Steve Jobs and the Power of the Story

Remember Steve Jobs’ presentations of the IPod, IPhone, or IPad? They were electrifying unveilings and almost by themselves created the world’s most valuable brand. He had fresh ideas enveloped in sleek design. He had simply, cleverly designed slideshows, but his real secret was storytelling. He told the story of each product – each of which he introduced as a groundbreaking milestone – as if it were the next chapter in Apple’s story. The reason his products and company became universally popular was because he invited consumers to become part of that story. We humans are storytelling creatures and we respond to and remember stories more strongly than anything else. In this week’s Simply CSOFT, we’re going to examine how Steve Jobs used the power of storytelling and how you can leverage it in your next meeting.

The Arc. Stories follow a predictable path – introduction, action, climax, and resolution – and so did Steve Jobs’ presentations. When he launched the first IPhone, he started off giving a bit of background, talking about Apple’s history and track record of revolutionary new products. Then he introduced the hero of the day, the IPhone, and a villain – the traditional mobile phone and the then not-so-smart smartphone. In an emotionally charged climax, he described all the ways in which the IPhone would overcome the problems of the phone market. Towards the end of his presentation, he said simply “It looks pretty doggone gorgeous;” the perfect conclusion. Your stories should be the same. When planning your pitch, ask yourself:

1. What background information does my audience need? Give a little bit of history, talk about the current situation, and then introduce the hero (solution) of your story.
2. What tale does this story tell? Against what villain is your hero struggling? Make the conflict into something bigger, peppering your story with statistics and details embellished with emotionally charged language.
3. How is the conflict resolved? How does your hero overcome the villain? What fabled abilities allow it to prevail? At this point, your intensity and the intensity of your story should have reached its peak.
4. What message do you want the audience to walk away with? What imagery and what feeling do you want to leave them with? The end of your story is essentially a summarization but it’s also a chance for you to make a lasting impression. Try to encapsulate your story in one sentence. Steve Jobs did a great job of this in 2007 with the short, simple line, “Apple reinvents the phone.”

If you follow these tips the next time you need to present in a meeting, sell somebody on an idea, or really communicate anything at all, your audience will remember it. We all have a hard time holding on to facts and figures and most presentations tend to leave us unintentionally zoning out; storytelling changes that. You audience will walk away remembering how they felt, the images they saw in their own imagination as you told your story, and they’ll be far more likely to have a positive opinion of you and your ideas.

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