Presentation-Secrets-Of-Steve-Jobs
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118 DELIVER THE EXPERIENCE<br />
buzzwords are meaningless and empty and will most certainly<br />
make you less understandable and therefore less persuasive.<br />
Mission statements are the worst culprits of jargon creep.<br />
Mission statements typically are long, convoluted, jargon-laden<br />
paragraphs created in multiple committee meetings and destined<br />
to be forgotten. They are replete with jargon and murky words<br />
you will rarely hear from <strong>Jobs</strong>, such as “synergy,” “principlecentered,”<br />
and “best of breed.” These expressions are nonsense,<br />
yet on any given day, employees in companies around the world<br />
are sitting in committee meetings to see just how many such<br />
words can be crammed into a single sentence.<br />
Apple’s mission statement, on the other hand, is simple, clear,<br />
and impactful. It’s full of emotive words and tangible examples.<br />
It reads (emphasis added):<br />
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s<br />
with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer with<br />
the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry<br />
in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating<br />
system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple<br />
is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod<br />
portable music and video players and iTunes online store,<br />
and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary<br />
iPhone. 7<br />
The words <strong>Jobs</strong> chooses to announce a new product have<br />
three characteristics: they are simple, concrete, and emotionally<br />
charged.<br />
» Simple. Free of jargon and with few syllables.<br />
» Concrete. Very specific phrases. Short, tangible descriptions<br />
instead of long, abstract discussions.<br />
» Emotional. Descriptive adjectives.<br />
Examples of each of these three characteristics appear in <strong>Jobs</strong>’s<br />
introduction of the MacBook Air: “This is the MacBook Air. You can<br />
get a feel for how thin it is [concrete]. It has a full-size keyboard and<br />
display [simple]. Isn’t it amazing [emotional]? This is what it looks