The late Steve Jobs is widely regarded as a master of presentations. Particularly, watching his presentation of the “iPhone” for the first time feels like experiencing a presentation from another dimension.
Steve Jobs was commonly known as a polymath, excelling in both humanities and technology. In the 2010s, the “humanities” trend swept through South Korea, partially fueled by talents like Steve Jobs, making it no exaggeration to say that his influence contributed to this trend.
“Steve Jobs’s presentations, armed with captivating structure and exceptional eloquence.”
Steve Jobs’s presentations are often regarded as the textbooks of presentations. They are impeccably structured, capturing the audience’s attention throughout. Instead of delivering a rigid presentation, he inserts humor at intervals, showcasing his skill in engaging the audience.
As an aspiring presenter myself, I’ve practiced by watching Steve Jobs’s presentations to improve. I’ve even come across books written about his presentations by others.
“A book analyzing Steve Jobs’s 2005 Special Event speech”
The book written by Kim Kyungtae meticulously analyzes Steve Jobs’s 2005 Special Event speech. It delves into what sets Steve Jobs’s presentations apart, examining their characteristics in detail.
Although the book provides links to related videos, it’s unfortunate that these videos are no longer available on the Apple website. However, Steve Jobs’s videos can still be found on YouTube, which is somewhat fortunate.
The book includes recommendations such as:
- What do I want to convey in my presentation?
- How do I plan to convey it?
- Why is this method necessary?
- What outcomes do I aim for?
“Preparing presentations like Steve Jobs”
The book thoroughly dissects and analyzes Steve Jobs’s presentations under the following headings. Even just referring to the subheadings summarized in the book can be helpful in preparing presentations:
- Seize the opening!
- Start with the big picture.
- Don’t criticize the old.
- Structure is key!
- What’s in it for the users?
- Prove it to make it believable.
- Joy is essential for success!
- Bring the product to the scene!
- Compare wisely!
- Presenting the price is a special skill!
- Utilize visuals over numbers in charts!
- Obtain endorsements through third parties!
- Talk about what could become news!
- A picture is worth a thousand words.
- See from the audience’s perspective.
- Conquer multimedia.
- Turn weaknesses into strengths.
- Show the most important thing last!
- Passion is crucial for success.
- Always recap and summarize!
- Presentations are like dramas.
- Bonuses always feel good!
- Prepare for an emotional ending!
- Speak to the audience’s eyes.
- Rethink PowerPoint (Keynote).
- There’s never too much rehearsal!
- One More Thing!
These are the summarized contents from the book.
Some of these points were also emphasized during university classes, especially in the “presentation” sections. Creating appropriate visual aids (slides) and maintaining eye contact with the audience are crucial elements.
“The presenter who introduced the iPhone most impressively”
Steve Jobs’s presentation style when introducing the iPhone can be considered the most impressive way anyone has ever introduced the iPhone to the world.
Using witty images to evoke laughter from the audience, indirectly showing images to make the audience “expect” and “infer,” is impressive. The demonstration with the actual iPhone, showcasing its features, reaches a climax.
“The performance of taking out the MacBook Air from an envelope”
When introducing the MacBook Air, Steve Jobs also presented a shocking performance. Unlike conventional bulky laptops, the thin and light MacBook Air was first revealed by pulling it out from an “envelope.” This scene remains iconic.
Ultimately, Steve Jobs can be considered a speaker who elevated seemingly simple presentations to a “narrative” level.
Now deceased, Steve Jobs’s successor, Tim Cook, leads Apple. Even after Steve Jobs’s passing, Apple remains one of the world’s top companies, continually introducing innovative devices.
While Tim Cook is an excellent CEO, there is a somewhat longing sentiment for performances similar to those of Steve Jobs. If Steve Jobs had lived longer and continued to present new products, one can only imagine.
“Steve Jobs’s Presentation”
- Author: Kim Kyungtae
- Publication Date: June 1, 2006
- ISBN13: 9788991767232
- Yes24: http://app.ac/oqpnql223