A lot of business owners are less than comfortable with giving presentations – and as this is such a key skill whether you’re across the table from a client, motivating your team or negotiating with suppliers, as well as when you’re in more formal presentation situations, I thought this video would be useful.
There’s a huge amount to learn in this video about powerful communication. Steve Jobs is the consummate presenter and has access to great visuals and demos – so why not learn from one of the best and model what he does? The information is simple, direct and engaging. The speaker really connects with the audience because he really believe sin what he is were saying and just knows the audience will too. Many business owners are pretty passionate about what they do – and that can be very appealing, so it’s worth practising some powerful presentations yourself.
Yes, it is a highly sophisticated launch for the Apple 3G iPhone. And yes there is huge razzmatazz and big displays. But what comes across is not just the quality of the presentation, but the way the presenters communicate so clearly and enthusiastically. That’s what every business owner and key manager can learn – and it is a hugely important skill.
Also a good pointer for your website – this was recorded at the launch, and was featured on the Apple iPhone page – you too should be making multiple uses of any material you generate. Investing in some good visuals and video can pay off – and can be a very good brand builder.You can ditribute video via YouTube – and they can get ranked in Google, which will help your profile enormously.
Points I noted
It assumes we’re all on the same side – it’s not us and them
The whole presentation is structured from the audience’s point of view – what do we want to know (although it’s very clear also what Apple wants us to know…)
- Each segment is clearly signposted – we know what to expect and it’s summarised.
- Each segment is pared down so it emphasises the key points
- It’s paced and broken down into small segments of a few minutes
- It’s confident and enthusiastic – he believes what he’s saying
- The delivery is conversational, almost one to one
- All the claims are backed up with evidence/proof/demonstrations
- The ‘show’ element is integrated with the ‘tell’
- The visuals are very simple – and also highly sophisticated
- The slides with words have VERY few words
- When the presenters read from slides, it’s only for quotes and they emphasise the key points and bring the information to life
- It is all rehearsed, so it works seamlessly – important for formal presentations and can be useful so you’re better prepared in informal situations
- Notice the pace – packed with information, but with measured delivery and with pauses
- There is techie language and use of acronyms which is a good match for the audience
Now apply the lessons to your presentations! And I’ll have a go here too….