Page 148 - The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience by Carmine Gallo

SHARE THE STAGE 129

Jobs returned to the stage and, knowing that many people
would be unhappy, sounded like a stern father as he admon-
ished the audience to embrace the relationship. “If we want to
move forward and see Apple happy and prospering, we have to
let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose,”
Jobs said. “If we screw up, it’s not somebody else’s fault; it’s our
fault . . . If we want Microsoft Office on the Mac, we’d better
treat the company that puts it out with a little bit of gratitude.” 2
Great actors are often said to be “giving”; they help other
actors in the scene give better performances. When Jobs intro-
duces another person onstage—an employee, a partner, or a
former nemesis such as Gates—he’s the most giving of perform-
ers. Everyone needs to shine for the good of the show.

The Brain Craves Variety

The brain doesn’t pay attention to boring things. Not that Jobs
is boring. Far from it. However, our brains crave variety. No one,
no matter how smooth and polished, can carry an audience for
long before his or her listeners start to glance at their watches.
Great speechwriters have known this for years. Speeches written
for John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama were
scripted to last no longer than twenty minutes. A Jobs keynote
presentation lasts much longer, of course, closer to 1.5 hours,
but Jobs keeps it interesting by incorporating demonstrations,
video clips, and—very important—guest speakers.

Know What You Don’t Know

In October 2008, Apple introduced new MacBook laptops crafted
from single blocks of aluminum. The design breakthrough
allowed Apple to build mobile computers that were lighter and
stronger than previous designs. “Let’s talk about notebooks. We
want to talk about some technologies and discoveries that we’ve
made that help us build notebooks in some new ways,” Jobs said. 3
However, instead of describing the new process himself, Jobs
introduced Jony Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of design.