Clever Geek Handbook
12 July 2025

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

Recommendation

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs died in 2011, the world lost one of its greatest corporate pitchmen. Presentation consultant Carmine Gallo explains how Jobs captivated audiences for decades. He delves into Jobs’s public speaking and explains communication methods you can apply. While Gallo lists Jobs’s tools and techniques, he ignores one of Jobs’s crucial lessons: Keep it simple. Here, long vignettes relating anecdotes and examples appear often amid the text, set off with thin rule lines, and sometimes disrupt the narrative flow. As Gallo says, “Problems occur when you think about too many things at the same time.” Although this manual went to print in 2009, before Jobs’s death, and therefore speaks about the Apple CEO in the present tense, its advice remains very relevant. BooksInShort recommends it to CEOs, entrepreneurs, salespeople and anyone who must sell ideas to an audience.

Take-Aways

  • Before his death in 2011, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was known as an outstanding spokesman for his company. This book, set during his lifetime, reports:
  • You can teach yourself Steve Jobs’s communications secrets and become an accomplished presenter.
  • Learn from his example how to deliver “insanely great” pitches to corporate audiences.
  • A great presentation must tell an engaging story and deliver a memorable experience.
  • Superb speeches depend on planning, message refinement and extensive rehearsals.
  • A presentation should communicate a single core idea.
  • Metaphors and analogies can increase your persuasive power.
  • Use body language, gestures and vocal tone to vary your presentations.
  • Do not spout business jargon.
  • Creating a startling moment will help you make your presentation unforgettable.

Summary

Sitting on the Edge of Their Seats

You can learn to present like Steve Jobs, Apple’s famous CEO, one of the world’s greatest high-voltage business communicators. Some fervent Jobs enthusiasts even camped out all night in the cold, going to great lengths to be present at his speeches and waiting until morning to be among the first to gain admission when the doors opened.

“If you are passionate about your topic, you’re 80% closer to developing the magnetism that Jobs has.”

To learn how to win an audience, and to craft compelling and convincing messages, heed Jobs’s example.

Any speaker can learn from his methods for presenting new ideas and consistently generating excitement over Apple products. Jobs began delivering high-profile presentations in 1984 when Apple introduced the first Macintosh computer. His public explanations were always good, and, over the years, they got even better. His products drew an army of enthusiastic customer evangelists and his audiences report that his presentations were unforgettable experiences.

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” (Albert Einstein)

By following Jobs’s communication and presentation techniques, you also can exert a powerful persuasive effect. Start by delivering your message with passion.

Setting the Stage

Successful presentation closely resembles the structure of a three-act play for its drama, performance and entertainment. Preparing a presentation also has three acts: “create the story, deliver the experience,” and “refine and rehearse. ” These components break down into 18 scenes. Enact these scenarios and you – like Steve Jobs – can deliver “insanely great” presentations:

Act 1: Creating the Story

You must have a gripping narrative that engages your listeners:

  1. “Plan in analog” – First, think out exactly what you want to say. Write a presentation plan on paper and create a full storyboard. Carefully sketch your ideas and script your speech as completely as possible. Presentation expert Nancy Duarte recommends spending up to 90 hours preparing a one-hour presentation, devoting the majority of your time to research and planning, not to producing slides. Identify a single main idea that you want your audience to remember and support it with three primary messages. Use analogies and metaphors. Add video, show-and-tell demonstrations, and third-party endorsements.
  2. “Answer the one question that matters most” – Prepare your presentation with one question uppermost in your mind: “Why should my listener care about this idea?” Deliver the answer early in your presentation to engage your audience members quickly and to make them eager to hear more of what you have to say. Determine which facet of your subject will matter most to them and repeat that idea at least twice during your presentation.
  3. “Develop a messianic sense of purpose” – Jobs’s ambitious goal for Apple fits into a one-sentence proclamation: “We’re here to put a dent in the universe.” Bud Tribble, an Apple vice president, once said that Jobs projected a “reality distortion field” – that is, his passionate belief in Apple’s products ignited his “ability to convince anyone of practically anything.” To win your audience, be equally enthusiastic.
  4. “Create Twitter-like headlines” – Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007 by proclaiming, “Today, Apple reinvents the phone!” That’s a headline people are sure to remember. Those who heard Jobs introduce the iPod will never forget his “1,000 songs in your pocket” tagline. Be just as succinct when you present.
  5. “Draw a road map” – Make it easy for your audience members to follow you. Create a verbal map that shows exactly where you plan to take them. When Jobs unveiled the iPhone, he said, “Today, we are introducing three revolutionary products.” Then he launched “a wide-screen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone and a breakthrough Internet communications device.” Be as clear as Jobs about your presentation agenda.
  6. “Introduce the antagonist” – To introduce the first Macintosh, Apple ran an unforgettable, now historic, commercial during the 1984 Super Bowl. The ad shows a Big Brother-type leader on a huge screen lecturing to an audience of drones. Suddenly, a young woman charges into the lecture hall, runs up to the screen and throws a sledgehammer through it, making it explode. The commercial ends with this message: “On January 24, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh, and you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like 1984.” The villain of the ad, the Orwellian lecturer, represented Big Blue – that is, IBM – Apple’s main competitor. Include villains in your presentations. Communicate how your product or service will eliminate them.
  7. “Reveal the conquering hero” – Just as your presentations should have villains, they also should have heroes. In 2001, Jobs introduced the iPod by explaining the serious problems inherent in the portable music players then on the market: the limited number of songs individual units could play, the high cost per song, the short battery life, and so on. Jobs made the iPod the hero of his presentation, explaining that it allows users to store 1,000 songs. To learn from his example, detail the problems in your industry, outlining the current, sad state of its products or services. Then lay out your vision of how your new offering will vastly improve the landscape.

