As a tribute to our techie hero, who brought us wonderful and revolutionary advancements in personal electronics, here is an analysis on just what makes his speech so great. After all, one of his greatest traits was his unparalleled charisma.
1. Compartmentalization:
There are three stories he tells. Separate stories, but they unify into one large, overreaching one. The first one talks about meager beginnings and the environment he had before his rise to fame, and adventure and glory. The second, he speaks of difficulties, the plot thickens, but there is hope! And finally, denouement. Jobs speaks of death, and of closure. The three stories on there own serve basis as well, they are personal and yet instructive. The way Mr. Jobs speaks sounds like a conversation more than it sounds like a fancy-shmancy lecture, and we respond to that.
2. Repetition:
Notice how certain things he repeats? He reminds us, "Don't settle". Twice. He talks about connecting the dots in both the first and the third story. These repetitions are blatantly obvious, nor often enough to become annoying, but still present. It is that mere slight presence of repetition that draws our attention just enough for us to remember those bits.
3. Variation
There is variation in the length and format of all of his sentences. This allows for play with rhythm and sound of words, which keeps listeners interested. Can you imagine how unforgivingly boring a speech would be if every sentence was exactly the same length and structure? They say music is a language, but language also can be quite musical.
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