A useful check-list based on the book 'The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs' by Carmine Gallo.

1. How to present like Steve Jobs.
[A Checklist]
Based on the book ‘The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs’ by Carmine Gallo
Compiled by Vivek Singh, author of All About Presentations.com

2. How to use this checklist?
Use it as a reference material for every presentation you are
going to make. Incorporate as many points as possible to make
your presentation stand out. It will, in words of Carmine
Gallo, help you deliver an experience and not just share
information.

3. a. Plan your complete content on paper (or whiteboard) before opening the software.
b. Decide on the one main message for your presentation. When MacBook Air was launched
the one main message was ‘it is the world’s thinnest notebook’. For iPod it was ‘1,000
songs in your pocket’.
c. Figure out why should your audience care about your message. What is in it for them?
1 Share this right at the start of your presentation. This will get them hooked.
Plan your d. You are addressing some problem and offering a solution. Share the problem first, build
the pain and then offer the solution. If you share the problem properly, you will make
content on your audience care. After all, the problem is affecting your audience.
paper
e. Share maximum three key messages which you want the audience to remember. It is
tough for people to remember too many things.
f. Use analogies and metaphors. It helps audience understand you faster.
g. Plan a ‘holy shit moment’ in your presentation. This moment should be about the main
message (point b above). Steve Jobs took out the MacBook Air out of an office envelope. It
was so thin! He built up hype about launching three devices (a phone, an internet device
and a large iPod) and then revealed just one; the iPhone. These moments make your
presentation memorable.

4. a. Open PowerPoint / Keynote only after your content is in place.
b. Have simple slides which are devoid of clutter.
c. Match the words on the slide with what you say.
2 d. Use few words on your slide. Do not use slides as a crutch to remember your content.
Keep your Slides are meant to complement you. They are not the focus of your presentation. The
audience has come to listen to you. [Remember: You will be able to have few words on a
slides slide only if you rehearse your presentation several times.]
simple and
visual e. Do not use bullet points.
f. Make your slides highly visual. Use images generously. No clip arts but photographs. An
image accompanied with few words is best for audience understanding.
g. Help your audience understand your numbers. Make the numbers relevant, compare
them and place them in context. A 5 GB iPod means 1,000 songs in your pocket. It is not
easy for audience to understand what 5 GB means to them. Your audience should be able
to make sense of the number.

5. a. Rehearse your presentation several times until you know your content inside out. This is
the most important thing. Video record yourself and seek feedback from friends. There is
no shortcut to excellence.
b. Share a verbal roadmap with your audience at the start. This is like the agenda which
helps them know what’s in store for the rest of the presentation. Keep revisiting it once in a
while.
c. Audience attention span is only 10 minutes. Every 10 minutes do something new. Share
3 a video, use a prop, give your audience a task or give a demonstration or invite someone
Rehearse else on stage.
well to excel d. Share the stage with partners, colleagues and customers who add value and increase
in your credibility. You don’t need a one man show.
delivery e. Improve body language. Establish eye contact, have an open gesture (do not stand
behind a podium) and use hand gestures. Look at audience and not at your slides. Do not
keep hands on your sides. Move them.
f. Modulate your voice. Change your pitch, change your volume and change your speed.
g. Avoid jargon. Use simple sentences.
h. Let your audience see your passion in your voice and gestures.
i. Have fun. Some small thing will go wrong. Take it into your stride and enjoy the show.

6. Go ahead and buy this book
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Flipkart India
HomeShop18 India
Vivek Singh
author of All About Presentations.com