Act 2: Delivering the Experience

To capture your audience members’ attention, you must create “visually appealing and ‘must-have’ experiences”:

  1. “Channel their inner Zen” – A famous photo shows Jobs sitting on a rug on the floor of his giant living room. The only other items visible are a lamp, a record player and some scattered music albums. Photographer Diana Walker took the picture in 1982, when Jobs was worth upward of $100 million. He could have filled the room with expensive furniture. But as a Zen Buddhist, he liked to keep things simple, including his home and his presentations. This is why Apple products are so simple and elegant in design and function.
  2. “Dress up your numbers” – Numbers have little meaning unless you place them in context. In 2003, a Rolling Stone reporter asked Jobs if he was upset that Apple only had 5% of the personal computer market. Jobs’s reply was, “Our market share is greater than BMW or Mercedes in the car industry.” By supplying this context, Jobs put Apple’s market share into context. When you include figures in your presentations, supply the necessary context. Don’t bury your audience with a surplus of statistics.
  3. “Use ‘amazingly zippy’ words” – In 2008, Apple introduced the iPhone 3G – an upgrade to its original iPhone – which the firm designed for AT&T’s superfast third-generation data network. Devices that can access this network operate at a transfer speed of 3 megabits per second (Mbps), much faster than the 144 kilobits per second (Kbps) of second-generation networks. When Jobs referred to the speed of the new iPhone at the 2008 Worldwide Developers Conference, he did not fall into a boring discussion of Mbps and Kbps. Instead, he called the iPhone 3G’s speed amazingly zippy. To introduce an upgraded iPod that year, Jobs said, “iPod Touch is the funnest iPod we’ve ever created.” Don’t bog down your presentations with jargon. Like Jobs, reach for catchy language.
  4. “Share the stage” – Jobs willingly invited well-known businesspeople to share the stage with him, often unexpectedly. Audience members love such positive surprises. Once, Intel CEO Paul Otellini appeared at a Jobs presentation dressed up in the giant, germ-free “bunny suit” that workers wear in the firm’s ultra-sterile plants. Another time, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates became part of Jobs’s presentation via satellite linkup. When you are on stage, don’t be afraid to share the limelight, particularly if your guest speaker adds drama to your presentation.
  5. “Stage your presentation with props” – In 2008, the new MacBook computers from Apple redefined notebook computing for the industry. Apple used a solitary aluminum block for the “unibody enclosure” of these thin, lightweight computers. When Jobs introduced these computers to the world, he had Apple representatives pass around models so audience members could feel the cool metal. “You’re the first to get your hands on one,” Jobs said afterward. When you present, involve as many of your audience members’ senses as possible to make your presentations truly memorable.
  6. Share a startling moment – To demonstrate the amazing narrowness of the MacBook Air, Jobs pulled the computer out of a manila envelope while on stage. “It’s the world’s thinnest notebook,” he told the audience. This simple stunt fully proved this claim. For your presentations, plan unexpected and startling moments to wow your audience.

