Michael Roller

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

As a consultant, our business lives and dies with each presentation. Each time we speak with a client, no matter how formal or informal, it is an opportunity to leave an impression that inspires them to ask us for help solving with their latest challenge. I also stress the importance of the public speaking to my students, and I often cite Steve Jobs as the best source of inspiration. Jobs is a great example for design students because he must always relate his message back to something tangible, whether it is one of Apple’s interfaces, products, or a retail experiences. The keynote of the original iPhone is my gold standard for tone, structure, and details of how a student should present their own work.

Recently, my design director lent me a copy of Carmine Gallo’s The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs. This is the second book on presentations that I’ve read in as many years, the other being Jerry Weissman’s Presenting To Win. Where the latter is a better reference, Gallo’s book is filled with inspiring examples, most of which can be reviewed on YouTube. The two books share a lot of the same points on preparation and structure, but there are some nice additions that come out when specifically studying Jobs.

Plan Plan Plan

As with many books on presentation, Gallo recommends that planning for a presentation is best done on paper, not on powerpoint. Jobs is a relentless planner, not a natural. A good presentation answers the questions, “What’s the one thing that matters most?” and “Why should you care?” for it’s audience. I’ll continue to promote this point only until I stop hearing speeches that fail to answer these questions.

Be The Protagonist

Products are not just products, they are solutions to some problem. We designers know better, but too often we forget this when it matters most. Through the lens of storytelling, solutions are the protagonists that save the day. Paint a vivid picture of your audience’s pain point (the antagonist) early in your presentation, always before you present your solution. Finally, end your speeches as Aristotle would, with a call to action.

The Holy Shit Moment

Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Scientist John Media reports, “The brain doesn’t pay attention to boring things…it does pay attention to an emotionally-charged event.” Plan a holy shit moment by telling a personal story, revealing some unexpected information, or delivering a demonstration that will be a memorable experience for your audience. Make sure you build up to the moment properly and rehearse to make it come off effortlessly.

Tags: books, consulting, presentations, student work, video

Ziba’s Strategic New Office Space

Ziba recently moved into their new, beautiful office space in Portland’s Pearl District. Lots of writers have already covered the space, designed by Holst Architecture. There’s lots of good coverage by Core77, including this video:

Inside Ziba Design’s New Headquarters from Core77 on Vimeo.

More interesting than the space itself, an inspiring and attractive studio is a strategic move. There are a few drawbacks to a space like this, mainly that the investment might not attract the types of clients and projects they’re looking for, but I’m pretty confident that won’t be a big issue. I’m going to take some guesses here, but I’m pretty sure Ziba created this space for one or more of the following reasons:

• To attract and retain the best design talent (Who wouldn’t want to work in that office?)
• To attract the coolest clients (both new and existing), probably ones who care about a strong aesthetic point of view
• To generate a more consistent and diverse revenue source through the first floor retail space
• To inspire themselves to do their best work
• Walking the talk; showing the value of investing in design to their clients first hand
• To become a more visible part of the Portland community
• Proof of their long track record of successful projects

What do you think of Ziba’s new office? What do you think is the best reason for design consultants to have a good space?

Tags: architecture, consulting, interior design, strategic aesthetics

Consultants: Up To Eleven

A few years ago, I once asked a friend for some insight as to why his company had been so consistently successful. He said, “We always overdeliver.”

Photographer Chase Jarvis just posted a similar piece of advice on his blog:

In my experience, the art director, creative director, the photo editor people–whoever are that people that hire you to create pictures–are exactly the same. If you continue to deliver the expected and nothing new, they get bored. Sure they’re safe in part – it’s why they have a job – but they’re perhaps a little bored. And they might be bored by you. And in the creative world, boredom equals death.

I’m glad Chase reminded me of this (and to Finn McKenty for sending it along). It’s easy to get caught up in meeting expectations, especially for your biggest clients. The truth is your best clients want you to exceed expectations, and they deserve it more than anyone else.

So if you’re planning to push for your new clients, and you need to push for your existing clients, then it simply adds up: always overdeliver.

Tags: consulting