Until his death in 2011, the former Apple CEO was the undisputed star of Apple's product presentations. But even after his death you can still learn a lot from his presentation style. Learn the tricks and secrets behind his legendary presentations here.
The power of a good presentation
Steve Jobs' keynotes were characterized above all by an unmistakable passion. The dedicated storyteller undoubtedly managed to captivate a worldwide audience both on location and in the media (the YouTube videos of his presentations have thousands of clicks) with his speeches and inspire with his content. The product launches at Apple, for example, had more the character of an exciting happening than of an ordinary press conference and regularly gained worldwide attention. This shows impressively how important good presentations can be for a company. But what presentation techniques are behind this success?
The 10 key techniques of a "Steve Jobs" presentation
US columnist Carmine Gallo also asked himself this question and took a close look at Steve Jobs' presentation technique. We have summarized the ten tips for a unique presentation à la Steve Jobs:
1. Twitter-friendly headlines
We live in a digital age. Everything works fast and the recording time and willingness of the target group is accordingly limited. This influenced Steve Jobs to use short and crisp headlines - the so-called "Twitter-friendly headline". Headlines like "The Thinnest Notebook in the World", with which Jobs introduced MacBook Air in 2008, are quickly memorized and can be distributed even faster - in just 140 characters on Twitter.
2. Sample, sample, sample
What many people admired about Steve Jobs was his almost effortless charismatic demeanor. A natural gift? Hardly: Behind every smooth appearance of Jobs there were hours of work, training and intensive preparation until the presentation sat perfectly. So for anyone who thinks he can never be as charismatic as Jobs, the motto is: Fake it till you make it. The secret to appear confident, charismatic and effortless on stage is a lot of practice. Because that is exactly what Jobs has done.
3. The magic 3
"Make three crosses", "three wishes free", "all good things are three" - the number three has a special meaning, not only in language usage. Also for jobs, the number three was an almost magical number. For the number Three is more dramatic than Two and easier to remember than Six or Eight. Steve Jobs was so convinced of the power of the number three that he himself adapted the structure of the presentation to the number three. In 2007, for example, Jobs presented three products: MP3 player, telephone and Internet - but actually he was only talking about one product in which all three components were combined, the iPhone.
4. Every good story has a villain
In addition to the hero, the villain provides the necessary suspense in every good story. In his presentations, Jobs has therefore created an enemy that the hero had to defeat. When Steve Jobs presented the iPhone in January 2007, he didn't just present it as a simple product, but as a hero who managed to defeat the villain in the form of problems that mobile phone users had with the state of the art at the time.
5. Concentrate on the advantages
The question "What do I get out of it?" is an essential one. If you can answer this question quickly and in a few words, you are doing everything right. And that's exactly what Steve Jobs has perfected: Instead of merely describing products or services, Jobs has always focused on the advantages and the concrete benefits of the products.
6. Simple visual Slides
Steve Jobs was not a fan of Powerpoint. Instead of stringing together countless slides with even more words, Jobs sometimes only used a total number of 19 words in his presentations. Rather than words, words outweighed - true to the motto "a picture says more than a thousand words" - appealing visual impressions in the presentation design.
7. Do not read!
Most of you have already learned it in school: Reading from notes is never a good tactic to win over the audience. No matter how long the speech (the introduction of the iPhone took 80 minutes) Steve Jobs never once hid his head in notes. If Jobs used notes, he did so in such a way that the audience didn't notice. It also depends on the type of notes: They should be nothing more than short notes that stimulate the memory.
8. Tell stories
Steve Jobs was excellent in storytelling. Funny stories, exciting stories or personal stories: Jobs knew how to embellish the content in the right places and captivate the audience.
9. Have fun
When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to the audience in a presentation, he announced this with the words "here it is". But on the slide there was no photo of the iPhone, but that of an old phone with a dial. Funny moments not only cheer up the audience, they also give the presenter a good feeling and provide additional motivation. Whether planned or spontaneous: humor in speeches entertains sustainably, ensures that content is better remembered and loosens up the mood.
10. Find the right words
Last but not least Jobs was an artist in finding the right words to describe the products. For his passion for his own products was also expressed in the choice of words - and if the speaker himself is convinced of the content, this can also inspire the audience. Instead of using complicated technical terms and complex words, Jobs preferred to sum up his emotions with the words: "It looks pretty doggone gorgeous". Because one thing is clear: people cannot share the speaker's enthusiasm if they cannot follow his words.
Presenting like Steve Jobs: Practice makes perfect
Every single one of Steve Jobs' speeches was informative, entertaining and inspiring. But Jobs has also improved his presentation technique over the years, learned more and perfected his presentation with a lot of practice and the right presentation preparation. So if you want to present like Steve Jobs, there is one thing you should do: Practice, practice, practice.
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