Archive for the 'presenter' Category

The Five Things I learned from my TEDx Talk – Nerves never go away. Create your own ritual.

Published on in presenter, Resources, speaking with purpose and You the Presenter. Closed Tags: , , .

The Five Things I learned from my TEDx Talk

1. Nerves never go away. Create your own ritual.

2. Improvisation is the mindset for live events. Use the take-it-and-go approach.

3. You have to involve the audience. Plan your interactions.

4. Successful speaking comes in many styles. Find your speaking voice.

5. Timing a talk is the icing on the cake. Rehearsal is the key to perfect timing.

Over the next few blogs, I will share what I learned and how you can apply it to improve your public speaking skills. Here is part one:

 
1. Nerves never go away. Create your own ritual

I am sure you can relate to that feeling of worry which you feel before or during a public speech. Heart rate going a little faster. Sweat beads appearing on your forehead. But as an experienced speaker I rarely feel nervous. After all this is what I love doing and I really enjoy public speaking and sharing with an audience. So as the time for my TEDx talk came closer I found that I was getting all the symptoms. My mouth was a little dry and I couldn’t sit down without nervous energy building up. Why would this happen? Simply, the stakes were higher. The reputation of giving a TED talk and my own personal expectations to perform at a high level meant that this talk was more critical in my own mind.

So how can you reduce the inevitable nerves?

I have a ritual that I go through for conference speeches where I am faced by hundreds of people or TEDx talks where the potential audience is in the thousands or more. I like to move around while mentally tracing through my talk. I think about how I will open, move from one point to another, how to close and how to interact with the audience. I drink water to hydrate and by moving around I channel my nervous energy into physical energy. An important talk is a performance – a physical performance – so by preparing yourself physically you can start strong and allow your nerves to turn into enthusiasm. Before I go on stage I like to be alone but occasionally will have quick conversations to release more stress. I try to make myself and others laugh. This again puts me in the right frame of mind. I want to have light, engaging energy. I focus about the value and fun I will have with the audience. Once I get on stage and get started, my nerves disappear as I am focused on my audience and presentation delivery.

What is your ritual before your high stakes presentation?

Tick off a checklist to cover:

– Your opening 60 seconds

– How you will close

– Key transitions between slides

– How you will make eye contact with the audience

– Where you will stand

– How you will move around the stage

– Put yourself in a positive frame of mind

– Hydrate and get your physical presence ready

Next time I will have a look at another thing I learned from TEDx.

Warwick John Fahy runs workshops around Asia which help managers and senior managers from technical backgrounds to become more influential in business situations.

Warwick is Asia’s leading business presentation coach working with business leaders who need to influence clients, investors, shareholders and team members. His results-driven approach and deep cross cultural understanding make him a sought after business presentation coach throughout Asia. Download a free report “10 Warning Signs Your Leaders Lack Executive Presence” at http://www.warwickjohnfahy.com/

The King-Size Fears of Public Speaking

Published on in Deliver with Style, fearbuster, presenter and You the Presenter. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , .

Tips to improve your next presentation

Is the fear of public speaking really such a big fear? The uncomfortable moments in the Oscar winning The King’s Speech, probably felt painfully familiar to many who have been under pressure while presenting. It certainly did for me and as someone who went to a speech therapist for elocution lessons as a child it made me think what we can take away from watching a movie about a man learning to manage his stammer. This article will cover some of the good tips and dispel the bizarre.

The King’s Tip: Always stand up to deliver a speech of importance.

An engaging speaking voice is very relevant today, as many business presentations are given through teleconferences. The lack of visual cues makes it harder for listeners to catch the message and tougher for speakers to read the audience. Standing up places you in an assertive posture and allows deeper breathing from your diaphragm which aids better vocal quality projection. Opera singers could deliver with such a wide range while sitting. Strengthening your abdominal muscles enables you to better fill your lungs with air. So you now have another reason to get to the gym. It’s optional whether you would want to have your wife sitting on your stomach.

The King’s Tip: Gradually expand your ability to project your voice.

