The first is a Slideshare presentation by Garr Reynolds (Presentation Zen) called “Brain Rules for Presenters” (link below), which is a review of John Medina’s “Brain Rules” book.

So, then I looked up John Medina on YouTube and found a few videos where he talks about the ideas in his book.

Now this was very synchronistic because I had just started reading John Medina’s book, “Brain Rules”.  It’s been out awhile (2008) but I just heard of it a few weeks ago–you know how one thing leads to another, to another, etc.

In the book Medina shares some really amazing information about how the brain works. Several of the “Brain Rules” explain how people process information, which directly applies to how we, as presenters, deliver information to get the best learning results for our audience.

So, take a look at these resources.  Look for my next post where I’ll be sharing my own thoughts and takeaways from the book.

Here are the links:

John Medina: “Death by PowerPoint” http://youtu.be/FJ5dbUCu2Ug –very funny!

Enjoy!

I never saw him in person—only on YouTube videos.  I learned about his style of presenting from books, interviews, videos.  He was a Master Presenter! 

Since I now make my living helping people create and deliver powerful presentations, I decided I would share with you the top 7 things I learned from Steve Jobs. 

Most of what I’ve learned came from a book called “The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs” by Carmine Gallo.  If you haven’t read it, and you’re interested in giving outstanding presentations, you must read this book!

Gallo writes on the first page of his book,

“Steve Jobs is the most captivating communicator on the world stage.  No one else comes close.  A Jobs presentation unleashes a rush of dopamine into the brains of his audience.” 

 How would you like someone to say that about you?  Wow!

So, here’s the Top Seven Things I Learned From Steve Jobs: 

1.  Storyboarding

Plan your presentation on paper in a story format before you ever open your presentation software.  Steve’s presentations contained all the elements of a play or movie:  conflict, resolution, villains and heroes.   Hours and hours were spent sketching and scripting the “play” before creating the slides.

2.  Few words, no bullet points!

Steve’s slides were simple, elegant, with very few words, and never bullet points.   They complemented Steve as the presenter, illustrating what he was saying with pictures, never competing for the audience’s attention.

3.  Rule of Three

Steve was a master at using the “rule of three”.  The average human brain can hold only small amounts of information in short term memory (while watching a presentation, for instance).  So, keeping key points to three, or  four at the most, helps the audience retain the material and stay focused and engaged.   

4.  One thought—one slide

Steve always focused on one thought or theme per slide and complemented the thought with a photo or graphic image.    And, of course, every slide was beautiful in its simplicity.

5.  Make numbers specific, relevant and contextual

Whenever Steve talked about numbers, he made those numbers meaningful.  When he talked about the storage capacity of the new iPod, he explained that 30GB of storage is enough memory for 7,500 songs, 25,000 photos or up to 75 hours of video.  Consumers could relate to those numbers.

6.  Use plain English and “fun” words

A Jobs presentation was void of jargon and complex language.  He spoke in clear, simple language and from time to time included “fun” words like,  “It’s amazingly zippy” when describing the iPhone 3G at a developer’s conference.  Jobs used words that were simple, concrete and emotional to describe a new product.

7.  Rehearse, rehearse , rehearse

Steve rehearsed everything, from the words he was going to say (with the proper inflection and tone), to the gestures, to the timing of the slides.  He was fanatical about rehearsing.  He made everything he did seem effortless!  That was possible only because of hours and hours of rehearsal.

I could go on and on with so many more things I learned about presenting from this master presenter.  Maybe I will in future posts.

Steve Jobs was one of a kind!  We’ll miss him.
I would love to hear your comments.

Attention entrepreneurs, small business owners, professionals, coaches…

I am passionate about ridding the world of boring, put-you-to-sleep bullet-point driven presentations.  Are you with me?

Would you like to learn how to create presentations that excite, entertain and inform your audience?

How about learning new cutting-edge ways of using PowerPoint including video, audio, graphics and storyboarding?

Why would you want to do this?  Would attracting more clients and making more money interest you?

Well, that’s what this website is all about—helping entrepreneurs like you to create and deliver the best presentation possible to grow your client list and revenue! 

In the weeks and months ahead, I will be posting valuable information right here and in my ezine to help you be a confident presenter.

So, HOW WELL DO YOU PRESENT?  Would you like to get an idea of how good your presentation skills are right now, what you might want to improve, and how to get the help you need?  Then sign up for my free presentation skills assessment tool which will help you determine just that.

All you have to do is put your name and email address  in the box in the upper right corner of this page and you will get immediate access!

I would love your comments and suggestions for what you would like to see me cover in this blog.

To your effective presentations,

Connie Horn, Presentation Coach