Act 3: Refining and Rehearsing

Even the greatest presentation will fall flat if you don’t practice it to perfection:

  1. “Master stage presence” – To learn how to make full, effective use of body language to captivate your audience, take a look at a Jobs presentation. Following his example, maintain strong eye contact with audience members at all times. Do not hide behind a lectern. Always keep your posture open. Constantly gesture and change the tone, inflection and volume of your voice, as well as the pacing of your words, in order to be engaging. Videotape your practice presentations so you can see how your body language and vocal delivery will come across to your audience.
  2. “Make it look effortless” – Although good presentations should look effortless, each one is the result of weeks of preparation. That is the way to create the audience perception that you are fully in command of yourself and your materials. Like Jobs, take time before a public demonstration to solicit feedback from your colleagues and use their input to change your presentations for the better. During the 1940s, another famous orator, Sir Winston Churchill, practiced his speeches before addressing the British Parliament, using the same dogged strategies that shaped Jobs’s public speaking some 60 years later. The more you practice, the better your presentations will become.
  3. “Wear the appropriate costume” – Consider how you will look on stage. Watching Jobs’s presentations, you’ll see that his animated expressions and habitual outfit add as much personality to his performance as his inventive use of language: a black St. Croix mock turtleneck sweater, a blue pair of Levi’s 501 jeans and New Balance running shoes. Always dress appropriately for your audience. When Jobs presented his post-Apple computer firm, NeXT Inc., to the Bank of America, he ditched the turtleneck and jeans and wore a pricey Brioni suit.
  4. “Toss the script” – Don’t read from scripts. It distances you from your audience. You can, however, add annotations to PowerPoint’s notes section for reference. Practice your speech over and over so that eventually only one or two main words from your script will immediately bring back full sentences as you speak.
  5. “Have fun” – Don’t just educate your audience members; entertain them. Jobs introduced Apple’s OS X operating system by removing OS 9 from a casket on stage. “We are here to mourn the passing of OS 9,” Jobs told his audience. If a problem occurs during a presentation, acknowledge the snafu, stay upbeat, smile and continue. Never let your audience know that you are rattled. Enjoy yourself on stage.

Stanford University Commencement Address

In June 2005, Jobs delivered Stanford University’s commencement address. It is now a fixture on YouTube. In this speech, Jobs worked with many of the presentation techniques that shaped his image. He broke his presentation down into three elements. First, he began with a narrative using the “rule of three,” saying, “Today, I want to tell you three stories from my life”:

The First Story

When he told the graduates how he quit Reed College after only six months, he said, “The first story is about connecting the dots.”

The Second Story

“My second story is about love and loss,” and he talked about how he learned to love computers and how bereft he felt when Apple fired him.

The Third Story

“My third story is about death.” Here Jobs told the graduates how he learned that he had pancreatic cancer. Having gained everyone’s undivided attention, he then said: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

About the Author

Carmine Gallo is a communications consultant, coach and a BusinessWeek columnist. He is a public speaker and a seminar leader.

Read summary...
The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

Book The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience

McGraw-Hill,
 


12 July 2025

Just Listen

Recommendation

Being the life of the party won’t help you make a sale. In fact, letting other people take the spotlight will actually garner more admiration and eventual “buy-in,” explains psychiatrist Mark Goulston. This advice follows his axiom, “be more interested than interesting,” which is one of his nine principles for connecting with others. Goulston, who has trained police officers and US Federal Bureau of Investigation hostage negotiators, devotes a chapter each to 12 powerful techniques you can use to be more persuasive. His systems and strategies will help you cross the natural barriers people erect to protect themselves, so you can communicate your ideas and goals. He fleshes out each lesson with real-life examples and engaging stories. BooksInShort thinks you’ll find this book quite helpful in refining ways to “get through” to others. If Goulston can negotiate with a desperate gunman, he surely can help you sway a customer – or even your teenager.

Take-Aways

  • To persuade other people, first listen to them. Make them feel understood, valued and interesting.
  • You can “get through” to people if you can get them to “buy into” your ideas.
  • Don’t let your preconceived notions about other people affect the way you listen.
  • Ask questions that encourage them to reflect; listen carefully to their answers.
  • Move people from resisting to considering your ideas and goals by posing the “impossibility question.”
  • To use it, first, ask people to identify something impossible but highly desirable. Then, ask them to consider what would make it possible.
  • Surprising people with your empathy often will get them on your side.
  • When people are overwhelmed, let them vent and “exhale” their stress. Then they can listen to you.
  • Instead of hiding a problem, bring it out into the open and discuss it candidly.
  • These tips come from “nine basic rules” and “12 quick techniques” you can use to persuade others.

Summary

Persuasion at Gunpoint

A man is sitting in his car in a mall parking lot. He’s holding a shotgun. Mark Goulston, the police negotiator, knows this volatile situation has every chance of ending poorly. How can he reach this clearly desperate man?

