Your Displays Could Be Too Sophisticated. Steve Jobs Confirmed a Higher Means
Want to hold a room? Give your words some breathing room.
EXPERT OPINION BY ANDREA WOJNICKI, EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION COACH AT TALK ABOUT TALK
October 2026 marks 15 years since Steve Jobs died. His legacy lives on in technology, retail, design, and, even communication. I run a series of workshops for physicians and healthcare leaders. As prework for the workshop I ask them to watch his 2007 iPhone launch presentation. It’s iconic.
When I interviewed fellow Inc. columnist Carmine Gallo on my Talk About Talk podcast, he called Jobs the greatest brand storyteller in the world. We talked about how he kept both his language and his slides simple.
I’ve written before about gravitas, about building your credibility, and about using AI to communicate better. Keeping it simple is part of all three, and it’s a skill any leader can build.
1. Shorter is better.
People ask me all the time how long
People ask me all the time how long their self-introduction should be. I always say shorter is better. Less is more.
Refreshed leadership advice from CEO Stephanie Mehta
You can use the present-past-future framework to communicate with impact, not volume. Start with who you are and what you do. Share a few relevant points from your background. Finish with what you’re looking forward to. Ideally, that last part connects to the people you’re speaking with.
Within that structure, choose the details that are relevant to the context and your audience. A potential client and a new colleague may need to hear different things about you.
Aim to take slightly less time than the average of the people introducing themselves before you. If everyone else takes a minute, you can probably finish a little sooner. And please, don’t be that guy who spends ten minutes talking about himself in a 30-minute meeting.
Source: www.inc.com
