How to present like Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs has been called a "master showman" whose "reality distortion field" lulls observers into believing they desperately need whatever he's pitching. However, it isn't magic that makes him so engaging, but a talent for public speaking combined with ruthless rehearsals.
Still, one need not be a visionary billionaire vegan to deliver a killer presentation. BusinessWeek has written a great article about steps you can take to bring your own talks up to that level. Tips include, "Try for an unforgettable moment," "Demonstrate enthusiasm" and my favorite, "Create visual slides." From the article:
"There is a trend in public speaking to paint a picture for audiences by creating more visual graphics. Inspiring presenters are short on bullet points and big on graphics."
Amen. We all know that slide presentations are an exquisite form of torture, made worse when the presenter is simply reading slide after slide of text. Unless we're in a foreign language class, please abandon the read-a-long.
There is one more thing Carmine Gallo failed to mention: Have a few catch phrases ready to go. See above.