The negotiator asks a question: “I bet you feel that nobody knows what it’s like to have tried everything else and be stuck with this as your only way out; isn’t that true?”

“Reaching people isn’t magic. It’s an art...and a science. And it’s easier than you think.”

The man with the shotgun pauses and thinks before replying, “Yeah, you’re right, nobody knows and nobody gives a f#@&!” - As surprising as it may seem, this begins a dialogue.

The negotiator’s question resonated with the gunman, who answered by agreeing. This was the first step toward a peaceful resolution. Most people who want to persuade others push too hard. They use arguments, counterarguments, facts and figures to support their positions. Rather than convincing people, this tends to create resistance. Instead, try listening, empathizing and connecting with the people you are trying to sway. Logic alone won’t achieve your goal. You can “get through” to people only if you can persuade them to “buy into” your ideas. You need to move them from “resisting” to “listening” to “considering” and, finally, “agreeing.”

“Almost all communication is an effort to get through to people and cause them to do something different than they were doing before.”

Knowing a little bit about how the “three-part” human brain operates will help you understand the art of persuasion:

  • The low-level, protective “reptile” brain kicks in the fight-or-flight reflex.
  • The middle “mammal” brain handles emotions, and logic originates in the upper, or “primate,” brain.
  • The reptilian “amygdala” responds to threats.
“If someone can’t or won’t listen to you, get him to listen to himself.”

The primate brain also engages during a threat, but it is more analytical and, therefore, slower. If the amygdala “hijacks” someone’s responses, reasoning alone won’t penetrate that reaction. You can get through only if you can intercept before the reptile reaction takes over the brain. That is what professionals try to do when they deal with enraged or frightened people. “Mirror neurons” are another aspect of human brain function that matters in persuasion. These neurons cause people to want to conform, and enable them to feel empathy and relate to each other.

“Nine Basic Rules”

Use the following nine rules to influence people to shift toward your way of thinking:

  1. “Move yourself from ‘Oh, f#@&’ to ‘OK’” – When a stressful incident occurs, your body reacts by going into fight-or-flight mode. After a time, you calm down, get your emotions under control and let your logical brain take over. If you can learn to move more quickly from panic to containment, you can navigate a bad situation in seconds, not hours. To shift quickly from freaking out to focusing, label what you feel. When you name your emotions with concrete words, like “frightened” or “angry,” you put the logical part of your brain to work and promptly begin to calm down. With practice, you’ll learn to handle tense situations calmly, enabling you to connect with those around you.
  2. “Rewire yourself to listen” – Even if you think you are a good listener, be aware that your preconceived notions about others influence how you interpret what they say or do. If your young, scattered receptionist forgets to give your package to the messenger, you might jump to the conclusion that she’s incompetent. But if you later learn that she spent the night in the emergency room with her grandmother, you would revise your opinion. First impressions may prevent you from hearing the real person. Focus on your reactions. Try to discern which thoughts are grounded in reality and which are based on misconceptions.
  3. “Make the other person feel ‘felt’” – When you empathize with people, they feel ‘felt.’ That is, they feel understood, less alone and more open. So instead of focusing on what you want from them, turn your attention to what they are feeling. Name their emotions by saying, “I’m trying to get a sense of what you’re feeling and I think it’s (fill in).”
  4. “Be more interested than interesting” – Most people try to make a good impression, offer clever conversation and impress the crowd. However, when you’re totally intent on impressing others, you neglect to hear them and you don’t learn about them. So focus on the other person. Don’t think of conversation as a back-and-forth game of one-upmanship. Instead, let the other person dominate the dialogue. Ask questions and follow-up questions. Listen carefully and attentively to the answers. Reflect back what you are hearing in the conversation so the other person can reconsider his or her ideas.
  5. “Make people feel valuable” – Everyone wants to feel as if he or she matters. When you tell people you appreciate them, they’ll reward you with loyalty and regard. Letting wonderful people know you value them is easy. The challenge is showing annoying people you value them. Yet, often the squeaky wheel is squeaking for a reason. Even irritating people want love and attention. When they get it, they’ll respond positively.
  6. “Help people to exhale emotionally and mentally” – When people are distressed, they cannot engage with you because they’re too preoccupied with what is bothering them. You can help. Allowing someone to “exhale” provides relief and helps you form a connection. When someone is overwhelmed, let him or her vent. Don’t interrupt and don’t make suggestions. Just listen and say, “Tell me more.” You might even say, “Close your eyes and just breathe.” Hint: This approach works very well with teenagers.
  7. “Check your dissonance at the door” – Your attempts to be clever can come across as cutting. Similarly, when you think you’re acting self-assured, you may appear arrogant to others. This gap between the impression you think you are making and the way others perceive you is called “dissonance.” It can create a barrier between you and those you want to reach. The best way to find out how others evaluate you is to ask. See if a few people you trust will tell you honestly how you come across to others.
  8. “When all seems lost – bare your neck” – Society has taught you not to show weakness. However, trying to hide whatever is upsetting you is deceptive and will create dissonance. Sometimes, showing your vulnerability is a better course. When you do, you’ll find that most people will readily forgive a mistake, and they may even offer to help. Ask for help before you get into trouble. Reaching out and “baring your neck” to others creates a bond. Pretending that everything is OK when it’s not creates a barrier.
  9. “Steer clear of toxic people” – Although connecting with others is the key to getting what you want, some people are not worth your effort. These toxic people are bottomless pits who demand more attention, are never satisfied or happy, let you down, make excuses for their behavior and refuse to accept responsibility. You can try confronting such people or neutralizing their effect on you. Or, you can disengage entirely.

