesson or technique the author is focusing on. These examples make it easy to see how these strategies would work in real life.

The book is fun, highly readable, and chock full of useful information. There are plenty of insightful tips in here, and even if you consider yourself a master presenter, you're sure to learn something new.

What's so helpful about this book is that it applies to more than just presentations. The author points out that these strategies can be used in closing a deal, creating an ad campaign, and even interviewing for a job.

The best news? This book reads incredibly fast. The author wrote the book like Steve Jobs presents. He keeps your attention, gives compelling information, and wraps it all up into a story that's so interesting you really can't put the book down.

The author, Carmine Gallo, is a presentation and communication-skills coach for some of the world's top brands. He's a regular contributor to several major networks, including NBC, CBS, and MSNBC, and is a columnist for businessweek.com. In fact, this book is based on an article Gallo wrote for that website, analyzing why Steve Jobs' presentation style is so successful. Gallo watched hours of Jobs' keynote speeches to identify the elements that made them great.

So, keep listening to find out why bullet points will kill your presentation, why your speech really needs a villain, and why it's so important to put intermissions into your talks.

The author has divided this book into three acts, much like a stage play. Why? Well, that's how Steve Jobs views his speeches: as plays.

Act one has seven chapters, and is all about creating your story. Act two has six chapters, and covers how to deliver an experience to your audience. The last act, with five chapters, is on refining and rehearsing your presentation.

When it comes time to map out a presentation, the author says that most people make a big mistake right off the bat. They don't plan their story.

What sets Steve Jobs apart is that when he gives a presentation, he doesn't just lay out facts. He tells a story.

Think about this for a minute. When Jobs unveiled the iPod, he wasn't just unveiling a new device that carried music. He unveiled an entirely new way for us to listen to and enjoy music. He made us realize how the music we experienced would enrich our lives.

Yes, he talked about the iPod's small size and amazing hard drive. But he wove this information into a story about how much better our lives were going to be with this product.

It's a subtle, but very important point.

If we want to give a compelling presentation, we have to spend a lot of time really crafting a story. And this is what the first seven chapters help us do. We learn how to create a "passion statement" that identifies the heart of our message, how to write killer headlines that will start our presentation off with some serious buzz, and how to draw a roadmap for our audience, so they know what's coming.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg of what's in this first section.

Now, one big mistake most of us have made is stuffing our presentation full of bullet points. The author says bullet points will kill a presentation faster than anything.

Why? Because they do nothing to engage the audience. If you want to improve your presentations, then avoid the crutch of bullet points at all costs.

Another great tip in this first act is about villains. And what do villains have to do with presentations? Well, according to Steve Jobs, they're essential. Remember, Jobs looks at his presentations as plays, or stories. And, few stories are complete without a villain, right?

The author says your message is your hero. And, a hero needs an enemy. So your villain's going to be an opposing message, problem, or product. When your audience sees the problem, or villain, they're going to rally more around your hero.

For instance, when Jobs unveiled the iPhone he presented his villains in dozens of subtle ways. Of course, his villains were the current phones on the market. But by bringing up the problems most people had with these phones, and the solutions the iPhone offered to these problems, the audience could clearly see why it was so much better. And, they got emotionally involved.

If you want to know how to create your own villain for your presentation, you'll have to read the book. But don't worry. It can take as little as thirty seconds to create one, and it's well worth the effort.

Now when it comes to pacing your presentation, it's important to keep in the mind the ten-minute rule. Research has shown that audiences basically check out after ten minutes. Not nine minutes, or eleven, but ten.

Jobs understands this rule, which is why he puts intermissions into his presentations every ten minutes. These aren't intermissions where people get up and walk around. These are intermissions that give the brain a break. They're videos, demonstrations, or even another speaker.

These little breaks change the pace of the presentation and let the audience experience a new stimulus. This keeps their interest for the next ten minutes.

