The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs summary

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 the most seasoned presenters run into trouble occasionally: a demonstration might not work, your computer could crash or a slide might be skipped.

If your presentation does hit a glitch, don’t get flustered. Unless the problem is highly obvious, don’t call attention to it or apologize, just keep moving. If you can’t ignore the problem, just laugh it off and move on. Audiences are eager to forgive minor glitches so you can continue with the story, but only if you don‘t collapse into a sobbing wreck at the first sign of trouble.

Whether it’s a presentation, press release or an advertisement, every communiqué you craft should always answer the one key question every recipient is thinking: “Why should I care about this?”

They should care because you are giving them a solution to their problems.

The brain is fundamentally a lazy organ, so you need to make things easy for your audience.

Make your slides as simple as possible, introducing only one topic per slide. Remember that you want people to pay attention to what you are saying, not trying to read what is written. Hence avoid using bullet points or long sentences.

Data can be useful to back up the key theme of your presentation, but nothing puts an audience to sleep faster than an overload of numbers. To avoid this, you should be highly selective with what data you use.

Simplify your data with analogies and metaphors. This is especially important for big numbers, which can be hard to comprehend on their own.

The rule of three is a powerful concept in communications theory. It states that lists of three are inherently more effective because they feel more natural than lists of other lengths.

Steve Jobs said the iPhone combines three devices (a touch screen iPod, a phone and an internet communicator), John F. Kennedy listed three main investments needed for the US to win the space race and you’re probably expecting a third example because lists of three come so naturally.

If you want to make your presentation truly memorable, give your audience a “Holy Shit” Moment. Plan and rehearse a revelation which will elicit an emotional response.

People might forget your slides, your product and even you yourself, but they will never forget the way you made them feel. Emotionally charged events stick in your memory like mental Post-It notes.

According to some studies, nonverbal cues and tones of voice are more important than the actual words spoken. They are the reason Steve Jobs’ stage presence exudes the authority and confidence it does.

Act like the leader you want to be. Forget standing behind a podium, reading monotonously from note-cards with your arms stiffly by your side.

Using many different kinds of media makes your message stick. By using live demonstrations, video clips and props to hand out, you can help every type of learner in the audience understand your message.

People learn in different ways: some respond best to visual information, others to auditory stimulus, and others still to kinesthetic experiences (touching, moving and doing things). Studies have shown that using multiple media in your presentation can dramatically increase how well the audience remembers your presentation.

There are three important reasons why you should share the stage with other people during your presentation.

First of all, your audience craves variety. Listening to even the most charismatic speaker in the world grows dull after a while. Introducing partners, celebrities or members from your team often livens up the show.