Posted on November 10, 2008. Filed under: Articles
Tagged as: Communications Coach, Communications Training, Lynn Espinoza, Powerful PowerPoint Presentations, Speak! Communications, Steve Jobs
I was recently interviewed by reporter Christine Kent, who writes for my favorite corporate communications website, Ragan.com.
The subject was Steve Jobs, and the qualities that make him one of the century’s best presenters. The whole article is here. And below is the verbatim of my interview with Christine:
Christine: Is Steve Jobs, by your definition, a “good speaker”? How so?
Lynn: Steve Jobs is a fantastic speaker, without relying on many of the classic ‘tricks’ that we see from other “great speakers”. On the surface, he doesn’t offer super-natural inspiration as does, for example, Barack Obama. He doesn’t jump and growl like Steve Ballmer. He is measured and calm, but appears every bit as passionate. He always appears comfortable in his skin. His body language is open and generous. He speaks slowly and clearly, using powerful pauses to emphasize points. He also uses pauses effectively just before he reveals surprises. More than anything else, Steve Jobs is authentic. The real deal. Audiences respond well to real people.
Christine: What does he that energizes a crowd? Any signature touches?
Lynn: To be fair, he takes to the stage with the built-in energy of Apple enthusiasts. Apple-the-brand has attracted a cult-like following, and Steve Jobs is the leader. Certainly, he gets credit for keeping his “base” energized; he doesn’t disappoint. His presentations are amazingly choreographed – visually gorgeous, well-timed. What really stands out is his preparation. He knows exactly which visual is coming up next, and he has clearly rehearsed how he will move from one screen to the next. He uses drawn-out pauses to build anticipation for the next visual. He also uses the pauses to encourage applause, laughter or even gasps from the audience as he reveals the visuals.
The most inspirational Jobs speech I’ve seen was not a classic MacWorld speech. It was a 2005 commencement address at Stanford University. He had no graphics, no music, no props. He mostly just read the speech – not worrying much about eye contact. He told stories that were deeply personal, and not widely known. He was humble, honest and authentic. The format could not be further from his classic large-scale presentation, but it was just as inspirational.
Christine: Are there hallmarks of how Jobs (and his people) set up the stages on which he speaks?
Lynn: His large-scale presentations are exactly that – LARGE scale! The screens are huge, and driven by graphics instead of words. Steve Jobs looks small in comparison to the screens behind him, which furthers that perception of “Jobs – just a real guy”. The graphics are gorgeous, bright and creative. They can be seen from every point in the room. Many executives read their presentations – slide by slide; bullet point by bullet point. In Job’s presentations, the audience is required to listen to him to get the whole story, as they can’t just read it over his shoulder. The difference is that he drives the presentation instead of letting the presentation drive him. This is where his preparation and practice are incredibly evident.
Christine: Anything to say about how Jobs revs up the anticipation of his presentations?
Lynn: Again, the Apple crowd is always anticipating his next speech. What he has done to promote that is pure consistency. His audiences expect that his presentations will be a thing of beauty, and that he will be natural, authentic and cool. It always is!
I‘d love to hear what you have to say about Steve Job’s presentation style! Or, who else to you consider one of the best?
Absolutley correct, right on the money!
I’m a part of that cult you mention. I love Jobs.
I would love to find a copy of the Stanford speech you reference. Is it on youTube?
All of your points here are on the money. I always “stream” his presentations as they happen live.
LOVE THEM.
For those of you who have asked for where to find the 2005 Stanford University commencement address, here it is on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=steve+jobs+stanford+commencement+speech+2005&search_type=&aq=2&oq=Steve+Jo