Adding strength and authority starts with becoming comfortable with the sound of your own voice. Before I became a professional speaker, I was incredibly shy and self-conscious when speaking to groups. Partly this is because I am a natural introvert like many professionals in finance, IT and engineering. This can’t be changed overnight but like any skill can be developed. Practise your presentation out aloud, ideally in a meeting room, and project your voice so that someone at the back of the room would hear. While you don’t need to sing out your windows, find fun excuses to raise your voice, like playing sports or refereeing a football match at your children’s school.

Aside from voice improvements, the movie also highlights the importance of preparation and rehearsal.

The King’s Tip: Great speakers are made, not born.

No infant starts to speak with a stammer and no one starts with a fear of public speaking. Conversely, no one is born a natural public speaker. Circumstances, experiences and environment all play a key part in how people develop. I had a bad experience in a school drama class that put me off public speaking for decades. The good news is that these fears can be overcome. Hard work and determination to improve are the greatest success factors in becoming an effective public speaker. How many presenters could match the King’s dedication when he visited his speech therapist 82 times before a six month world tour? Many presenters do not allocate any time to rehearse their speech. If you have three weeks to prepare a totally new 20 minute presentation allow between 30 minutes and 1 hour a day for preparation and time-block it in your calendar. You wouldn’t expect to become a better swimmer if you never went to the pool, so find the time to practice your speaking skills.

The King’s Tip: Learn to self-evaluate

You don’t learn by doing, you learn by re-doing. Accelerate your learning by listening to your presentation on a video or audio recorder. This highly effective way makes you more aware of the areas you need to focus on – if you can get over the embarrassment of looking or listening to yourself! After watching a recording, take a piece of paper and divide it into two halves. Write down all your strengths on one side and areas that you would like to improve on the other. You will be surprised after this exercise, sometimes you sound better than you imagined. Most audiences don’t judge us as harshly as we critique ourselves.

Tips to avoid

Tips to avoid include relaxing your throat by smoking deeply into your lungs! Voice care is important so drink plenty of water and add lemon or honey. You can also lightly massage your vocal chords before you start presenting. Another piece of bad advice is “always start with a joke”. While humour can connect with your audience, it’s such a high risk approach. You might offend, not deliver it with the best timing or just not tell a funny joke. Not the best way to start your presentation.

In addition to the above tips, The King’s Speech highlights two key lessons. Firstly, only you can change you. If you don’t want to improve or if you don’t think it’s that important then your progress will reflect that. Secondly, being consistent and realistic about changing an engrained behaviour is essential. Put some time aside to rehearse and the improvements will follow.

About the Author

Warwick J Fahy

“I work with high-potential senior executives who need to be more confident and influential with their key stakeholders. I help the executive quickly and powerfully express their opinions into message based presentations – even when under pressure.”  Learn more about who I help here.

Warwick is the author of “The One Minute Presenter: 8 steps to successful business presentations in a short attention span world”.  Buy or download the book here.

Now available on Amazon.com.

Sign up to “52 Tips to more confident public speaking” newsletter at www.warwickjohnfahy.com

If you have ever sat through a presentation and felt like this picture, then give us a call. We help executives learn how to get to the point and create memorable and persuasive presentations. Call us on +86 21 6101 0486

“Ever feel like the presenter is making too many points?”
“Ever feel like the presenter is making too many points?”

Photo credit: Piotr Bizior

Toastmasters: How to deliver an impromptu speech

Published on in Deliver with Style, eye contact, presenter, produce your message, Resources and You the Presenter. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .
young cheerful business man giving a presentat...

One very important skill to master is to appear certain and confident while you are delivering an unprepared speech. In this training – targeted at Toastmasters – you will learn to

  • Open with certainty
  • Structure for clarity
  • Close with confidence

In this 29 minute training presentation, Warwick John Fahy shares his experience in a high energy, often humourous experience which includes Warwick delivering a 2 minute unprepared speech at the end of the training – combining the lessons he has just delivered. You can download this training here (MP3, 26.6MB)

Warwick John Fahy is a Distinguished Toastmaster with almost 10 years experience as a Toastmaster delivering speeches in both English and Mandarin. Warwick was awarded the Presidential Citation in 2007 for his leadership in doubling the number of clubs in China and helping China move to district status.Warwick is an executive speech coach working with senior executives in multinationals across Greater China to help them become more influential with their key stakeholders.

