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Part 1
Steve Jobs’ presentations have become the stuff of legend. Inspired by his presentations, customers flocked to Apple stores waited in line for days to be the first to buy the newly released product. And his presentations left the media salivating over his every word. You may not have the huge fan base or the media clout of Apple, but you can still use several strategies that Steve Jobs employed to kick-start your product launch. Every presentation that he gave followed a specific formula that you can use for your Webinars, Product Videos or Launch Events.
Steve Jobs’ presentations have become the stuff of legend. Inspired by his presentations, customers flocked to Apple stores waited in line for days to be the first to buy the newly released product. And his presentations left the media salivating over his every word. You may not have the huge fan base or the media clout of Apple, but you can still use several strategies that Steve Jobs employed to kick-start your product launch. Every presentation that he gave followed a specific formula that you can use for your Webinars, Product Videos or Launch Events.
First, you need to build the structure of the presentation. Then you need to incorporate a powerful message. And finally, you need to tell a memorable story that your audience wants to hear. Let’s get into the details of how Steve executed this wonderful presentation recipe…
Build the Structure
A Steve Jobs presentation followed a very specific structure that left the audience with no choice but to focus on the message being conveyed. Each presentation began with a road map, he broke every segment into three parts, and he never spoke on one topic longer than ten minutes.
Create a Road map
Near the beginning of his presentation, Steve Jobs always revealed what he was going to address. This gives the audience a visual guide for what to expect. In the beginning of the iPhone launch, Steve Jobs announced that he was going to introduce three revolutionary new products. Eventually, he revealed this isn’t three products, but one product called iPhone. Not only was this dramatic, but it also set the stage for what the audience was going to see for the remainder of the event. Unfortunately, too many presenters don’t reveal a road map and fail to heighten the sense of anticipation that the audience felt when they decided to attend the event. By increasing the level of anticipation in your audience, the more attentive they will be for the remainder of your presentation.
The Power of Three
A person can only retain small amounts of information in their short term memory. That’s why a Steve Jobs presentation always had three or four message points. However, the number three was more common than four because he discovered that the “Rule of Three” is one of the most powerful rules of communication theory.
Most of Jobs’ presentations were broken down into three parts and his product demos were broken down into three features. The “rule of three” can be leveraged by every presenter. One of the hardest tasks you’ll have to do when building your presentation is narrow your message down to its core. Build your presentation around the three most important ways your product solves your customers’ problems. This will allow your audience to retain the information that you give them and increase their likelihood of purchasing the product at the end of the presentation.
Create a Twitter-Friendly Description
Steve Jobs creates a single sentence description for every product. These headlines help the audience categorize the new product and are always concise enough to fit in a 140-character Twitter post. For example, when Jobs introduced the MacBook Air in January, 2008, he said that is it simply, “The world’s thinnest notebook.” That one sentence speaks volumes. Jobs will fill in the details during his presentation and on the Apple Web site, but he finds one sentence to position every product. Your listeners need to see the big picture before the details. If you can’t describe your product or ideas in 140 characters or less, go back to the drawing board.
Timing
Steve Jobs broke up his presentation every ten minutes because he understood that’s the approximate length of a person’s attention span. During one of these intermissions Jobs brought Paul Otellini, the CEO of Intel, onto the stage wearing the bunny suit worn in Intel’s sterilized facilities.
In another intermission, he demonstrated the iPhone by making the first “public call” on an iPhone to Jony Ive. Chances are, you won’t be able to entice the CEO of Intel to wear a bunny suit on stage, but you can still break up your presentation every ten minutes. During one intermission, you can have a happy customer speak about the benefits of using your product. In another intermission, you can have a live demonstration of a new feature. The point is to make sure your audience remains attentive to you throughout the entire presentation.
Create the Message
People left a Steve Jobs presentation knowing exactly why a product was built and how it solves the customers’ problem. He did this by creating a message with a higher sense of purpose, focused his features on the people, and made sure that all data and specs were tangible.
Create a Higher Sense of Purpose
When Steve Jobs announced a new product, he didn’t say: “We have built an easier to use MP3 player.” Nor does he say “We’ve built a cooler phone.” Instead he had a powerful theme that captures the imagination of his audience. Apple wanted to put “1,000 songs in your pocket” and “reinvent the phone.” These aren’t just slogans. These are the foundation for the story that Apple customers and the media in attendance spread to the rest of the population.
When Steve Jobs announced a new product, he didn’t say: “We have built an easier to use MP3 player.” Nor does he say “We’ve built a cooler phone.” Instead he had a powerful theme that captures the imagination of his audience. Apple wanted to put “1,000 songs in your pocket” and “reinvent the phone.” These aren’t just slogans. These are the foundation for the story that Apple customers and the media in attendance spread to the rest of the population.
You might not be able to reinvent the phone, but you can create a higher sense of purpose by talking about what your customer really wants. For example, the most successful SaaS companies on the web have a mission about them. 37Signals aims to build simple products that people can learn to use in 5 minutes. When they launch a new product, you can be 100% certain it is easier to use than any product in its category. Joel Spolsky at Fog Creek Software wanted to create a company where engineers were treasured employees and loved to come to work.
By creating this higher sense of purpose, these companies have been able to create a cult like following on the web.
Focus on the People
When Steve Jobs introduced the scroll wheel on the iPod, he started by explaining the problem that buttons can have when trying to find a specific song in your playlist. Before the iPod, you had to click a button dozens of times in order to find the song that you wanted to listen to. This was both tedious and a waste of time. Only after clearly explaining the problem with how it was in the past to build empathy with his audience, did he go on to demonstrate how easy it is to navigate your playlist with the scroll wheel. Often, a presenter will expect the audience to connect the dots between why a feature was built and how it solves a problem. Steve Jobs never wanted to leave this to chance.
When you are giving your presentation, tell the story about why the feature was built. Talk about the problem that this creates, and how the problem has impacted the audience’s life in a negative way. And when you reveal your feature, it will look like a hero that saves the day!
When you are giving your presentation, tell the story about why the feature was built. Talk about the problem that this creates, and how the problem has impacted the audience’s life in a negative way. And when you reveal your feature, it will look like a hero that saves the day!
Use Zippy Words
Steve Jobs speaks in plain English. In fact, he has fun with words. He described the speed of the new iPhone 3G as “amazingly zippy.” Where most business presenters use words that are obtuse, vague or confusing, Jobs’s language is remarkably simple. He rarely, if ever, will use the jargon that clouds most presentations—terms like “best of breed” or “synergy.” His language is simple, clear and direct. Legendary GE CEO Jack Welch once said, “Insecure managers create complexity.” Exude confidence and security; speak simply.
Part 2 follows
Part 2 follows
Roop Lakhani - Consultant, Trainer, Healer
Mob: +91 98216 12031
Email- roop@tarotfuture.com
Blog: www.RoopLakhani.co.in
Email- roop@tarotfuture.com
Blog: www.RoopLakhani.co.in
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