When it comes to capturing an audience's attention, few people master the technique like the late Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs, who believed you could present anything effectively if you merely told a story related to it.
So whether you're trying to sell your colleagues on an idea for a new product launch, or deliver an annual earnings report to a room full of Intel employees, you can keep everyone's attention riveted to your presentation—and perhaps help keep their laptops closed—with a few tried-and-true strategies. Here are nine, taken from "The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of any Audience," by BusinessWeek columnist Carmine Gallo.Just sit down,take a look,and you'll surely obtain a benefit.
Plan in analog
In this digital world of bits and bytes, it might seem old school to develop a plan using pen and paper. But Jobs routinely storyboarded the "plot" to his presentation. Before launching PowerPoint*, spend time brainstorming, sketching or whiteboarding the early stages of your report. Don't be afraid to include a variety of elements, such as demonstrations, slides, video clips and other speakers. Neuroscientists have found that the brain gets bored easily; your job is to keep your audience from wandering off, physically or mentally.
Be Twitter-friendly
Nearly every product Jobs created carried a "big picture," one-sentence description that was short enough (140 characters or less) to be a Twitter post, but also revealing enough to grab the public's interest (e.g. "The world's thinnest notebook," for the MacBook Air). During his presentation, he filled in the details. If you can't describe your product or idea in 140 characters or less, start over.
Introduce a "bad guy"
Every classic story has a hero and a villain. For Jobs, the villain was usually a competitor. But it can also be a problem in need of a solution. Laptop theft, for example, might be the bad guy that steals away employee productivity and company profits. The hero would be the strategy or product that stops theft from taking place.
Think WSIC (Why Should I Care)
Anyone listening to a presentation will ask themself one question: "Why should I care?" (Also known as "What's in it for me?") Your job is to answer that question before they can ask it. If there's a new program allowing you to bring your own laptop to work, be very clear to people about why that's a good thing for them.
Stick to the "Rule of Three"
The number "three" is a powerful concept in writing. Plays are usually in three acts because they are more dramatic. Comedians find three jokes in a skit timelier than four. Surveys often ask you to list the "top three things" that come to mind. There might be 20 great things about your product. The audience is only going to remember three, maybe four. Keep that in mind as you speak or when you develop PowerPoint slides.
Note that this rule applies only to information that is delivered verbally. Written reference items (such as this article) can safely exceed three items.
Speak in plain but catchy words
Most business presenters use words that are vague or confusing (the dreaded "corporate speak"). Jobs kept his language fairly simple. He avoided words like "synergy" or terms like "best of breed." Instead, you heard "this device is amazingly zippy," or "it just works, people." Speak simply and your audience will see you as confident, secure and honest.
Create visual slides
The average PowerPoint slide has 40 words. It was rare for Jobs to use more than seven on any of his. Bullet points were verboten. Instead, he relied on a technique known as "Picture Superiority," whhere photographs and images were used as often as possible to deliver the message Jobs wanted to send. Any explanation came from him, meaning people didn't read and hear the same thing.
Make numbers meaningful
Put any numbers you use on a slide into context for the reader. If the U.S. government spends $700 billion to jump-start the economy, most people don't fully understand how big a number that is. But throw in a statement that $700 billion "is like spending $1 million a day since the day Christ was born," and now people get it.
Deliver the "Holy Smokes!" moment
Every presentation needs a "you won't forget this" moment. Jobs excelled in this, especially at MacWorld in 2006, when Intel CEO Paul Otellini appeared on stage with him as they announced Apple's movement of its laptops and desktop PCs to Intel's architecture. Pictures of the two CEOs standing together appeared all over the world—and the audience witnessed history.
Practice—a lot
They say practice makes perfect. Rehearse every facet of your presentation and it will come off like a polished theatrical performance. You'll also get better with the more presentations you give: compare the charismatic Jobs of 1984 with the polished speaker Jobs of 2009. No one is born knowing how to deliver a great PowerPoint presentation; that only comes with years of practice.