Other Toastmasters trainings:

What Leslie Nielsen, ‘Airplane!’ and ‘Naked Gun’ star can teach business presenters

Published on in Deliver with Style, presenter and You the Presenter. Closed Tags: , , , , .
No need to be serious

No need to be serious

One of the funniest films of the 1980s has to be ‘Airplane’ – a parody of air travel – with Leslie Nielsen playing a deadpan role with a line that he became most known for. Amidst all the chaos going on in the movie, people would frequently say:

“Surely you can’t be serious!”

Nielsen’s character would reply:

“I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.”)

With a career spanning six decades, Nielsen is a good role model for business presenters. Here are a few things we can learn:

Be open to comedy

Nielsen played serious roles for over 30 years before he moved into comedy and parody roles, like the Naked Gun franchise. As business presenters are we open to comedy? I recommend that all presenters follow stand-up comedy as much as possible. There is nothing harder in the world that being in a dark room full of people with a microphone and having to make them laugh for 40 minutes. Watch as much stand up as you can -either live or on video. Buy a book on how to write a joke and bring humour into your business presentations whenever you can. Make sure that you are staying on the right side of good taste as a corporate presentation is not as racy as a comedy club. If you are not sure check with a friend before you deliver.

Be known for something

Nielson was best known for the above catchphrase. What is your catchphrase? What are you known for? I like the phrase “you get what you give” which acts as one of my guides in life. It prompts me to give as much value as I can as freely as I can. You might have a quotation from someone, or advice you received from a teacher. Have a handy catchphrase when you are presenting to your team – it can help them understand what drives you better and also help them catch your point.

Be in it for the long haul

In a world where Facebook keeps people busy and unproductive, the work ethic may be a thing of the past. I hope not. Nielsen worked into his 80s and appeared in over 100 films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying over 220 characters. Whatever field you are working in make sure that you are in for the long haul. Imagine you are on a 50 year career journey. What do you want to achieve? Putting off writing that book? Why not give yourself two years and set the target of writing 20 words a day. People underestimate what can be achieved through consistent effort and so they keep postponing starting a project.

Take a leaf out of Nielsen’s book and remember to be:

  1. Open to comedy

  2. Known for something

  3. In it for the long haul

And why not take another look at Airplane or Naked Gun and refresh yourself on how funny films really don’t need computer graphics to be funny.

e-book download : A copy of  The One Minute Presenter for only Usd10 here.

Why CEOs need to build executive presence among their senior executives

Published on in executive presence, presenter and You the Presenter. Closed Tags: , , , , , , .

One of the biggest problems that multinational companies face is having senior executives who lack executive presence. Productivity, profit and morale are all tied in with this concept. Companies urgently need to address this problem because it can increase efficiency in project execution, distribute key messages properly and improve morale through all levels of management.

Gives a Personal Brand

One of the most important things about executive presence is creating a personal brand. Executives create a message simply by the way people see and hear them, as well as think about them. Having a personal brand gets an executive noticed, which allows them to build a successful career and drive progress in their business. Executive presence and personal brand extend to all stakeholders, like customers. This gives the executive a distinct advantage as they project authority to individuals who they have never met, nor worked with. Many call this the “WOW” factor and people with it get listened to more and are often seen as a centre of influence. A personal brand is ingrained with a person’s executive presence; one cannot exist without the other. An executive with presence has a clearly defined awareness of who they are and the value they can bring their company.

Creates Credibility

If an executive shows up to talk with their team wearing a Hawaiian shirt, with cargo pants and sandals on, the executive team may not see the senior executive as a leader. If the company culture supports suit-wearing , dressing too casually will impact how people judge and respect the executive. This could lead to a lack of credibility and result in the executive being unable to motivate his team. All companies have a template of what a leader should be and successful executives match this image. However, executive presence comes from more that dress sense. Credibility is extremely important and something that comes when the executive is seen a true role model. Executives who cultivate their image as a role model are more highly regarded both inside and outside the firm.

