Introduction
Steve Jobs, a former CEO of Apple Inc. and Pixar Animation, will be forever known as one of the most brilliant and innovative minds of the 21st century. His commencement speech at Harvard, which is among the most prominent universities in the world, had an immense influence on the audience due to the implementation of the four C’s, including Charisma, Character, Competence, and Connection. In this sense, while providing the graduates with pieces of wisdom, Jobs did not forget to do it in a comical, endearing, and motivating manner.
Discussion
When it comes to the presence of connection in the speech, Steve Jobs used various puns and jokes. For example, while speaking to the audience, the entrepreneur mentioned, “Truth be told, I never graduated from college and this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation” (JoshuaG, 2006, 0:25). This allowed the audience to feel closer to the speaker and feel more comfortable. As for competence, Steve Jobs incorporated three stories from his personal experience to give insights to the students and share life lessons. For instance, Steve Jobs shared his experience of love and loss, dropping out of college, and learning the necessary skills to become successful. Throughout the speech, the presence of the character is evident due to the moderate tempo of speech, volume, and tone of speech. Job’s words are inspiring and indicate the strength of the speaker. Lastly, charisma can be observed through constant eye contact with the audience and confidence in the presentation. Steve Jobs was determined to build contact with the audience, and he did so successfully.
Conclusion
Hence, while delivering advice to the graduates, Jobs did it in a humorous, endearing, and inspiring way. Steve Jobs utilized a variety of puns and jokes, which emphasized the connection between the speaker and the audience. Competence was shown through the communication of life lessons to the students when Steve Jobs included three examples from his own experience. Due to the speech’s moderate volume, speed, and tone, the character is present throughout the whole discourse. Finally, charisma may be seen by maintaining eye contact with the audience and presenting with assurance.
Reference
JoshuaG. (2006). Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005. YouTube.