Now, when it comes to actually delivering an experience to your audience, there's a lot to keep in mind. And the author keeps the pace going in this second act, as he shows us how to keep our audience engaged while we're talking.

One thing that Steve Jobs does really well is keep things simple. The author says this simplicity is part of why Jobs, and Apple itself, is so successful. Simple is beautiful.

So, we need to keep our slides as simple as possible. The author says that a major mistake many people make with their PowerPoint slides is to add lots of words. What does Jobs do? He subtracts, and subtracts some more.

The author gives us some really helpful tables here that illustrate how Jobs' words correspond with what his slides say. And, these have been taken directly from some of his keynote speeches.

On the left hand side of these tables we get to see exactly what Steve Jobs said. On the right, we get to see what his slide, for that section of the speech, actually said.

This layout enables us to see instantly how concise Jobs' slides really are. Many only contain one word, one picture, or one piece of information, like a statistic. There are no bullet points, ever. And zero sentences.

The slides are used simply to reinforce the story coming out of his mouth. That's it. They don't attempt to pass on important information. That's what Jobs is there to do.

When we're presenting, the focus should be on us, not our slides. And if we've created what the author calls lazy slides, or slides with too much information, then we've succeeded in splitting our audience's attention. Should they read the slides, or pay attention to what we're saying?

Don't make them choose. Keep your slides short and relevant.

Now, if you're giving a presentation, you probably have some numbers to pass along. It could be revenue stats, employee turnover percentages, or the number of complaint calls over the past six months.

Whatever they are, numbers are often pretty essential to a presentation. The problem with numbers is that they're boring. And, people often have a hard time making them mean anything.

For instance, when Jobs introduced the iPod, he told everyone that it had five gigabytes of space.

Well, that's great, but that number didn't mean much to his audience. After all, how big is five gigabytes? Most people aren't really sure.

Jobs knew he couldn't leave it at that. So, he immediately put that number into a context the audience could understand. He told them that with five gigabytes of space, they could hold 1,000 songs in their pocket.

The audience went wild.

The author says that numbers rarely resonate with people, so it's vital that we put them into a context that people can relate to. Fortunately, we get plenty of strategies for how to do this.

One thing to keep in mind when dressing up your numbers, as the author calls it, is to keep things specific. For instance, in a later speech Jobs could have said the newest version of the iPod holds thousands of songs. But thousands is so, generic. Instead, he told the audience that the thirty gigabyte iPod will hold 7,500 songs, 25,000 photos, or up to 75 hours of video.

Those numbers are very specific. Because of this, they impact the audience more.

This section is crammed with useful information. We get to learn the importance of using zippy, emotional words. We learn why Jobs always gives credit where credit is due, and why doing this gets his audience more involved. And, we get to learn everything we ever wanted to know about props, and how to use them effectively.

The last section, act three, is all about refining and rehearsing your presentation. And according to the author, this is the most crucial part of giving a great talk.

One important point the author highlights is body language. What you say is not nearly as important as how you say it.

Here, we get three important tips for improving our body language on stage.

The first thing we have to do is maintain eye contact. Yes, this one is probably in every presentation book out there, but it's repeated for a good reason. Eye contact is essential for keeping your audience engaged and connected with you. Jobs is a master at maintaining eye contact.

Another thing we have to do is to keep our posture open. This means not standing behind a lectern or crossing our arms. Jobs never puts anything between him and his audience. Even when he's doing a demo, he tries to face the audience as much as possible.

The last tip for improving our body language is to use hand gestures. In his speeches, Jobs emphasizes nearly every sentence with a gesture that compliments what he's saying.

According to the author, research shows that hand gestures not only keep the audience engaged, but they actually help presenters speak better, by clearing up their thought processes.

We get more helpful tables in this chapter. Here, the author breaks down a speech Jobs made in two-thousand seven. We get to see exactly what he said, and how it was delivered.

It was a brilliant move for the author to pepper the text with these tables throughout the book. This one could really help readers with their own delivery and pacing.