Connecting With the Team

One of the most important aspects of executive presence is that it allows the executive to connect directly with their team. They make that person feel as though they are the most important person in the world. A skill that former President Bill Clinton was famous for displaying. This connection, or charisma, is based on superb listening skills and when carried with sincerity becomes an accelerator that drives the team to achieve outstanding results. While over-use of emails tends to diminish this impact, a high performing executive will use a blended approach. Encouraging team members who are located in different sites, while maximizing face time to ensure the team can see and feel the important the executive places on them. These personal connections result in higher performance and productivity. An executive with presence engages their team and keeps motivation high – through good and bad times.

Conclusion

The greatest business leaders all have executive presence. Richard Branson and Steve Jobs use their executive presence to influence their team members as well as their stakeholders. This results in successful companies with highly committed people and a loyal customer base. Today’s executives need to raise their game to match this high benchmark, as the future of their business growth depend on it.

Resource Box

Warwick John Fahy coaches senior finance executives to influence key stakeholders, like clients, regulators, and investors with the innovative model: “The Bamboo Leader –  8 executive presence competencies for multinationals in Greater China”. To arrange an initial free “Build Executive Presence” consultation (value 200 Euros), call Jeremy Potts today +86 21 6101 0486 or download a free White Paper on Building Executive Presence at http://www.thebambooleader.com

Warwick is the author of the acclaimed book, The One Minute Presenter – 8 steps to successful business presentations in a short attention span world. For free executive speaking tips visit http://www.oneminutepresenter.com/blog

For a media interview call +86 1391 786 7502.

Copyright 2010 Warwick John Fahy All rights reserved.

Executive Branding: Three Steps to build a senior management career Part 1 of 3 : Find your passion

Published on in presenter. Closed Tags: , , , .

Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said almost 2,500 years ago, ‘there is nothing permanent except change’. Certainly this is true in the modern workplace. Over the last decade it has become increasingly mobile, uncertain and fluid with organizational change increasing the number of short term project-based work positions, a shift in emphasis of career management from the company to the individual, and numerous mega-trends like outsourcing, and freelancing putting even more pressure on the once stable and reliable working environment.

The result has been that many middle managers are becoming commodities in the talent marketplace. Uncertain about their futures and overwhelmed by the wave of social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN that have unleashed a tidal wave of information to soak up on a daily basis. To make matters worse, up-and-coming younger managers are ambitious, have absolutely no problem in promoting themselves and are much more comfortable with the mobile communications and social networking world we live in.

So how does a middle manager with aspirations to become an executive cope?

They need a personal brand. In “Be your Own Brand”, McNally and Speak define a personal brand as “a perception or emotion that somebody has, that describes the total experience of having a relationship with them.” In other words, everyone has a brand and it’s what people are saying about us. A good way of thinking about a personal brand is to “become more of who you are”. In short, project an unique passion. Let’s take a look at this in more detail.

Find the passion

Let’s begin with passion. When it comes to career, most people would rather be doing something else. Ask the question, “What would you do with your life today if you did not need to work for money?” and not many executives would keep working 12 hours a day in their current job. Most people do have a long list of things they would like to do, be or have. These passions, hobbies and interests are delayed because many executives justify the hard work of today with the belief that they will be able to enjoy them sometime in the future. That’s not a good idea because early retirement is a killer. A British Medical Journal research study, carried out over 26 years, found that the mortality rate among early retirees was almost twice as high in the first ten years after retirement, with men more likely to die at a young age than women.

The one thing that reversed this trend? A healthy active lifestyle. Leonardo da Vinci stayed creative his whole life. He didn’t retire. Tim Ferriss in the 4-Hour Workweek calls for mini-retirements. Use this technique to find a passion. First, an executive should write down a list of what gives them energy and makes them enthusiastic. Ask them to think back to the things they loved to do as a child. Second, cross off items that only relate to personal gain (shopping for another handbag) and that do not have any productive outcomes (watching TV alone). Finally, go through the list and circle any items that they would be willing to do even if they won’t get paid for it. Ask the executive to read through the list, and note down how much time they are investing in their passions today and how they could start increasing this time.

