Does anyone not know who Steve Jobs was? If you don’t know who he was, you may have been living on another planet for the last 30 years.

Steve Jobs, of course, was co-founder with Steve Wozniak of Apple Computer which in 2020 had the third largest capitalization of any company in the world Not bad for starting out in 1976 building personal computers in Steve Jobs’ family garage in Mountain View, California. In case you are wondering, the number one and number two companies that had the largest capitalization in 2020 were Aramco and Microsoft in that order.

Steve Jobs led Apple Computer until 1985 when he was forced out due to boardroom decisions. However, he returned to Apple Computer in 1997 after the company he founded, NeXT was bought by Apple Computer. The rest is history.

Steve Jobs innovations after he returned to Apple (i.e., iPod, Macbook, iPad, iPhone, iMac) have since become legendary.

Sadly, Steve Jobs died on October 5, 2011 of respiratory arrest related to a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor at age 56. However, his legacy lives on as is seen by the market capitalization of Apple Computer.

The best inventions in history would hardly have become commonplace without someone convincing investors and the buying public to take a chance. Steve Jobs was a master of speaking. This is what this newsletter is about.

In 2010, Carmine Gallo, a columnist for Businessweek.com, wrote a book called “The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience.” The book was divided into three Acts like a play. Act I is CREATE THE STORY. Act II is DELIVER THE EXPERIENCE. Act III is REFINE AND REHEARSE.

Below is a synopsis of Steve Jobs Presentation Secrets in three Acts as described by Carmine Gallo and sprinkled with my own observations:

Act I – CREATE THE STORY

You started loving stories before you could read or write – “Daddy, read me another story.” You loved listening to the stories of your friends in grammar school and high school. You continued to love listening to your colleagues stories and the stories you immediate and extended family told at gatherings. In fact, you still love stories to this day. Admit it.

The Nobel Laureate in Literature, Maya Angelou, once said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

There is nothing like a story to reach your audiences emotions and change the way they feel. Weave stories into your words, act them out, and see how your message resonates with your audience.

According to Gallo, the seven chapters, or scenes, in Act I – CREATE THE STORY, “will give you practical tools to craft an exciting story behind your brand. A strong story will give you the confidence and ability to win over your audience.”

Below are the seven scenes in Act I – Create Your Story:

• Scene 1 – Plan in Analog

• Scene 2 – Answer the One Question That Matters Most

• Scene 3 – Develop a Messianic Sense of Purpose

• Scene 4 – Create Twitter-Like Headlines

• Scene 5 – Draw a Road Map

• Scene 6 – Introduce the Antagonist

• Scene 7 – Reveal the Conquering Hero

• INTERMISSION 1 – Obey the Ten-Minute Rule

So, now you have read Act I and know how to prepare your presentation. Now comes the part most people find the hardest about presentations – delivering them.

Act II – DELIVER THE EXPERIENCE

Comedian George Jessel once said, “The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.”

You probably know speaking in public is the number one fear of people even about the fear of death. For most people, it is difficult if not impossible to string three words together in front of an audience and make it sound intelligent.

If you were a gourmet cook, you wouldn’t dream of starting to cook without a recipe. So, why as a speaker do you believe you will deliver a great presentation if you don’t have a plan for your delivery? You should have a plan (recipe) for your presentation delivery just like a gourmet cook preparing a meal.

According to Gallo, the six chapters, or scenes, in Act II – DELIVER THE EXPERIENCE, will teach you “practical tips to turn your presentations into visually appealing and “must have” experiences:”

• Scene 8 – Channel Their Inner Zen

• Scene 9 – Dress Up Your Numbers

• Scene 10 – Use “Amazingly Zippy” Words

• Scene 11 – Share the Stage

• Scene 12 – Stage Your Presentation with Props

• Scene 13 – Reveal a “Holy S***” Moment

• INTERMISSION 2 – Schiller Learns from the Best

If you just prepare and deliver your presentation, you will have missed your opportunity to keep making your next presentation better than the previous one. Read on to find out how to take advantage of this opportunity.

Act III – REFINE AND REHEARSE

The self-development expert, Brian Tracy, once said, “Practice doesn’t make perfect, but it does make permanent.” When I was in the U.S. Air Force, we had a saying that says pretty much the same thing – “We train the way we fight, and fight the way we train.”

You have a natural ability to get better in your activities if you truly evaluate what you have done in the past, plan improvements, and then take action on those improvements.

The great thing about your human life is having the mindset of what Brian Tracy also said, “There are no failures, just practice shots.”

According to Gallo, the seven chapters, or scenes, in Act III – REFINE AND REHEARSE, “will tackle topics such as body language, verbal delivery, and making “scripted” presentations sound natural and conversational. Even your choice of wardrobe will be address.”

• Scene 14 – Channel Their Inner Zen

• Scene 15 – Dress Up Your Numbers

• Scene 16 – Use “Amazingly Zippy” Words

• Scene 17 – Share the Stage

• Scene 18 – Stage Your Presentation with Props

Carmine Gallo, in his book “The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience” tells us Steve Jobs’ three-part formula for speaking success: CREATE THE STORY, DELIVER THE EXPERIENCE, and REFINE AND REHEARSE.

When you think of a play, do you think of attending that play or acting in that play. You are probably thinking the former and not the latter.

I am asking you now to change your thinking and become the actor in your play using Steve Jobs’ outstanding speaking tips as outlined in Carmine Gallo’s marvelous book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience.

Speaking is not a spectator sport. You can only become a better speaker by speaking, evaluating your performance, and make the changes needed to make your next presentation better.

Carmine Gallo tells us, “A Steve Jobs presentation is intended to create an experience – “a reality distortion field” – that leaves his audience awed, inspired, and wildly excited.”

Isn’t that what you want!

Call to Action

Use Steve Jobs’ great speaking techniques as outlined in Carmine Gallo’s fine book, “The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience” to

• CREATE THE STORY

• DELIVER THE EXPERIENCE

• REFINE AND REHEARSE