I just finished a cool new book by Carmine Gallo called The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs. Though Jobs and his style are often discussed with regard to effective presentation practices, this is the first time anyone has done a true analysis and devoted so many pages to explaining exactly why Jobs is considered one of corporate America’s best speakers.
Echoing Jobs’ pervasive use of a series of 3, Gallo divides his book in thirds:
- Create the Story
- Deliver the Experience
- Refine & Rehearse
Repeatedly using the actual scripts from Jobs’ keynotes to prove his points, Gallo portrays the Apple CEO as exacting and at times devious in his use of simplicity. For example, by avoiding jargon, tech-speak and clutter, Jobs consistently manages to craft the story he wants the consumers and press to hear. Often, it seems as the press is simply photocopying Apple press releases (“The world’s thinnest notebook,” “Apple reinvents the phone,” “1,000 songs in your pocket,” etc.)
Jobs’ zen aesthetic is evident everywhere, from his attention to lighting and stagecraft, avoidance of complicated numbers and statistics and to his use of imagery and sparse use of words on screen.
What you won’t see at an Apple Keynote are bullet points. What you will see are product demos, humor, guest speakers, props, stunts, surprises and a lot of theatricality.
As Gallo explains in recounting Jobs’ famous job offer to then Pespi CEO John Scully (“Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?”), there is always a messianic zeal that pervades Jobs and his presentations. The author spends a whole chapter on the use of “Holy Shit” moments.
Finally, Gallo talks at length about Jobs’ rigorous preparation and rehearsal, things I imagine most people never imagined were involved in the seemingly casual Apple presentations.
The book is much more than hero worship (although there is a little of that). There are concrete techniques described and analyzed that almost anyone could make use of in their own pitches and presentations. It’s worth picking up.
Behind the Steve
A Real Behind the Scenes View
if you want to learn a little more about life behind the scenes of a Steve Jobs Keynote (and the exhaustive work that goes into it), Mike Evangelist, a former product lead for Apple, wrote a fascinating story for the Guardian called “Behind the Magic Curtain.”
And check out this secretly taken pic of Steve’s onstage notes from one of his Keynotes…
Finally, the wonder of the interwebs means that you can watch many of Jobs’ keynotes on YouTube…
