how to live before you die

Steve JobsIs an American entrepreneur

whom is best known as the co-founder of Apple Inc. and

Pixar Studios. He is recognized for his influential

career in computer and consumer electronics fields.

At his Stanford University commencement speech titled,

“HOW TO LIVE BEFORE YOU DIE”

Jobs urges students to pursue our dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks – including death itself.

Jobs captured the attention of the audienceof college graduates in his introduction by comically admitting that he is a college drop out. He then tells the audience that he is going to tell them three meaningful

stories about himself that taught him about life.

“It was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very very clear looking backwards

ten years later. Again, you can’ connect the dots looking

forward, you can only connect them looking backwards.”

He maintained the engagement of the

audience throughout the speech through sharing his inspiring personal experiences in life that showed the

audience that his failures fueled his

success. He shared stories that portrayed

his failure and hardships as the

events that made him who he is.

SHOW US THE REAL YOUIs the TED commandment that Steve Jobs follows best. This is because he uses anecdotes of personal stories to portray a message that encourages people to make mistakes and failures in order to achieve success. Even though Jobs had been previously rejected in life, he pursued his passions because he loved what he did. He encourages the audience to follow big dreams and trust yourself.

“I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going, was that I loved that I did. You’ve got to find what you love…the only way to do great work is to love

what you do.”

Dynamism Rating:

4I would rate Steve Job’s level of dynamism during his speech at a 4. His speech was read in an manuscripted manner, and could have connected with the audience more personally if done more extemporaneously. He also did not engage in much animation or gesturing, however, he was obviously passionate and inspiring to a young audience and was highly respected for what he shared.

The main tips suggested by Garr Reynolds and Nancy Duarte that was utilized in this speech were the use of humor and anecdotes or personal stories. Jobs included subtle humor as comic relief during his heavy topics about his past personal experiences in his life that others could learn from.

What I learned about delivery based upon watching Steve Job’s commencement speech is that sharing your own stories and experiences is a great way to connect and be honest with your audience, which captures attention and interest.

The main difference between these two speakers is how they portrayed the delivery of the speech. Steve Jobs placed himself in one spot and read from a manuscript, where as Sir Ken Robinson was very mobile and conversational when speaking to his audience. Robinson used more humor while Job’s speech was more serious. The two speakers compared by utilizing anecdote devices as stories and examples to portray their ideas and relate to listeners. Overall, both are outstanding public speakers.

One important tip I’d like to give to my classmates on delivery for their upcoming speeches based on my TED talk is to not be afraid to share information about yourself in order to get a message across to an audience by personally connecting to them.

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