Making-Original-Products-presentationzen

Steve Jobs and the Art of
the Swordsman
As noted in Chapter 5, Steve Jobs had a simple yet remarkable approach to
the art of presentation. His slides, for example, were always devoid of clutter
and highly visual, and he used them smoothly and seamlessly, advancing all
slides and effects by himself without ever drawing attention to the fact that he
was the one advancing the slides. His style was conversational, and his visuals
were in perfect sync with his words. His presentations were built on a solid
structure, which gave them an easy feeling of flow as if he were taking us on a
small journey. On stage he seemed friendly, comfortable, and confident (which
make others feel relaxed too), and he exuded a level of passion and enthusiasm
that was engaging without being over the top.
It all seemed so automatic and natural. It all seemed so easy that you’d be
tempted to think it just came naturally to Steve, and that it was a pretty easy
task for him to use his natural charisma to woo a crowd. But you’d be wrong.
While it is true that Steve Jobs was a charismatic figure, I’m not sure giving
presentations with multimedia support, and even giving live demos (how many
executives do that?), comes naturally to anyone. No, the reason Steve Jobs’s
presentations went so well and were so engaging was because he and his team
prepared and practiced like mad to make sure it looked “easy.”
When Steve was on stage he was an artist. And like any artist, through
practice and experience, he perfected his technique and form. Yet, also like a
trained artist, there was no thought of technique or of form, or even of failure
or success while performing the art of presentation. Once we think of failure
or success, we are like the swordsman whose mind stops, ever so briefly, to
ponder his technique or the outcome of the fight. The moment he does, he
has lost. This sounds paradoxical, but once we allow our minds to drift to
thoughts of success and failure or of outcomes and technique while performing
our art, we have at that moment begun our descent. Steve Jobs’s approach
to presentation reminds us today that engagement can be enhanced by being
nowhere else but completely here in the moment.
To see videos of presentations by Steve Jobs, go to the Apple website:
www.apple.com/apple-events
Chapter 8 The Art of Being Completely Present
217