Presenting Like Apple
Apple presentations are fantastic
WWDC 2022 is just a few days away, which I always block off the time on my calendar because it is so valuable to see some of the best presentations in the tech industry.
For those who don't know, the World Wide Developers Conference is 1 of 3 or 4 public presentations Apple puts on during the year. These aren't your run-of-the-mill PPT presentations. Apple pulls out all the stops to showcase their latest technological advances.
Steve Jobs, the master communicator, was known to start rehearsing events 3 to 4 weeks before the event. To Jobs, this was a way for the public, and probably more important, the Apple fans and developers, to meet the company.
WWDC resources are just waiting for you
WWDC is unique because there is the main keynote, which is always the headliner. However, the whole week is full of smaller presentations that focus mainly on app development. A few years ago, Apple began providing digital access to most of these presentations for free to anyone and everyone interested.
I find these interesting enough to listen to them like a Podcast. Some intriguing presentations I have come across so far:
For those looking to gain a deeper understanding of Apple's design principles, their Developer site is unmatched.
The Presenting Design Work presentation
The most helpful and universal presentation I have come across is Presenting Design Work. The keynote by Alexander James O'Connell, a team member of Human Interface Design at Apple, explores how Apple expects design work to be presented internally.
Though I highly suggest that you head directly to this presentation on Apple's Developer website. However, the 10 overarching principles are still great to keep in mind the next time you present – especially presenting design work:
Ten principles of presenting designs
- Know your objectives
- Embrace feedback
- Seek advice
- Use your own voice
- Explain why
- Utilize storytelling
- Keep it simple
- Respect your audience
- Make it relatable
- Engage in dialogue
5. Explain why + audience buy-in
The point that stuck out to me most was: Explain why
Earlier in the presentation, O'Connell pointed out that you should never assume what your audience knows. That is what makes the "Explain why" so important – you need to gain buy-in from the audience if you expect them to adopt your idea.
It is imperative to:
- Break down your problem into a single sentence,
- Show that you are on the side of your audience
- Prove the problem exists
This reasoning should be grounded in objective reality; otherwise, how does the audience know you are solving a significant problem? Ultimately, you are gaining buy-in from the audience that will allow you to supercharge the rest of your presentation.
This principle, as well as the other 9, holds true beyond presenting design work. Whether it's a new service offering or announcing a new executive, it is imperative to gain buy-in from the audience. Or another way to say it, if you don't need buy-in from your audience, why are you presenting in the first place?
Plenty of valuable designer resources are available
Apple is one of the most valuable brands globally and is known for being fantastic at communicating visually. They offer plenty of free resources for people like you and me to become better designers and communicators – we just need to be willing to learn.
