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  • Anyone who has watched a Steve Jobs keynote will tell you he is one of

  • the most extraordinary speakers in corporate America.

  • Who does the best job of that in the world? While most presenters simply

  • convey information, Jobs inspires.

  • I'm Carmine Gallo and today I'll walk you through several key techniques that

  • Steve Jobs uses to electrify his audience.

  • They're elements you can adopt in your very next presentation.

  • Welcome to Macworld 2008!

  • We've got some some great stuff for you! There's clearly "something in the air" today!

  • With those words, Jobs opened

  • Macworld 2008, setting the theme for his presentation and hinting at the

  • major announcement of the day,

  • the launch of the ultra thin Mac Book Air. Whether it's a new notebook

  • or the iPhone, Jobs unveils a single headline that sets the theme.

  • Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone.

  • Once you identify a theme,

  • make sure it's clear and consistent throughout the presentation.

  • Think of a staff meeting as a presentation.

  • So let's say you're a sales manager introducing a new software tool to help your team generate, track and share sales leads.

  • You might kick off your meeting this way: Good Morning

  • Thanks for coming! I know you'll be really excited about this!

  • Today we make it easier for you to make your quota! That's the headline.

  • "Easier to make quota" It's memorable

  • and it sets the direction for the rest of your meeting. It gives your audience a

  • reason to listen.

  • I got four things I'd like to talk about with you today.

  • So let's get started. Steve Jobs always provides

  • an outline for his presentation and then verbally

  • opens and closes each section with a clear transition in between.

  • Here's an example. So that's Time Capsule,

  • a perfect companion to Leopard and that's the first thing I wanted to share

  • with you this morning.

  • The point is: Make it easy for your listeners to follow your story!

  • Your outline will serve as guideposts along the way.

  • You'll also notice that during his presentations, Jobs uses words like extraordinary, amazing and cool.

  • He is passionate, enthusiastic and it shows.

  • ...year for apple!

  • You know, your audience wants to be "wowed", not put to sleep. Too many people fall into this presentation mode.

  • It's stiff! It's formal! It lacks pizzazz!

  • We, your listeners, are giving you permission to have fun and be excited

  • about your company, your product or service. If you're not passionate about it,

  • we're not going to be.

  • Remember, Jobs isn't selling hardware

  • He's selling an experience. If you offer numbers and statistics

  • make them meaningful. We have sold

  • four million iPhones to date. If you divide four million by two hundred days, thats

  • 20,000 iPhones every day on average.

  • Numbers don't mean much.

  • unless their placed in context. Managers, connect the dots for your listeners.

  • Recently, I worked with a company that launched a 12 gigabyte memory card.

  • 12 gigabytes!

  • That number doesn't mean much to most people, so we put it in the context.

  • We said, "that's enough memory to listen to your music

  • while travelling to the moon and back"!

  • Now 12 gigs means something to me.

  • Make numbers meaningful!

  • One of the most effective elements of a Steve Jobs presentation

  • is that they are easy on the eyes. His presentations are visual and simple.

  • While most speakers

  • fill their slides with mind-numbing data and text and charts,

  • Jobs does just the opposite. He uses very little text

  • and usually one, maybe two, images per slide

  • you see, you want to paint a picture for your audience without overwhelming them

  • inspiring presentations are short on bullet points

  • and big on visuals. If you really want your presentation to pop

  • treat it like a show, with heads and flows

  • and themes and transitions. Jobs includes

  • video clips, demonstrations and guests. He also has a knack for dramatic flair and

  • it's very effective.

  • For example, when introducing the Mac Book Air, Jobs drew cheers by opening a

  • manilla

  • inter-office envelope, holding the laptop out for everyone to see.

  • This is the new

  • Mac Book Air. You can get a feel for how

  • thin it is. What is the only one memorable moment of your presentation.

  • Identify it ahead of time, then build up to it. With a little help from our friends, everything

  • will work today.

  • And finally, rehearse, rehearse and rehearse some more.

  • Let me show you how easy that is, now.

  • Steve Jobs makes it look easy because he spends

  • hours rehearsing. He can not pull off

  • an intricate presentation with video clips and demonstrations, and outside speakers,

  • without practice. The result: a presentation that is perfectly

  • synchronized and looks,

  • yes, effortless! Now, the average business person does not have the resources to

  • create a Steve Jobs extravaganza

  • but you do have time to rehearse. The greatest presenters do it,

  • and so should you. Oh, and one more thing,

  • at the end of most presentations, Jobs adds to the drama by saying

  • "and one more thing". One last thing...

  • He then ads a new product or a feature or sometimes just introduces a band.

  • This not only heightens the excitement it also leaves your audience feeling

  • they've been given an added bonus.

  • The point is Steve Jobs approaches each presentation

  • as an event. A production with a strong opening,

  • product demonstrations in the middle, and a strong conclusion.

  • And yes, even an encore, that one more thing.

  • I wish you a dazzling presentation. For more information go to BNET.com

Anyone who has watched a Steve Jobs keynote will tell you he is one of

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