One auto executive had a passion for fussball (table football). He shifted from playing fussball in bars (fun but relatively unproductive) to organizing a fussball league. Then he moved onto training youth to play fussball, finding sponsors to buy tables and training facilities. Finally, he was even consulted by the national fussball association on how to develop the game. That’s how to turn a passion into something much much bigger!

All executives need to find a way to work these into their current work schedules, while also taking some time at the weekend or evening to learn more, join a club or teach other people about their interests. The more an executive works with their passions, the more authentic they become.

Watch out for Part 2. What else should an executive do to build their personal brand?

RESOURCE BOX

Warwick John Fahy is the international executive speech coach for senior executives, business leaders and entrepreneurs who need to influence clients, investors, shareholders and team members. His highly practical approach and deep cross cultural intelligence have made him a sought-after business presentation coach throughout the world.

Warwick is the author of the acclaimed book, The One Minute Presenter – 8 steps to successful business presentations in a short attention span world. For free executive speaking tips visit http://www.oneminutepresenter.com/blog

To arrange presentation skills training or coaching to build your executive presence visit this web site.

For a media interview call +86 1391 786 7502.

Copyright 2010 Warwick John Fahy All rights reserved.

Theater Rehearsals: What Executive Presenters Must Know Part 4 of 5: Step 4 : Tops and Tails

Published on in Create Your Connection, digital natives, presenter, rapport and You the Presenter. Closed Tags: , , , , .

To view the other steps in this series, see Step 1 “Script read through” , Step 2 “Run Through” and Step 3 “Cue to Cue”

Step 4 : Tops and Tails
The two most important parts of a presentation are the opening and closing. Both parts attract the greatest audience attention and are the best opportunities to deliver a takeaway message. They are often delivered at a higher level of authority and punch. Take the opening two minutes and rehearse as a stand-alone section. Record it and while listening to the recording, look for ways to make the delivery more impactful. Use crisper and sharper words. Make a closer connection to the audience with words they relate with. Likewise, repeat this approach with the closing. This is the final chance to convey the message and leave the audience with a positive impression.

Related articles:

iPad product launch: What Makes Steve Jobs a Great Presenter?

RESOURCE BOX

Warwick John Fahy is the international executive speech coach for senior executives, business leaders and entrepreneurs who need to influence clients, investors, shareholders and team members. His highly practical approach and deep cross cultural intelligence have made him a sought-after business presentation coach throughout the world.

Warwick is the author of the acclaimed book, The One Minute Presenter – 8 steps to successful business presentations in a short attention span world. For free executive speaking tips visit http://www.oneminutepresenter.com/blog

To arrange presentation skills training or coaching to build your executive presence visit this web site.

For a media interview call +86 1391 786 7502.

Copyright 2010 Warwick John Fahy All rights reserved.

Theater Rehearsals: What Executive Presenters Must Know Part 2 of 5: Run Through

Published on in Memory, presenter and You the Presenter. Closed Tags: , , , .

run-throughs-bw

To see Step 1, click here.

Step 2: Run Through

With an outline in hand it’s time to have a run through. This should be rehearsed until the content is memorized. Find blocks of rehearsal time. Instead of going to a restaurant at lunch, grab a sandwich and take a walk in the park. While walking around, talk through the presentation without looking at notes. Speak it out while driving into work, or book a meeting room to practice the delivery. The key here is that it should be spoken aloud as new ideas will arise while the delivery becomes smoother. Don’t use a computer or any slides at this point. The aim is to be 100% comfortable with the flow and content.

This is the step often overlooked by business presenters. Master this step and you will be confident that you know your content forwards and backwards.

Related Articles:

Product Launch like an Executive – Memorable product launches with taglines Part 2

Executive Presence: Memorize your content with taglines

Writing taglines that are memorable

RESOURCE BOX

Warwick John Fahy is the international executive speech coach for senior executives, business leaders and entrepreneurs who need to influence clients, investors, shareholders and team members. His highly practical approach and deep cross cultural intelligence have made him a sought-after business presentation coach throughout the world.

