Web extra: Delivering the Sales Jobs

In The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs—How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience (McGraw-Hill, 2010), communication skills coach Carmine Gallo analyzes Steve Jobs’ success as a captivating communicator. Jobs’ principal storytelling tactics include:

1. “Answer the one question that matters most.” Your listeners are asking themselves one question and one question only: “Why should I care?” Disregard this question and your audience will dismiss you. Reduce complex situations to simple solutions.

2. “Sell the benefit.” Don’t just describe your solution, explain why people should care (such as “Apple’s Genius tool creates playlists from songs in your library that go great together, with just one click”).

3. “Create Twitter-like headlines.” The social networking site has changed the way we communicate. Developing headlines that fit into 140-character sentences will help you sell your ideas more persuasively. Example: “Today Apple reinvents the phone!”

4. “Bullets kill.” There are no bullet points in a Steve Jobs presentation. That’s because text and bullets are the least effective way to deliver information intended to be recalled and acted upon. Instead, focus on single images to better convey your message.