Now, Jobs is legendary for prepping for his speeches. He makes it look effortless, but a lot of time and effort goes into his events to make it look that way. In fact, before he gives a speech, he practices for hours a day, over the course of several days. His fun, informal style only comes after some serious effort on his part.

How much effort? Well, the author describes it as "grueling." When was the last time you put in grueling hours of practice to prepare for a speech?

For most of us, the answer is probably never. But practicing again and again is vital to looking natural on stage.

What else is in here? Well, the author teaches us five strategies for rehearsing off-the-cuff remarks. We learn how to handle nerves, what we should be wearing on stage, and five steps for tossing our script and speaking from memory.

Like all the sections in this book, this is one you won't want to miss.

If you haven't been able to tell by now, we really loved this book. There's so much information in here, and there's no way we could come close to covering it all.

When it comes to what readers will like best about The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, it's hard to pick. There's no doubt the information is top-notch, and we were impressed by the sheer volume of tips and techniques here. We also loved the fun style and fast pace of the book. You really don't feel like you're reading a book on giving speeches. This is definitely a book that you'll burn through quickly.

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, by Carmine Gallo, is published by McGraw Hill.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. If you'd like a transcript, log on to www.mindtools.com. And thanks for listening.

Article image by Matthew Yohe at en.wikipedia

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The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience (BUSINESS SKILLS AND DEVELOPMENT) Hardcover – 16 Oct. 2009

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs’s wildly popular presentations have set a new global gold standard―and now this step-by-step guide shows you exactly how to use his crowd-pleasing techniques in your own presentations. The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs is as close as you’ll ever get to having the master presenter himself speak directly in your ear. Communications expert Carmine Gallo has studied and analyzed the very best of Jobs’s performances, offering point-by-point examples, tried-and-true techniques, and proven presentation secrets that work every time. With this revolutionary approach, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to sell your ideas, share your enthusiasm, and wow your audience the Steve Jobs way.

Watch Carmine Gallo describe how you can inspire, motivate, and lead your team to do "insanely great" things.

“No other leader captures an audience like Steve Jobs does and, like no other book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs captures the formula Steve uses to enthrall audiences.” Rob Enderle, The Enderle Group

“Now you can learn from the best there is both Jobs and Gallo. No matter whether you are a novice presenter or a professional speaker like me, you will read and reread this book with the same enthusiasm that people bring to their iPods." David Meerman Scott, bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR and World Wide Rave

• ISBN-10 9780071636087
• ISBN-13 978-0071636087
• Publisher McGraw Hill
• Publication date 16 Oct. 2009
• Language English
• Dimensions 14.73 x 2.24 x 21.59 cm
• Print length 272 pages
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Product description

About the author.

Carmine Gallo is the communications coach for the world’s most admired global brands. A former anchor and correspondent for CNN and CBS, Gallo has addressed executives at Intel, Cisco, Google, Medtronic, Pfizer, and many others. Gallo writes "My Communications Coach," a regular column for Forbes.com. He has written several bestselling and award-winning books, including The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs . Gallo has been featured in The Wall Street Journal , The New York Times , Success magazine, and on CNBC. Gallo’s latest book, The Power of Foursquare , reveals how innovative businesses around the world are leveraging new mobile marketing tools to attract and engage customers. Gallo, who lives in Pleasanton, California, with his wife and two daughters, may be found online at www.carminegallo.com.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The presentation secrets of steve jobs, mcgraw-hill, chapter one.

Excerpted from The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs by Carmine Gallo Copyright © 2010 by Carmine Gallo. Excerpted by permission of McGraw-Hill. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Product details

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0071636080
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ McGraw Hill (16 Oct. 2009)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780071636087
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0071636087
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 14.73 x 2.24 x 21.59 cm
• 5,258 in The Performing Arts

About the author

Carmine gallo.

