Book Review: The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs by Carmine Gallo

By Jon, on June 1st, 2010
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The-Presentation-Secrets-of-Steve-Jobs “How to be insanely great in front of any audience”

That’s pretty much what Steve Jobs is, right? Insanely great. It even sounds like a phrase Steve would use to describe the products he’s so passionate about.

It’s not to anyone’s surprise that Carmine Gallo’s book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience is a great resource for anyone interested in not only presenting, but also communicating. Steve Jobs is widely recognized as one of the world’s best presenters – turning his Keynote talks into entertainment experiences more similar to the opening of a blockbuster movie than to a CEO talking about his new products. “Some people go to great lengths to…[watch Steve Jobs present], even spending the night in freezing temperatures to ensure the best seat at one of his speeches” writes Gallo. But I’m figuring if you read this blog, I don’t have to explain to you who Steve Jobs is.

Gallo takes a fantastic approach to this book, not just examining and explaining Jobs’ presentation style, but quoting educational psychologists like Dr. Richard Mayer and award winning presentation designers like Nancy Duarte to prove exactly why Jobs’ presentation style is so effective. Along the lines of Jobs’ presentation style, Gallo separates the sections of the book not in chapters, but in Acts with multiple scenes and even intermissions to offer extra presentation tips. Gallo even wraps up each scene with “Directors Notes”, encapsulating the major takeaways from that particular scene.

Much of the information offered in this book can be had if you read Garr Reynolds’ Presentation Zen and Nancy Duarte’s slide:ology, but this is the only book that connects the presentation tips to Jobs’ execution, giving readers the confidence to implement this type of presentation style.

Connecting Job’s presentation style to the methodology based on simplicity and storytelling that Reynolds, Duarte, and many others teach is quite important. As a presentation designer and consultant, I often run into opposition when explaining why the text heavy, bullet-point ridden slide presentations we often see are not only bad but counterproductive. It’s hard for anyone to accept this “radical” way of presenting because it’s utilized correctly by so few (relatively speaking). Lucky for us, Steve Jobs is one of those few, and Apple’s success is proof enough. That’s exactly where this book comes in handy – to connect those dots.

This book is an obvious must-have for presentation designers, but I think it can be a handy tool for anyone in sales and marketing, or basically anyone who has an idea to share. It goes beyond just the visual design of Jobs’ presentation and highlights how he conveys his passion and ideas so well. It outlines audience needs, offers a framework for the Ultimate Elevator Pitch, and even talks about leadership.

I highly recommend it, and you can purchase it here.

Full Disclosure: All links to the book are referral links, but all opinions on this book are 100% honest.  I purchased the book on my own and was not asked to review it.  I only recommend books I’ve read and believe my readers will find value in.

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