Nine Presentation Lessons to learn from Steve Jobs

As we all know that Steve Jobs is one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all times. His ideologies and business ethics continues to inspire us all. It’s not a secret that Steve Jobs was not very comfortable with public speaking and so he came up with the present techniques which involved conceptual clarity and brought to the fore interesting foresight.

Steve Jobs outlined nine rules to make the PPT - PowerPoint Presentation that will leave a lasting impression:

Nine Presentation Design Lessons we should learn from Steve Jobs

1. Show your passion:

Steve Jobs was incredibly passionate about his products and so he makes sure that his audiences were aware of it too. He made sure that his audience felt comfortable and a part of the project in inclusive terminology. He would use simple terms like ‘cool’, ‘gorgeous’ because he believed his products reflected that in spirit. His main objective to show the enthusiasm was to get the audience excited about it.

2. One sentence summary of the product

One sentence summary often referred to as ‘twitter- friendly headlines’, perfectly delivers the main message and intention behind the product. Steve Jobs used the sentence ‘Apple reinvents phone’ on many of his slides when he launches the first iPhone in 2007. The sentence made headlines to almost all the social media and media outlets.

3. The ‘three’ rule

Steve Jobs believed that number ‘3’ is a pretty powerful number. It is easy to understand that 20 and gives more information than 2. He would divide the products presented into three descriptive groups: about the product itself, the functions it can provide and the whole lot of universe it opens in the communication world.

4. Bring the Villain

To highlight the hero, every story needs a villain. This applies everywhere. One needs to bring out the negative side of the existing product. The negative side is going to make the audience wonder if they need an upgraded version of it or a new product entirely. People don’t know what they need until they are made to see that they might need it.

5. Bring the hero

After you have highlighted the villain, bring the hero. The product will be welcomed more enthusiastically than otherwise. The hero or the benefit will be something they will be looking forward to getting their hands on.

6. Simple and visual slides

Keep the data of your slide simple and easy to understand. The average PowerPoint slide has 40 words. Steve Jobs finished his first slide in 19 words. Limited word usage garners more interest. Adding pictures put more emphasis on the slides and makes it easier for the audience to understand.

7. Tell them stories

How do you keep the audience captivated and not get bored while watching a presentation? Tell them little stories of how you came up with the idea of the product or when you felt the need to have the product in your life. It is one of the easiest ways to connect with the audience. Tell those stories every 10 or 15 minutes so they don’t feel bored.

8. Prepare and practice

Before giving the presentation to the audience, practice the PPT - PowerPoint presentation beforehand on the room or presentation venue. This will help you in getting to know the stage and room which will help you in giving the presentation more confidently.

9. Don’t read from notes

The bullet points of your presentations are your notes. Memorize your presentation in such a way that you don’t have to refer to some note cards. Giving a presentation without referring to points and information shows how confident and involved you were with the product. It gives the audience a positive feeling about the product.


Graphi Tales - Presentation Design Agency