Carmine Gallo is a popular keynote speaker, Harvard instructor, and communication advisor for the world's most admired brands. His new book is FIVE STARS: The Communication Secrets to Get From Good to Great. Gallo is the author of 9 books including international bestsellers: Talk Like TED, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, The Apple Experience, and The Storyteller's Secret. Join Carmine's list at carminegallo.com and follow him on Twitter @carminegallo.

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Book description

The Wall Street Journal Bestseller!

Updated to include Steve Jobs's iPad and iPad2 launch presentations

“ The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs reveals the operating system behind any great presentation and provides you with a quick-start guide to design your own passionate interfaces with your audiences.” —Cliff Atkinson, author of Beyond Bullet Points and The Activist Audience

Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs’s wildly popular presentations have set a new global gold standard—and now this step-by-step guide shows you exactly how to use his crowd-pleasing techniques in your own presentations.

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs is as close as you'll ever get to having the master presenter himself speak directly in your ear. Communications expert Carmine Gallo has studied and analyzed the very best of Jobs's performances, offering point-by-point examples, tried-and-true techniques, and proven presentation secrets in 18 "scenes," including:

• Develop a messianic sense of purpose
• Reveal the Conquering hero
• Channel your inner Zen
• Stage your presentation with props
• Make it look effortless

With this revolutionary approach, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to sell your ideas, share your enthusiasm, and wow your audience the Steve Jobs way.

“No other leader captures an audience like Steve Jobs does and, like no other book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs captures the formula Steve uses to enthrall audiences.” —Rob Enderle, The Enderle Group

“Now you can learn from the best there is—both Jobs and Gallo. No matter whether you are a novice presenter or a professional speaker like me, you will read and reread this book with the same enthusiasm that people bring to their iPods." —David Meerman Scott, bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR and World Wide Rave

Table of contents

• The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs
• Copyright Page
• Acknowledgments
• Prologue: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience
• SCENE 1 Plan in Analog
• SCENE 2 Answer the One Question That Matters Most
• SCENE 3 Develop a Messianic Sense of Purpose
• SCENE 4 Create Twitter-Like Headlines
• SCENE 5 Draw a Road Map
• SCENE 6 Introduce the Antagonist
• SCENE 7 Reveal the Conquering Hero
• INTERMISSION 1 Obey the Ten-Minute Rule
• SCENE 8 Channel Their Inner Zen
• SCENE 9 Dress Up Your Numbers
• SCENE 10 Use “Amazingly Zippy” Words
• SCENE 11 Share the Stage
• SCENE 12 Stage Your Presentation with Props
• SCENE 13 Reveal a “Holy Shit” Moment
• INTERMISSION 2 Schiller Learns from the Best
• SCENE 14 Master Stage Presence
• SCENE 15 Make It Look Effortless
• SCENE 16 Wear the Appropriate Costume
• SCENE 17 Toss the Script
• SCENE 18 Have Fun
• Encore: One More Thing
• Postscript: Steve Jobs by the Book

Product information

• Title: The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience
• Author(s): Carmine Gallo
• Release date: October 2009
• Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill
• ISBN: 9780071636759

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The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience Paperback – Aug. 15 2016

Now in paperback―the Wall Street Journal bestseller that reveals the secrets behind Steve Job’s legendary presentations, with a new introduction about his legacy.

Celebrating the inspiring life and vision of Apple’s game-changing CEO, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs has become the essential go-to guide for top-level executives, middle managers, organizational speakers, startup entrepreneurs, and pretty much anyone who needs to engage, persuade, and captivate an audience.

This is as close as you’ll ever get to having the master presenter himself speak directly in your ear. Communications expert Carmine Gallo has studied and analyzed the very best of Jobs’s performances, offering point-by-point examples, tried-and-true techniques, and proven presentation secrets that anyone can master. You’ll learn how to take charge of a room, create an inspiring brand story, deliver unforgettable moments―and do it powerfully, effortlessly, and effectively.