“12 Quick and Easy Ways to Achieve Buy-In and Get Through”

Using these tactics will help you to respond to tough situations and move forward:

  1. “The impossibility question” – People will always find reasons to discourage you from trying something. The trick is to persuade them to imagine that your goal is possible. That is where the impossibility question, noted by Dave Hibbard, can be quite effective. When people resist your idea, ask, “What’s something that would be impossible to do, but if you could do it, would dramatically increase your success?” Then follow up by asking, “OK. What would make it possible?” This will move them from resisting to considering, the first step in persuasion. Now they’re working with you, not against you.
  2. “The magic paradox” – When things aren’t going well, people become wary and defensive. Disarm them by doing something unexpected. For instance, if an employee is underperforming, don’t scold. Instead, relate to the staffer’s negative thoughts and surprise him or her by saying something like, “I’ll bet you feel that nobody understands how hard you are working and what kind of pressure you are under.” The employee will feel that you are very understanding and will begin to agree with you. You’ve shifted the conversation from negative to positive.
  3. “The empathy jolt” – “Ignorant blamers” love to rant and rave and criticize others. However, unloading on someone is not the same as communicating. To stop a blamer in his or her tracks, provide an empathy jolt. That is, help the steamrolling person replace anger with empathy. For example, if someone complains about another person, ask him or her to imagine being in the other person’s position. When the blamer begins to empathize with the defender, the anger dissipates and cooperation can take over.
  4. “The reverse play: empathy jolt #2” – The reverse play is a way to use the empathy jolt with an employee who knows that he or she is not in your good graces. To put the reverse play into action, surprise the underperformer by apologizing instead of reprimanding. List three areas where you might be at fault. For example, you might say, “I’m sure you feel that you get all the boring assignments.” When the staffer agrees, say you’re sorry and promise to do better. The employee will go back to work with renewed vigor.
  5. “Do you really believe that?” – People tend to exaggerate the depth of a problem. When someone is storming on about an issue, calmly ask, “Do you really believe that?” This simple question will often diffuse the situation. In the few cases where the stressed-out person really does believe the problem is severe, you can tackle it together.
  6. “The power of ‘hmmm...’” – Dealing with someone angry is challenging. Your first instinct might be to react in kind or to become defensive. Instead, try saying, “hmmm...” By listening and saying “hmmm,” you encourage the person to continue to voice his or her concerns while showing your attentiveness. “Hmmm” can de-escalate a volatile situation and move people toward working together to find a solution.
  7. “The stipulation gambit” – Stipulating to something means acknowledging the elephant in the room. Instead of hiding a problem, bring it out into the open before it has a chance to fester. For instance, if you have a stutter, take the opportunity to acknowledge it at the start of a conversation so both parties are comfortable. In a job interview, admitting to a weakness up front lets you explain why it won’t interfere with your performance.
  8. “From transaction to transformation” – Most conversations concern the nuts and bolts of life, not emotions. “Where did you put the stapler?” is a question, but it doesn’t evoke a thoughtful answer. To relate and connect with someone, ask a “transformational” question that causes the respondent to pause, reflect and then reveal something about himself or herself. You could ask, “If you could change one thing about your company, what would it be?” or “How difficult did you find it to get started in your career?”
  9. “Side by side” – One of the best ways to connect with people is to talk while you are participating in an activity together – something as simple as sharing a meal, stuffing envelopes or driving somewhere. Working side by side creates an atmosphere of sharing that is conducive to meaningful conversation. Seize the moment and ask questions and then dig a little deeper to help the conversation flow. This is also a great way to connect with your kids.
  10. “Fill in the blanks” – Every good salesperson knows that asking questions is important, but you don’t want the client to feel interrogated. Asking a person to fill in the blank is a nice alternative. It invites people to share something in their own words and stimulates dialogue. A salesperson might say, “You’re thinking of buying our software, or a product like it, because (fill in the blank)? ” This lets the client tell you what he or she is seeking.
  11. “Take it all the way to ‘no’” – Clients may put you off without actually saying no. If you don’t hear the word “no,” maybe you haven’t asked for enough. Sometimes, in business, “no” means “maybe.” So always ask a follow-up question. For example, if Ned tells you he’s not interested in your software, try saying, “I either pushed too hard or failed to address something that was important to you, didn’t I?” When Ned answers, you’ve reopened the discussion, leaving the way clear to a “yes.”
  12. “The power thank you and power apology” – Saying “thank you” is always nice, but some situations call for more. They call for a power thank you, an expression of gratitude that goes beyond those two little words. For instance, thank someone in front of a group of co-workers. Write a note or buy a gift. Let people know that you appreciate their efforts and that their actions make a difference in your life. Just as some situations call for a power thank you, some demand a power apology. That’s the right thing to do for those times when a simple “I’m sorry” won’t cut it. The power apology contains the “Four Rs: remorse, restitution, rehabilitation and requesting forgiveness.”

