MASTER STAGE PRESENCE 173
use gestures. McNeill has found that very disciplined, rigorous,
and confident thinkers use hand gestures that reflect the clarity
of their thinking—it’s like a window to their thought process.
Use hand gestures to emphasize your point. Be careful,
however, that your hand gestures do not become robotic or
overrehearsed. In other words, don’t copy Jobs and his manner-
isms. Be yourself. Be authentic.
Say It with Style
Steve Jobs uses his voice as effectively as his gestures. His con-
tent, slides, and demos create excitement, but his delivery
ties the package together. When he introduced the iPhone in
January 2007, he told a magnificently woven story, and his
vocal expression provided just the right amount of drama. We
reviewed the announcement and its slides in previous chapters.
Now let’s focus on how Jobs said what he said. It is a package
Few among us have the public-speaking confidence to rival
Cisco CEO John Chambers. People are often shocked the first
time they watch him give a presentation. Like a preacher,
Chambers roams among the audience. He spends only a
minute or two onstage at the beginning of his presentation
before stepping into the crowd. Chambers walks right up to
people, looks them in the eye, calls some by name, even places
his hand on someone’s shoulder. Very few people have the
confidence to pull this off.
I know as a fact that Chambers’s confidence is the result of
hours of relentless practice. He knows every word on each of
his slides, and he knows exactly what he’s going to say next.
Observers have said watching a Chambers presentation is an
“astonishing” experience. Be astonishing. Rehearse your pre-
sentation, and pay close attention to your body language and
verbal delivery.Is That a CEO or a Preacher?