For several months now, I have been watching and re-watching this moving speech from Steve Jobs. Yes, of course many of us miss him for being the towering presence of a man who was intensely creative and self disciplined – even controlling.
What fascinates me about this speech is how simple and effective it is in holding the attention of his audience – when I assume, many are nursing hang-overs!
- Attention grabbing start – he thanks everyone for the invitation then tells them he dropped out of college! A great way to make the new graduates sit up and take notice.
- Signposting – he lets us know what he’s going to do next.
- Story telling – he tells us 3 stories, “Connecting The Dots”, “Love And Loss” and “Death”
- Heartfelt – each story is from his own life at moments of crisis.
- Messages – messages embedded in the stories are learnings he gleaned from these moments of crisis. Powerful, persuasive and memorable.
This is a rich and successful man who has faced death and is giving valuable advice. He does it elegantly and with humour. He ends succinctly with the words, “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”.
Stay hungry, stay foolish, Steve Jobs. And thank you.
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