‘Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in front of any Audience’
Carmine Gallo - Author
Mc Graw Hill - Publisher
I’ll go out on a limb here and assume that to most readers of this review ,Steve Jobs needs no introduction; at least… to the typical internet user – which likewise typically means you’re a good enough computer (PC desktop, Mac, laptop, iPad) user to be able to navigate your way into the world wide web and find this article. Why you were searching for it… or the circumstances regarding how you stumbled upon this review, I can only guess at. But the point is you found it – good for you.
To the subject matter at hand – Steve is know to be the co-founder of Apple… the computer, and not the record label, and is responsible for introducing such ideas and products as the Macintosh – with its Visual-style user interface (yes, Windows copied it, though to be fair, Jobs and company likewise got it from elsewhere - namely Xerox), the NeXT computers, Pixar; and upon his return to Apple - colorful Macs, and let’s not forget all those products that start with the letter ‘i’ like the iPod, iPad and iTunes.
This book is not about all these. Instead, it’s all about his communication style – specifically, his presentation style. Book aside, have you seen Steve present any Apple product? If not, I suggest you look at at least one such presentation. In fact, look at several, and you’ll see how effortless and ‘inspiring’ his presentations can be.
Enter Gallo – a self-proclaimed Steve Jobs evangelist (I mean, with two books about Steve, isn’t it a bit obvious?) with his book Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs and you get a book that really scrutinizes Steve’s presentation style… not just on stage – but off it as well. And Gallo presents us with a 3-part framework, not exactly new… but never the less, quite effective – specially with Steve doing it.
The chapters are arranged to follow Steve’s 3-part framework, and are interesting (as well as easy to follow) reads about how Steve introduces (or creates) an idea, how he delivers an experience, and how he refines and rehearses – taking serious stock of stage presence (eye-contact, relaxed manner and near instantaneous style. Here’s a hint: there really is noting instantaneous about it all – everything is well planned, practiced and tweaked (including his seemingly impromptu jokes and comments) to deliver those memorable talks that Steve has been known to do – ones that many people (fondly) refer to as ‘reality-warping’.
Gallo dissects Steve’s style with the help of YouTube available videos, and shares it (both the analysis and the video addresses) in his book – allowing us to watch and or review, first hand, what exactly happened and when… and more importantly, how Steve executed it all.
Does Steve never make a mistake? Actually, he does - on several occasions. With all the practice he puts in on talk – is it small wonder that these defects are few and far between? And when those rare gems happen, how does he handle them? One can imagine a whole bunch of technicians scrambling in near panic, while Steve is up front – on stage with a ‘technical glitch’. Steve’s secret at this point? Stay composed, and find the humor in the situation. He knows people are working hard to fix it… and meanwhile, he’s there to entertain – to connect to his audience.
Now, does Carmine’s scrutiny of Steve hold water? Apparently it does – you see… all these presentations – and the book release, happened before Steve introduced the iPad, and right before the launching of the iPad, Carmine was asked about what would Steve show… though Carmine could not answer that particular question, he did say what Steve would do. And guess what? Carmine nailed it.
So… the bottom line, will people who read this book be able to present like Steve? Maybe.
Like I said, nothing’s really new. But if you have the same passion for ‘getting things done right’ as Steve does – and knowing what you do with this book, you can apply these ideas to your next presentation… and your presentations will be much better for following the ideas set within this book’s pages. I mean, let’s be realistic… one does not become insanely great overnight, right?
I’ve been doing presentations for decades – and yet, as I went through this book, I found myself reading, perusing, absorbing ideas from it’s chapters, as it presented Steve’s style… as only Carmine could share it.
So my personal recommendation is to go get the book – and bring your presentations into a different – and better level.
Comments
RIP Steve Jobs