• ISBN-10 125983588X
• ISBN-13 978-1259835889
• Edition 1st
• Publisher McGraw Hill
• Publication date Aug. 15 2016
• Language English
• Dimensions 15.24 x 2.54 x 22.61 cm
• Print length 272 pages
• See all details

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Product description

From the publisher.

Carmine Gallo is the author of seven books, including the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs and the award-winning The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs . He is also the author of the bestseller Talk Like TED: The 9 Public Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds . He is a popular Forbes.com columnist, keynote speaker, and communications coach whose techniques have been implemented by Fortune 100 companies. His clients include Intel, Coca-Cola, Chevron, SanDisk, and Pfizer. He lives in Pleasanton, California, with his wife and two daughters. www.carminegallo.com

From the Back Cover

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER

"Be forewarned: if you pick up this book, your presentations will never be the same again." ―Martin Lindstrom, bestselling author of Buyology

" The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs reveals the operating system behind any great presentation and provides you with a quick-start guide to design your own passionate interfaces with your audiences." ―Cliff Atkinson, author of Beyond Bullet Points and The Activist Audience

"Now you can learn from the best―both Jobs and Gallo. Whether you are a novice presenter or a professional speaker like me, you will read and reread this book with the same enthusiasm that people bring to their iPhones." ―David Meerman Scott, bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR and World Wide Rave

"No other leader captured an audience like Steve Jobs did and, like no other book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs captures the formula Steve uses to enthrall audiences." ―Rob Enderle, The Enderle Group

About the Author

Product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ McGraw Hill; 1st edition (Aug. 15 2016)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 125983588X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1259835889
• Item weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 kg
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 2.54 x 22.61 cm
• #13 in iTunes
• #13 in iPods
• #324 in Business Communication Textbooks

About the author

Carmine gallo.

Carmine Gallo is a popular keynote speaker, Harvard instructor, and communication advisor for the world's most admired brands. His new book is FIVE STARS: The Communication Secrets to Get From Good to Great. Gallo is the author of 9 books including international bestsellers: Talk Like TED, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, The Apple Experience, and The Storyteller's Secret. Join Carmine's list at carminegallo.com and follow him on Twitter @carminegallo.

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The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience Paperback – 11 August 2016

Purchase options and add-ons.

Now in paperback―the Wall Street Journal bestseller that reveals the secrets behind Steve Job’s legendary presentations, with a new introduction about his legacy.

Celebrating the inspiring life and vision of Apple’s game-changing CEO, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs has become the essential go-to guide for top-level executives, middle managers, organizational speakers, startup entrepreneurs, and pretty much anyone who needs to engage, persuade, and captivate an audience.

This is as close as you’ll ever get to having the master presenter himself speak directly in your ear. Communications expert Carmine Gallo has studied and analyzed the very best of Jobs’s performances, offering point-by-point examples, tried-and-true techniques, and proven presentation secrets that anyone can master. You’ll learn how to take charge of a room, create an inspiring brand story, deliver unforgettable moments―and do it powerfully, effortlessly, and effectively.

• Print length 272 pages
• Language English
• Publication date 11 August 2016
• ISBN-10 125983588X
• ISBN-13 978-1259835889
• Lexile measure 1050L
• See all details

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From the back cover.

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER

"Be forewarned: if you pick up this book, your presentations will never be the same again." ―Martin Lindstrom, bestselling author of Buyology

" The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs reveals the operating system behind any great presentation and provides you with a quick-start guide to design your own passionate interfaces with your audiences." ―Cliff Atkinson, author of Beyond Bullet Points and The Activist Audience

"Now you can learn from the best―both Jobs and Gallo. Whether you are a novice presenter or a professional speaker like me, you will read and reread this book with the same enthusiasm that people bring to their iPhones." ―David Meerman Scott, bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR and World Wide Rave

"No other leader captured an audience like Steve Jobs did and, like no other book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs captures the formula Steve uses to enthrall audiences." ―Rob Enderle, The Enderle Group

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• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 125983588X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1259835889
• 237 in Business Communication Skills
• 244 in Professional & Workplace Communication
• 624 in Personal Finance

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The presentation secrets of steve jobs: how to be insanely great in front of any audience audible audiobook – unabridged.