Warwick is the author of the acclaimed book, The One Minute Presenter – 8 steps to successful business presentations in a short attention span world. For free executive speaking tips visit http://www.oneminutepresenter.com/blog

To arrange presentation skills training or coaching to build your executive presence visit this web site.

For a media interview call +86 1391 786 7502.

Copyright 2010 Warwick John Fahy All rights reserved.

Product Launch like an Executive – Memorable product launches Part 3

Published on in Deliver with Style, Finish on Time, presenter and You the Presenter. Closed Tags: , , , , .

preparing-rehearsal-video-camera-and-man1In part three of this three part look at product launches, we will build on “Less is More” as featured in Part 1 here and Taglines in Part 2.

Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse

One of the most overlooked part of a presentation preparation is the rehearsal. Most presenters think making a slide deck is enough. Or silently clicking through slides. While others may deliver it out aloud while alone in the office. Any rehearsal is good rehearsal, but the best type is putting yourself in the actual same situation that you will face on the day.

Jobs is a role model as he conducts live on-stage rehearsals to ensure every aspect is thought through from start until finish. He is known for putting in hours at a time in the days leading up to the big day. This has helped create a culture of presentation prowess in Apple that showed in the launches that were given by Job’s colleagues in his absence due to surgery. Are you a role-model for presenting in your company?

Allocate one whole day before your next big presentation and spend the day rehearsing in a live environment with your slides, projector, and clicker ideally on the actually stage that you will deliver the product launch. If there is a question and answer section in your presentation, rehearse that too by inviting your team members to fire questions at you from the floor. Time spent in live rehearsal will show when you deliver with style on the day.
Make sure you don’t sell your next product short by cutting corners on the big presentation launch. Investing time to deliver a visually stimulating, tagline-rich message will allow all your stakeholders to walk away with an easy-to-remember message. A good presentation can then be passed onto your sales team to use in front of key accounts and helps your marketing team push a consistent powerful message through your usual marketing channels. An added benefit will be that your high standards of presentation preparation will trickle down to your team members.

RESOURCE BOX

Warwick John Fahy is the international executive speech coach for senior executives, business leaders and entrepreneurs who need to influence clients, investors, shareholders and team members. His highly practical approach and deep cross cultural intelligence have made him a sought-after business presentation coach throughout the world.

Warwick is the author of the acclaimed book, The One Minute Presenter – 8 steps to successful business presentations in a short attention span world. For free executive speaking tips visit http://www.oneminutepresenter.com/blog

To arrange presentation skills training or coaching to build your executive presence visit this web site.

For a media interview call +86 1391 786 7502.

Copyright 2010 Warwick John Fahy All rights reserved.

iPad product launch: What Makes Steve Jobs a Great Presenter?

Published on in Create Your Connection, Deliver with Style, Events, interaction, presenter, produce your message, rapport and Visual presentations. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .
ipad
The new iPad
by Rebecca Hong

Steve Jobs is my favorite presenter for his ability to get his message across so clearly and effectively. I love listening to his commencement speech in Stanford University entitled “Stay Hungry Stay Foolish”. This morning I listened to Steve’s iPad product launch presentation. Steve Jobs proves himself to be a great presenter again. I would like to evaluate his presentation from a presentation skills perspective. I won’t touch upon the technical side even though I am fully sold that iPad is a phenomenal gadget.

Let me tell you why I think Steve Jobs is a great presenter.

1. Well-designed Structure/Organization

A great presentation starts by having a well designed structure/organization. So let’s first look at the structure of his presentation; the opening, body and closing. Please pay special attention to some very good transitions in between points.

Opening

Steve Jobs first overviewed of the company status-mainly good news about product sales and the large customer base. Then he threw out a question: “Is there a 3rd category device between a smart phone and a laptop?” The answer is: iPad.

Body

  1. Overview of what iPad can do.

Transition: “So that gives you a little overview of what the iPad can do, but it’s nothing like seeing it. So I’d like to show it to you now.”

