Posted by Brian McCullough
Now you too can captivate an audience like the Turtle-Necked One does!
BusinessWeek has a quick tutorial that I might re-title, How To Speak Like A Cult Leader For Fun and Profit (though, if you’ve seen Apple’s stock since the last MacWorld presentation, maybe the mojo has worn off).
All joking aside, there are some really useful tips in here:
Make numbers meaningful. When Jobs announced that Apple had sold 4 million iPhones to date, he didn’t simply leave the number out of context. Instead, he put it in perspective by adding, “That’s 20,000 iPhones every day, on average.” Jobs went on to say, “What does that mean to the overall market?” Jobs detailed the breakdown of the U.S smartphone market and Apple’s share of it to demonstrate just how impressive the number actually is. Jobs also pointed out that Apple’s market share equals the share of its top three competitors combined. Numbers don’t mean much unless they are placed in context. Connect the dots for your listeners.
And
Give ‘em a show. A Jobs presentation has ebbs and flows, themes and transitions. Since he’s giving his audience a show instead of simply delivering information, Jobs includes video clips, demonstrations, and guests he shares the stage with. In his latest keynote, the audience heard from Jim Gianopulos, CEO and chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment, and Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel ((INTC). Enhance your presentations by incorporating multimedia, product demonstrations, or giving others the chance to say a few words.
For all his other gifts, maybe Steve-o’s biggest asset is his rhetorical talent.
Deliver a Presentation like Steve Jobs (BusinessWeek)
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