About the Author

Mark Goulston, author of Get Out of Your Own Way and Get Out of Your Own Way at Work, is a columnist, psychiatrist and business consultant.

Read summary...
Just Listen

Book Just Listen

Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone

AMACOM,
 


12 July 2025

Bright-Sided

Recommendation

What could be wrong with thinking positively? Nickel and Dimed best-selling author Barbara Ehrenreich explores the origins of American optimism and reveals the cracks beneath its happy façade. The problem, she explains, is that staying positive regardless of your situation turns into self-delusion. Unchecked optimism can be dangerous, as illustrated by analysts who ignored the economic red flags preceding the financial meltdown of 2008. Ehrenreich’s caustic writing is entertaining, although the threads of her analysis can become frayed and tangled. Nonetheless, if a smiley face makes you frown, BooksInShort recommends delving into the negative side of positive thinking.

Take-Aways

  • The commitment to “positive thinking” is ingrained in American ideology.
  • The early positivity movement was a reaction to the rigid self-denial of Calvinism.
  • Today’s positive thinking industry includes megachurch preachers, self-help gurus, life coaches, motivational speakers, plus positivity-pushing psychologists and academics.
  • Purveyors of enlightenment use pseudoscience to prove that you’ll attract good things by “visualizing” them, naming them or focusing on them hard enough.
  • The positivity movement has a dark side. Penalties for negativity range from losing your job to losing your friends.
  • Research does not support any links between positive thinking and the body’s ability to fight off disease.
  • Yet, cancer patients are told that a positive attitude promotes healing.
  • Businesses use positive thinking to smooth over unpleasant realities like longer hours.
  • The positivity culture breeds reluctance to look at corporate or governmental systemic problems, but when positive thinking spreads delusions, disaster follows.
  • The antidote to positive thinking is not pessimism but “vigilant realism.”

Summary

America the Positive

“Positive thinking” has always been part of America’s ideology. Most Americans believe things will get better and that when life hands you lemons, you should make lemonade. Yet, US citizens place 23rd in happiness worldwide. More antidepressants are prescribed in the US than in any other country, a higher percentage of US citizens are in jail, and US children score lower in math and geography than kids in other developed nations. The US health care system is dysfunctional and its physical infrastructure deteriorating. The gap between US haves and have-nots continues to widen. Even in hard times, pop culture urges Americans to promote a positive attitude.

“Whether we Americans see it as an embarrassment or a point of pride, being positive – in affect, in mood, in outlook – seems to be engrained in our national character.”

One reason heedless optimism prevails is that positive thinking spawned an industry. Coaches, motivational speakers, psychologists and producers of hundreds of books, DVDs and related products push positive thinking – for a fee. The corporate world embraced this ideology, hiring speakers and sponsoring workshops to motivate a workforce demoralized by layoffs, longer work hours, less pay and reduced job security. Positivity-driven preachers espouse their doctrines from the pulpit. Schools promote new disciplines like “positive psychology.”

“It’s in the spirit of optimism that a person blithely builds up credit card debt on optional expenditures, takes out a second mortgage or agrees to a mortgage with an interest rate that will escalate over time.”

