Page 102 - The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience by Carmine Gallo

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Obey the Ten-
Minute Rule
our audience checks out after ten minutes. Not in
eleven minutes, but ten. We know this valuable fact
thanks to new research into cognitive functioning.
YSimply put, the brain gets bored. According to molec-
ular biologist John Medina, “The brain seems to be making
choices according to some stubborn timing pattern, undoubt-
edly influenced by both culture and gene.” Medina says
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peer-reviewed studies confirm the ten-minute rule, as do his
own observations. In every college course Medina teaches, he
asks the same question: “Given a class of medium interest, not
too boring and not too exciting, when do you start glancing at
the clock, wondering when the class will be over?” The answer
is always exactly the same—ten minutes.
Steve Jobs does not give the brain time to get bored. In a thirty-
minute period, his presentations include demonstrations, a second
or even third speaker, and video clips. Jobs is well aware that even
his gifts of persuasion are no match for a tired brain constantly
seeking new stimuli.
Exactly ten minutes into his presentation at Macworld 2007—
and not a second more—Jobs revealed a new Apple television
commercial for iTunes and iPods (the one with a dark silhouette
of people dancing in front of brightly colored backgrounds—
the silhouettes are holding iPods, and the stark white earphones
noticeably stick out). “Isn’t that great?” Jobs said as the commer-
cial ended. Jobs essentially provided an “intermission” between
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