Whether he was introducing the latest iPad or delivering a keynote presentation, Steve Jobs electrified audiences with his incomparable style and showmanship. He didn’t just convey information in his presentations; he told a story, painted a picture, and shared a vision. He gave his audience a transformative experience that was unique, inspiring, and unforgettable.

Now you can do it too, by learning the specific techniques that made Jobs the most captivating communicator on the world stage. Using Jobs’s legendary presentations as a blueprint, communication-skills coach Carmine Gallo has mapped out a ready-to-use framework of presentation secrets to help you plan, deliver, and refine the best presentation of your life. You’ll learn how to:

• Create an inspiring brand story
• Answer the one question that matters most
• Paint a specific, memorable, and consistent vision
• Make numbers meaningful
• Deliver unforgettable moments
• Build visually engaging slides
• Master stage presence
• Make it look effortless
• Rehearse effectively

Every chapter provides tools and strategies for you to implement in your next presentation. Using actual presentations from Steve Jobs, Gallo helps you identify and adopt Jobs’s techniques to keep your audience on the edge of their seats, giving customers, clients, and coworkers alike an exciting experience.

With The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs , you can take charge of any room, deliver your message concisely and clearly, convey the value of your products and services, and sell your ideas more persuasively than you ever imagined possible. Best of all, you’ll blow away the competition, turning prospects into clients and clients into evangelists for your brand.

Steve Jobs was a hard act to follow, but once you start using his techniques in your own presentations, you’ll be hard to forget.

• Listening Length 4 hours and 17 minutes
• Author Carmine Gallo
• Narrator Carmine Gallo
• Audible release date 24 September 2012
• Language English
• Publisher Brilliance Audio
• ASIN B079DFRW92
• Version Unabridged
• Program Type Audiobook
• See all details

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The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

"Stay hungry, stay foolish."

- The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, page 215

The Big Idea

Do what you love.

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life."- The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, page 217

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs is not just another presentation skills book. It also contains life and success lessons along the way.

Steve Jobs had purpose and passion. He felt the work he was doing made a big difference. He got the big picture right first by finding what he loved to do in life.

Are you doing what you love with your life? If you are passionate about what you choose to do for work, you will be able to convey that passion when you present. You will truly believe your own message. How would you deliver a passionate performance if you’re not excited by what you’re saying? Start with the big picture first by doing great work–work you love.

Steve Jobs used his passion to convince others when he spoke. In 1983, Jobs wanted to hire John Sculley, then PepsiCo president. Sculley was unconvinced by the offer–though he was excited by what Apple was up to, he didn’t want to move his family or earn less money. Steve Jobs challenged Sculley to come on board by asking:

“Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?” Sculley said that those words were like a blow to the stomach and the words would “haunt” him until he joined Apple.

Tell Me a Story

" …a Steve Jobs presentation is very much like a dramatic play – a finely crafted and well-rehearsed performance that informs, entertains and inspires."- The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, page xv

All good stories have a beginning, middle and an end. Steve Jobs would tell the audience what he planned to cover in his presentation by giving them a verbal roadmap. There were no agenda slides in Job’s presentation. Instead, he would tell the audience what he was going to tell them. He would often begin by outlining three points that he was going to cover. For example, when he introduced the iPhone in 2007, he told the audience that he was introducing three revolutionary products: a widescreen iPod, a phone, and an internet communications device.

To create your own verbal roadmap:

• List the key points that you intend to cover in your presentation
• Group those points into three main messages
• Write a script that briefly introduces the main messages, to use at the start of your presentation

To create drama in a story or presentation, we need a villain or a problem. What problem does your product or service solve? Describe the situation in detail–let people feel the pain! When Jobs launched the iPhone, he set up the villain as every other smartphone on the market. He took the time to explain the various problems: smartphones were complicated, buttons were fixed, and it’s too easy to lose a stylus.

