Gates, Jobs, & the Zen presentation aesthetic

We've commented previously that we believe Steve Jobs to be one of the best presenters in all of business. Well, an article just appeared on memorandum.com that does a very nice job of comparing the presentation Zen of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

Two points from the article really hit home with me. First, was the definition of kanso, or simplicity in the Zen aesthetic:

Says artist, designer and architect, Dr. Koichi Kawana, "Simplicity means the achievement of maximum effect with minimum means."

While that may sound awfully artsy, it's a huge contrast to today's tyranny of too much in most presentations, media, commerce, and every day life. Said another way, it's a differentiating philosophy for smart marketers and communicators.

The second point made by the blog was Jobs' use of blank slides in the presentation when he wants the audience to listen to him. I have watched many Jobs' presentations, but I never really thought about the fact that these blank slides provide emphasis for his story telling.

Overall, it's a great article and one that professional presenters (i.e., most business people) should read.

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