Speak Like Steve Jobs

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Steve Jobs is held up as one of the greatest technology speakers out there, so what is it about him that makes him so good?

Image: Ben Stanfield (Flickr)

Over the next few posts I’m going to look at what how Steve jobs can teach us to be better speakers but before we look at Steve Jobs, I’d like you to think about what type of presenter you are.

I’m going to give you three choices:

Bad

  • You’re so boring, people fall asleep
  • Every time you stand up to speak you forget everything
  • You’re never asked to speak again

Okay

  • You’re not the most exciting speaker but you’re not too boring either
  • You more or less deliver the information as you planned to
  • Sometimes you forget parts but generally cover the most important information

Great

  • You inspire your audience
  • You persuade people to adopt your ideas or buy your products
  • People are talking about your presentation for days afterwards

What type of speaker are you?

Bad, okay or great?

Let me tell you a secret, Steve Jobs was not a great speaker. He was an okay speaker but he made up for it with style, preparation and scripting

Whether it’s speaking at a conference or presenting at the weekly team meeting I’m going to show you how you can too can speak like Steve Jobs.

10 Steps to Speaking Like Steve Jobs

  1. Practice Until You’re a Natural
  2. Be Audience-Centric
  3. Why Should They Listen To You?
  4. Why Should the Audience be Excited by Your Idea or Product?
  5. Why This Is The Best Thing That You’ve Ever Done
  6. Use a Tagline
  7. Show Your Passion
  8. Use Theatre and Magic to Captivate Your Audience 
  9. Use Great Visuals
  10. What Would Steve Do? (Coming Soon)