Now you’ve set the scene and the audience is feeling the pain. Enter the conquering hero! How does your product or service save the day? Remember that your audience is not really interested in your product–they are interested in solving their problems. Jobs dramatically described how the Apple would solve all current problems with smartphones: by introducing the fast, flexible and easy-to-use iPhone.

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Prepare to amaze.

"Jobs had literally crank-called a Starbucks as part of the demo."- The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, page 143

How can you use variety and staging to make your presentations exciting?

With perfect lighting, large screens and cheering fans, Steve Jobs was more like a rock star when presenting than a CEO. He worked hard to create that excitement, by creating a well-staged presentation, changing the format regularly and appealing to the different ways that members of the audience learn.

Steve Jobs prepared for his presentations with full rehearsals of every aspect of the presentation. He paid attention to how he could create excitement for Apple’s products through the use of:

• Picture-rich slides
• Sound, video and lighting
• Product demonstrations

Jobs knew that the audience would start looking at the clock after 10 minutes if he didn’t keep it fresh and exciting. So, he introduced a variety of different formats to keep the audience interested. When demonstrating how Google Maps worked on the iPhone, he searched for a nearby Starbucks and said “let’s give them a call”, doing so by using the device on stage. He then placed an order for four thousand lattes to go, before admitting that he was kidding and hanging up!

Other ways that Jobs would change things up in his presentations:

• Inviting other presenters to share the stage
• Appealing to different senses by passing out product examples for people to touch and hold
• Playing Apple advertisements

What different formats can you use to keep your audience engaged?

Steve Jobs was fiercely passionate about the ability of Apple’s products to change the world. He was committed to excellence in his presentations so he could share the message that he so strongly believed. Through telling stories, creating drama and well-rehearsed staging, Steve Job’s presentations delighted audiences and left the media buzzing.

Read the book

Carmine Gallo

Carmine Gallo is the communications coach for the world’s most admired brands. He transforms executives into extraordinary presenters—working directly with the companies that touch your life every day. A former anchor and correspondent for CNN and CBS, Gallo works directly with the world’s top business leaders to help them craft compelling messages, tell inspiring stories and share their innovative ideas with a global audience. Gallo has addressed executives at Intel, Cisco, Google, Medtronic, Disney, The Four Seasons, SAP, Pfizer, Linked In, Chevron, SanDisk, Univision, Edmunds.com, and many other global brands. Gallo is also a popular keynote speaker whose customized multimedia presentations are a hit with audiences around the world.

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The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience Audio CD – CD, September 3, 2013

• Language English
• Publisher Brilliance Audio
• Publication date September 3, 2013
• Dimensions 6.5 x 0.63 x 5.5 inches
• ISBN-10 9781480568020
• ISBN-13 978-1480568020
• See all details

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Product details

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1480568023
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Brilliance Audio; Unabridged edition (September 3, 2013)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781480568020
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1480568020
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.27 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 0.63 x 5.5 inches

About the author

Carmine gallo.

Carmine Gallo is a popular keynote speaker, Harvard instructor, and communication advisor for the world's most admired brands. His new book is FIVE STARS: The Communication Secrets to Get From Good to Great. Gallo is the author of 9 books including international bestsellers: Talk Like TED, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, The Apple Experience, and The Storyteller's Secret. Join Carmine's list at carminegallo.com and follow him on Twitter @carminegallo.

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Presentation Guru

The 10 things steve jobs can teach every public speaker.

Steve Jobs was one of the greatest and most influential businessmen of his generation. He took an idea from a humble garage and turned it into Apple, one of the most recognizable and iconic brands in the world. He was a pioneer in the modern corporate world.

Much has been written about Steve Jobs’ presentation style. He was famous for his rigorous attention to every detail whenever he presented, from the style of the fonts on his slides to the colour of the stage background. When launching a new product, he would rehearse over and over until his delivery was fluid. The benefits of this preparation were seen in the quality of his presentations , which are widely regarded as a standard to which many companies aspire.