Demo of what iPad can do.

– web surfing: New York Times, Buy movie tickets, National Geography

– emails

– photos

– calendar

– address book

– maps: Google Map

– video: Youtube, TV, movies,

II. Hardware features of iPad

III. 3rd party software features of iPad: App Store (presented by Scott Forstall, Apple Senior VP of iPod Software)

Demo of online game

Demos from several 3rd party software developers/content providers

IV. New App: iBooks (Steve Jobs back to present)

Overview

Demo

Transition: “Now, something very exciting: the iWork.”

V. App: iWork for iPad (presented by Phil Schiller, Sr VP Product Marketing)

Overview

Demo

– Keynote

– Pages

– Numbers

VI. Sync with iTunes (Steve Jobs back to present)

VII. Wireless networking in US and internationally

VIII. Pricing

First gave the product benefits: what iPad can do, Apps, iBook App, iWork App.

Then gave a price in pundits’ opinion: $999

Then shows the actual price: $499 and the more expensive models with higher capacity

IX. 3 Accessories

– a dock to view photos

– a key board dock

– a case for protection and serves as stand

X. Video of iPad

Closing

Echo the opening

Call for action: get your hands on it to feel it.

2. Subtle Salesmanship

Steve Jobs utilized this product launch opportunity not only to introduce the new product but also to persuade the audience to own it by adding many salesmanship lines. Let’s see how he made his sales pitch subtle but effective.

Example 1. After the demo of what the iPad can do, Steve said, “I have to say, though, watching it is nothing like getting it in your hands and feeling it right underneath your fingers.” This is to tell the audience that you need to own this gadget to really feel its charm.

Example 2. When it’s time to unveil the price of iPad, Steve first recapped the product benefits: what iPad can do, Apps, iBook App, iWork App. Then he didn’t tell the price right away. But to build some suspense and also contrast, he gave a price in pundits’ opinion: $999. Of course, the actual price is much lower: $499 for the most basic model and higher prices for other more advanced models. Here Steve used two skills. The first one is to mention benefits before the price so that buyers are reminded of the wonderful benefits of this product first and then are more likely to accept the price. The second skill Steve used is to give a higher price first and then the real lower price. This contrast of prices naturally makes the buyer feel the actual price is really low and it’s a great deal to get it at this price.

Example 3. At the end of the speech, Steve called for action to own this product. “So we’ve got a hands-on area next door, we’d like to get you to get your hands on an iPad because when you feel all this power, and this much fun and the internet in your hands, you will never want to go back.” This call to action is effective because it is not a hard sale. Rather it appeals to the emotions: the desire to feel, to have fun, and the need to try something cutting-edge.

3. Echo between the Opening and the Closing

When you first listen to the opening of the presentation, you might think that it seems a bit irrelevant to the main topic of this presentation, the iPad launch. But when you listen to the closing of the presentation, you will realize that actually the opening is well structured to serve as a set up for the closing. The opening’s main message of Apple having a massive customer base links to the closing message that this massive customer base is exactly the customer foundation for iPad and why iPad will take off strong in the market.

Let’s have a close look of how the opening and the closing echo with each other.

  1. Opening: “Everybody uses a laptop or smart phone… Is there a room for the 3rd category of device in the middle? Something between a laptop and a smart phone?”

Closing: “So let’s go back to the beginning. Do we have what it takes to establish a 3rd category product, an awesome product that’s in between a laptop and a smart phone…We think we got the goods. We think we’ve done it.”

  1. Opening: “A few weeks ago, we have sold our 25millionth iPod.”

Closing: “Because we’ve shipped over 75million iPhones and iTouchs, there are over 75 million people already know how to use the iPad.”

  1. Opening: “A few weeks ago, we announced that a user downloaded the 3 billionth application from the App Store.”

Closing: “Users have downloaded 12 billion products from these stores (iTune, iApps and iBooks), so we are at scale and we are ready for the iPad.”

  1. Opening: “We’d like to kick off 2010 by introducing a truly magical and revolutionary product today.”

Closing: “Now the iPad, if you can sum it up, is our most advanced technology in a magical & revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.”

