Guest blog: Present like Steve Jobs

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is widely considered one of the most gifted and talented speakers in the world. He is known not just for presenting well, but also for inspiring people.

So, what are the secrets to his speaking success?

Some of it is unique to him and cannot be duplicated. We all, of course, cannot be Steve Jobs.

But we can learn from him and become better presenters in the process. Here are some of the things Jobs does consistently, and the best part is that anyone can do these particular things:

Identify the “Big Point:” Start by using a single headline that clearly states the message of your presentation. Something short, memorable and easy to understand. And then reinforce that point throughout the presentation.

Provide an Outline of Your Presentation Up Front: Tell the audience what you’re going to tell them. This makes your presentation flow better and more cohesive.

Open and Close Each Point with an Obvious Segue in Between the Points: This is key to helping your audience follow and retain the key points of your presentation.

Be Enthusiastic: When it comes to inspiring people, “passion” is what it’s all about. Don’t think of yourself as a presenter. Think of yourself as an “idea evangelist.”

Articulate Your “Why:” Simon Sinek wrote a great book called “Start With Why.” In it, he explains that people “don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” Make your “why” come shining through in your presentation.

Be Visual: Make your presentations visual and simple. Always try to distill your point down to a single word, or a short phrase, and no more than one or two images per slide. Avoid bullets if at all possible.

Practice Makes Perfect: Jobs is known for his legendary preparation. You may not have the resources of Apple, but everyone has time to practice, practice, practice! A great way to iron out the imperfections is to video yourself. It’s amazing what you can learn when you watch yourself objectively.

Jobs consistently does all of these things, and his presentations are amazing. We can all improve our presentation skills if we follow his lead…

Michael McClure is the President & CEO of Professional One Franchising, LLC and Professional One Real Estate. Michael is a CPA and a graduate of Michigan State University. He is also a nationally recognized speaker in real estate and is known for his leadership on the issues of professionalism and ethics in that industry. Michael attributes much of his success and his passion to the principles he learned from taking the Dale Carnegie course and reading Dale Carnegie’s books.

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