In this post, I don’t want to focus on Jobs’ presentation skills per se ; instead, I would like to draw on his wisdom and insights into business and life and see what lessons we can apply when it comes to speaking in public.

Steve Jobs’ memorable quotes

As part of his legacy, Jobs left a small trove of memorable quotes. Sometimes humorous, frequently trenchant, always thought provoking, they are worth reading and thinking about. Below are ten good ones for public speakers to ponder:

“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works. The design of the Mac wasn’t what it looked like, although that was part of it. Primarily, it was how it worked. To design something really well, you have to get it. You have to really grok [understand intuitively] what it’s all about. It takes a passionate commitment to really thoroughly understand something, chew it up, not just quickly swallow it. Most people don’t take the time to do that.”

Giving a good presentation – a truly good presentation – takes time and effort. You must understand the material thoroughly; you must understand how it relates to your audience ; you must understand what is most important and why. And then you have to design the presentation –  with or without slides – so that it hangs together and conveys the message with impact.

“This is what customers pay us for – to sweat all these details so it’s easy and pleasant for them to use our computers. We’re supposed to be really good at this.”

You have to sweat all of the details so that it is easy for your audience to follow your presentation (and enjoy it). Don’t make your audience work to understand your points. You should do that work before you present so that the audience doesn’t have to.

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”

Too many presentations become bogged down when speakers try to do too much. You have a limited amount of time and your audience has a limited amount of attention. Choose your key points carefully and ruthlessly cut out everything else. If the subject matter is vast and there is more for your audience to know, prepare a detailed handout or direct people to where they can go for more information. War and Peace makes for a good novel but a lousy presentation.

“That’s been one of my mantras: Focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

As a presenter you must cut through the details and complexity and distill your message to its essence . Taking the time to think carefully about your subject and your audience beforehand will help you design a simple, effective presentation. When you prepare a presentation , you have to think like a sculptor; the beauty of the statue is revealed by what is taken away.

“I would trade all of my technology for an afternoon with Socrates.”

Technology is great but it is not the most important thing. Far more important is being able to think clearly, strategically, creatively. Whatever your field, expand your horizons. Read widely and extensively. Read the classics, read modern fiction, read non-fiction, read industry periodicals that are not related to your industry. You will become a better thinker and more creative. Those qualities can only help when it comes to communicating ideas to others.

“Good artists copy; great artists steal.”

Jobs was very fond of this quote which, in fact, he got from Pablo Picasso . Good speakers never try to copy other speakers. Good speakers know that they can only be themselves. However, good speakers are willing to “steal” from others in the sense of trying out something that they have learned from another speaker or read in a book or learned in a course. Nobody knows everything and we should be open to learning from others. But we should never try to be like others.

“I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.”

When a presentation goes well, don’t waste the opportunity to deconstruct it soon afterwards. Make notes. What worked well? Why? What could be improved? How? Take what you have learned and build on it for your next presentation. Don’t rest on your laurels, especially if you have to give the same presentation over and over. There is always room for improvement: better images; a better story; an exercise for the audience; cutting material; adding material. Figure out what’s next.

“I’m the only person I know who’s lost a quarter of a billion dollars in one year. It’s very character building.”

Things don’t always go well. Mistakes happen and if you give enough presentations or speeches, the odds are that you will stumble at some point. Don’t let the stumbles get you down. They are part of the process of all public speakers and very few of them are fatal. Learn from them and move on.

“We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?”

When you finish a speech or presentation, your audience should be changed in some way, even if that change is simply learning something new. If you do not change your audience, why bother speaking at all?

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”

Many presentations are still, unfortunately, mediocre or worse. You might even be able to get away with a mediocre presentation yourself. Don’t. Hold yourself to a higher standard; your audience deserves it and the benefits that will come your way — personal and professional — will be well worth the effort.

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John Zimmer

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