4. A Strong Tagline

A good speech, no matter how long or short it is, should be able to be crystallized into a sentence or even a phrase, which we call a tagline. Steve Jobs gave this iPad a clear and strong tagline:

“iPad is a truly magical and revolutionary product.”

(Short version, used in the opening)

“iPad our most advanced technology in a magical & revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.”

(Longer version, used in the closing)

This longer version tagline perfectly crystallized the features of iPad: advanced technology, magical, revolutionary and the affordable price.

However, I do have some recommendation to make this tagline stronger. The problem with the current tagline is that it puts the focus on the most advanced technology, which is too technical oriented. I would recommend to change it to focus on its emotional appeal:

“iPad is a truly magical & revolutionary device with our most advanced technology at an unbelievable price.”

(recommended tagline)

The changed version puts the emotional appeal of “a truly magical & revolutionary device” as the focus in this tagline to make it more user oriented rather than technology oriented.

5. Well Paced Speed and Great Use of Pauses

If there is one thing that differentiates Steve Jobs from other great speakers, it is his speaking speed. Steve’s speaking speed is about 100-120 words per minute while a normal English speaker’s speed is about 210 words per minute. This means Steve is 50% slower when he speaks. Why does Steve Jobs speak slowly? Because he enunciates each word clearly and he takes time to emphasize the key words and messages. The effect of his slow pace is that audience will feel very comfortable following him without being rushed or missing anything he said. As a result he gets his message across successfully.

Here is an example of how he uses pauses effectively. When he made the statement that “Now the iPad, if you can sum it up, is our most advanced technology in a magical & revolutionary device at an unbelievable price”, Steve puts three pauses in this sentence to let the audience hear and get the three features clearly:

“Now the iPad, if you can sum it up, is our most advanced technology [pause] in a magical & revolutionary device [pause] at an unbelievable price [pause].”

6. Beautiful Selection of Words

Listening to a speech with beautiful words is like listening to a masterpiece of music. Steve Jobs is one of the speakers who carefully selects his use of words. He uses many adjectives in his presentations and metaphors to create mental pictures in audience minds.

Example 1. “This is around 18 months since its inception, 3 billion applications from App Store.”

Example 2. “The e-book app. Amazon has done a great job of pioneering this functionality with Kindle and we are going to stand on their shoulders and go a little further.”

7. Show of Emotions

A good presenter connects with the audience on a personal level by expressing his own emotions. Steve Jobs is such a presenter. Here is a good example: “We just ended our holiday quarter, our 1st fiscal quarter of 2010, with $15.6 billions of revenue. I don’t even believe that!”

8. Repetition of Key Lines

Steve Jobs knows the power of repetition to strike his main messages in the audience minds. Here are two examples:

Example 1. “By revenue, Apple is the biggest mobile device company in the world now… Apple is the #1 mobile device company in the world.”

Example 2. “Now the iPad, if you can sum it up, is our most advanced technology in a magical & revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.” (repeated once)

9. One Message per Slide

In all Apple’s presentations, you will see what it means to have one message per slide. Besides, the most important message is put in bigger font while narratives in smaller font. Here is one example:

Sample slide:

50,000,000

Visitors last quarter

10. Never Forget to Promote the Company/Brand

Steve Jobs smartly utilized the product launch opportunity to promote the company and build up its Apple brand. Here are two examples.

Example 1. In the beginning of the presentation, Steve Jobs gave a positioning to Apple: “Apple is a mobile devices company. That’s what we do.” If you think Apple is just a digital appliance company, then after listening to this speech, you know that to be specific, Apple is a mobile devices company.

Example 2. At the end of the presentation, Steve Jobs reiterated the competitive advantage of Apple: “We’ve always tried to be at the crossroad of technology and liberal arts, to be able to get the best of the both.” This is what differentiates Apple from other technical companies.

So the above ten skills were demonstrated by Steve Jobs in his 1.5 hour iPad product launch presentation. Steve is a role model as a highly effective technical presenter. But only seeing is believing. So go to www.apple.com to see it with your own eyes and listen with your own ears.