Presentation secret: Pictures trump words

Help a boss avoid “death by PowerPoint” by stealing presentation tips from the famously charismatic CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs. Jobs is a gifted speaker, not necessarily because he was born with talent, but because he sticks to several strategies.

Carmine Gallo, communications coach and author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, points out that Jobs uses presentation software as a tool to visually complement his stories.

“PowerPoint is a tool,” says Gallo. “Those who think it’s evil don’t know how to use it.”

For example, we know that information is more effectively delivered with pictures instead of words. So PowerPoint becomes a very effective tool for delivering new or abstract information.

Gallo explains, “When Jobs introduced the iPod in 2001, he said it would allow you to carry 1,000 songs in your pocket—the headline. And to show you just how small it was, he said, 'iPod is the size of a deck of cards.’ It’s been years since I saw that presentation but I remember what he said. Why? Because the slide showed a deck of cards. Pictures trump words.”

— Adapted from “Q&A with Author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs,”  Thomas Wailgum, CIO.