Steve Jobs: You Can Be an Inspirational Speaker

Giving a powerful, effective presentation can be a hurdle for some who are not well versed and apprehensive about public speaking. Case in point, my supervisor has been asked to give a very important speech at a conference and she wants to leave a lasting impression so she has come to me, her most trusted advisor, to give her the run through on public speaking. In order to deliver the best possible presentation, she must use a method of public speaking perfected by Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. She must be able to go through the warm up motions, perfect the art of expressive minimalism, use Steve Job’s rule of three, use the Columbo technique and drive it all back home. By the end of this lesson, she will be able to deliver a presentation that even Steve Jobs would approve.

The Warm Up Motions

Warming up for a presentation should not be a few days before the expected delivery date; it is a gradual process that starts with weeks or even months of preparation and concludes with a relaxed, clear, errorless speech. Steve Jobs was recognized for the finest presentations because he spent thousands of hours rehearsing what he was going to say before he said it (Kaplan, 2016

). Being the face of a brand as iconic as Apple, Jobs had to practice his delivery, and so should you!

Immediately before your speech you will want to let loose and relax. This can be done with a variety of techniques including standing on one leg and shaking the other, shaking your hands, warming up you face muscles by stretching your mouth wide open, and rolling your neck (Patricia Fripp CSP, 1998-2016). Some of my favorite techniques are power poses such as stretching your arms way out or putting them at your hips. Both are intended to force the speaker to deliver a more powerful, confident message. Remember, practice makes perfect and these warm up tips will guarantee you deliver the best possible presentation.

The Art of Expressive Minimalism: KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid!

What is “expressive minimalism” and why should you care? Expressiveness and minimalism are both necessary styles to make certain the audience keeps their attention on you and not the PowerPoint (Gallo, 2012). According to leadership coach, Carmine Gallo, you should express your passions by using words such as “amazing, incredible, revolutionary” to say what you mean much like Steve Jobs. Instead of using detailed slides with information that would make anyone in the audience catch some ZZZ’s, use simple headlines such as “Apple reinvents the phone” on your slides or even a picture that is actually worth a thousand words. Remember, the attention is on you the presenter and what you have to say so make it memorable! Learn this simple acronym “KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid!”, and the art of expressive minimalism will roll right off of your sleeve.

Steve Jobs’ Rule of Three

The rule of three most notably used by Steve Jobs is the most powerful numbering rule in communication (Gallo, 2012). It will help the audience feel confident in the material that you are presenting and capture their hearts and minds. When Steve Jobs presented the iPhone in 2007 he did so using the simplest of techniques: the rule of three or dividing a larger idea into digestible bits/chunks/series ("Public Speaking: Learn Public Speaking Material Easily Using Bits (AKA Chunks or Series)," 2016). Who can forget when he presented his 3 new reinvented ideas: the iPod, the phone and the internet? He took these three ideas and combined them into one when finally unveiling the new iPhone. Use the rule of 3 the next time you need to deliver a powerful speech.

But There Is One More Thing…

A written report about presenting with the same impact as Steve Jobs would be unacceptable without his most unforgettable and iconic use of the Columbo technique. The Columbo technique, which I believe should be renamed the Steve Jobs technique for his namesake, is used to transition into the main point of the entire presentation and bring it to the forefront ("Public Speaking: Columbo Technique," 2016). When Steve Jobs presented any one of his new product lines, whether it was the MacBook Pro, iPod, iPhone, or even TV shows, he did it with the utmost flair, “There is one more thing… the MacBook Pro” ("Steve Jobs "One more thing..." complete compilation (1999-2011)," 2014). Using the Columbo technique (the namesake Steve Jobs technique) is an absolute must when presenting your main, unifying point.

Drive It Back Home

An excellent presentation must end with a memorable close that drives it back home. “It could be motivational, challenging, thoughtful, respectful of the length of the presentation, or it could restate your point in a different way” ("Public Speaking: How to Close a Speech," 2016). Steve Jobs ended his presentations with inspiring messages that invigorated the audience to take action. When closing about the iPhone he stated, “I didn’t sleep a wink last night. I’ve been so excited about today…There’s an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. ‘I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.’ We’ve always tried to do that at Apple since the very, very beginning. And we always will” (Gallo, 2012). Say something memorable and drive it home!