One unfortunate byproduct of the positivity culture is a reluctance to look at systemic problems in business or government. Positivity blames victims. If you lose your job, it’s because you fell short. Politicians largely ignored engineers and journalists who warned of the vulnerability of the levees in New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina. When positive thinking results in widespread delusion, disaster follows.

Pink Ribbons and Teddy Bears

When investigative journalist Barbara Ehrenreich was diagnosed with breast cancer, she experienced immediate indoctrination into the culture of positive thinking. The mammography waiting room boasted feminine, cutesy images including the pink ribbons that symbolize breast cancer awareness and posters advertising “breast cancer teddy bears.” Ehrenreich delved into websites, blogs, support groups, magazines and books devoted to the disease. She couldn’t find a place – virtual or otherwise – to share her anger, frustration and outrage. Many bloggers shared what they felt were beneficial outcomes from breast cancer. Some even saw it as a “gift” that brought them closer to their true selves or to God; their sample posts include:

  • “I enjoy life so much more now and, in a lot of aspects, I am much happier now.”
  • “This was the hardest year of my life but also, in many ways, the most rewarding.”
  • “Cancer has provided a good kick in the rear to get me started rethinking my life.”
  • “Cancer is your passport to the life you were truly meant to live.”
“There is no kind of problem or obstacle for which positive thinking or a positive attitude has not been proposed as a cure.”

Ehrenreich posted an angry message about her treatment’s side effects, her insurance coverage and her aversion to “sappy pink ribbons.” Almost unanimously, respondents encouraged her to embrace a positive attitude. Experts, relatives and medical professionals encourage the belief that an upbeat attitude helps patients heal. Research has never substantiated links between cheerful thoughts and the body’s ability to fight cancer. While a positive attitude can’t hurt, promoting its healing effects means vesting in illusion. That illusion makes patients repress their natural responses and blame themselves should their cancers persist.

Think Positive, Or Else

In 2007, self-help author Joe Vitale addressed a gathering at the annual National Speakers Association conference on “inspired marketing” fueled by love. He told salespeople to “love each name” on their client lists and encouraged Ehrenreich to say “I love you” in her head to heal.

“The failure to think positively can weigh on a cancer patient like a second disease.”

The advice to always be positive has developed a dark side. Penalties for negativity range from losing your job to losing your friends. Motivational speaker J.P. Maroney writes: “Negative people...suck the energy out of positive people...If you have to cut ties with people you’ve known for a long time because they’re actually a negative drain on you, then so be it.”

“Negative thoughts somehow produce negative outcomes, while positive thoughts realize themselves in the form of health, prosperity and success.”

Avoiding negativity extends to what you watch and read. Many positivity counselors discourage clients from watching the news since it might bring them down. This implies an underlying helplessness to effect change and ignores the idea that people can act to fight societal problems.

Faux Science

The idea that thinking about wealth, love or career success attracts wealth, love or career success is not new. The 2006 bestseller The Secret popularized this notion, drawing on the work of many like-minded writers such as Jack Canfield, co-editor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Such purveyors of enlightenment promise that you’ll attract good things by “visualizing” them, “naming” them or focusing on them. They base this idea on metaphysical principles more akin to magic than science. The Secret’s Bob Doyle likens the “law of attraction” to the law of gravity: “The law of attraction...is a scientific principle...at work in your life.”

“But the economic meltdown should have undone, once and for all, the idea of poverty as a personal shortcoming or dysfunctional state of mind.”

Proselytizers of positive thinking name other scientific principles as proof of thought-power. Michael J. Losier claims that thoughts emit “vibrations” like sound waves; others compare thoughts to magnets. Neither theory survives scientific scrutiny. New Age thinkers cite quantum physics to explain how the mind shapes the physical world. Nobel physicist Murray Gell-Mann debunks such pseudoscience as “quantum flapdoodle.”

American Calvinism

The United States did not begin as a nation of optimists. The early settlers’ harsh Calvinism promoted self-discipline and self-examination while condemning pleasure as sin. Believers often suffered self-loathing that made them ill with “religious melancholy” marked by insomnia, fatigue, depression and withdrawal. Sufferer Mary Baker Eddy, daughter of a Calvinist farmer, sought out Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, a watchmaker who is seen as the founder of the “New Thought” movement. He drew on Emerson’s transcendentalism and other sources to envision God as a forgiving “Spirit” and to posit that “One Mind” connects all humanity. With his help, Mary proclaimed herself cured and founded a new religion, Christian Science,

“The self becomes an antagonist with which one wrestles endlessly, the Calvinist attacking it for sinful inclinations, the positive thinker for ‘negativity’.”

Psychologist William James used New Thought therapies to treat patients. Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking expanded upon Emerson’s and James’s teachings. The new positive-thinking movement advocates relentless self-monitoring, echoing one aspect of Calvinism.

The Religion of Business

Peale, who called himself “God’s salesman,” recognized the role positive thinking could play in the workplace. He saw it as a tool for salespeople who need fresh enthusiasm no matter how much rejection they faced. Businesses incorporated positive-thinking techniques into sales training. Amway epitomized this trend, holding sales conferences like revival meetings with chants, theme songs and inspirational speakers.

“With real jobs disappearing, the positive thinkers counseled people to work even harder on themselves – monitoring their thoughts, adjusting their emotions, focusing more intently on their desires.”

Business uses positive thinking to get workers to accept longer work hours and less job security. The motivational industry encourages jobless people to view unemployment as an opportunity to embrace positivity. Popular faith-based motivator Zig Ziglar proclaims, “It’s your own fault; don’t blame the system; don’t blame the boss – work harder and pray more.”

“Positive thinking seems to be mandatory in the breast cancer world, to the point that unhappiness requires a kind of apology.”

More recently, business has focused on team building, promoting camaraderie and shared purpose on a micro-unit level. The goal is to generate continued employee devotion to a company, even though such loyalty is seldom reciprocal. Layoffs and cost-cutting continue; survivors work harder and longer for less money, and no one’s job is safe.

The Business of Religion

While CEOs have become more evangelical in their management approach, preachers have become more businesslike. “Pastorpreneurs” conducted market research to determine how to make religion more palatable to a mass audience. The results are megachurches that look like corporate centers and offer services like child care, afterschool programs, counseling and gyms. The pulpit message is based on positive thinking. This tactic replaces threats of judgment or warnings about sin with feel-good messages promising wealth and success. This “prosperity gospel” borrows heavily from secular positive-thinking ideology. Televangelist Joyce Meyer describes the benefits of the right attitude. “It’s important to maintain a positive attitude, because God is positive.” Or, more directly to the point, “I believe God wants to give us nice things.”

“Positive Psychology”

The field of “positive psychology,” or the “science of happiness,” has exploded in academic circles since the late 1990s. Although positive psychologists do not align with the pop-culture positivity faction, they have produced studies that link happiness with every conceivable benefit, including better health, longevity and career success.

“It’s a glorious universe the positive thinkers have come up with, a vast, shimmering aurora borealis in which desires mingle freely with their realizations.

Many, including then-president of the American Psychological Association Martin Seligman, publish self-help books and provide life-coaching and corporate consulting. Seligman uses science to give weight to his happiness theories, such as the “happiness equation,” H = S+C+V: “H is your enduring level of happiness, S is your set range, C is the circumstances of your life and V represents factors under your voluntary control.” That is, temperament, circumstances and personal effort determine your happiness level. His science does not hold up under scrutiny.

“Where cheerfulness is the norm, crankiness can seem perverse.”

Many research studies do support the link between happiness and better health, longevity and life satisfaction. However, conflicting research, such as a 2002 study that found that mildly depressed women outlive their happier counterparts, also abounds.

The Silver Lining

Positive thinking’s popularity led experts as well as analysts to ignore evidence and remain upbeat in the face of the oncoming 2007-2008 economic crisis. Even during the booming economy some time before the recession, white-collar workers ended up on unemployment lines, while the wages of blue-collar laborers dropped or their jobs vanished all together. The income gap between the rich and most other people grew to unprecedented levels.

“We’ve gone so far down this yellow brick road that ‘positive’ seems to us not only normal but normative – the way you should be.”

Financial pundits remained optimistic as the real estate bubble inflated, ordinary people took on extraordinary debt and financial institutions offered risky loans. The few financial industry naysayers felt great pressure to “improve their attitude.” When Mike Gelband, Global Head of Fixed Income at Lehman Brothers, warned CEO Richard Fuld of the impending real estate collapse, Fuld fired him. And Armando Falcon, head of oversight for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, almost lost his job when he spoke of upcoming problems.

Still Cheery After All These Years

The positive thinking movement has not lost any momentum during the economic downturn. Upbeat proponents say that tough times call for more positive thinking, not less. After all, “What is a recession, anyway, but a mass outbreak of pessimism?” The antidote to positive thinking is not pessimism. Thinking the worst of every situation is just as self-delusional as thinking the best. Realism is the truth. Viewing the world objectively – without preconceived notions or emotions – and understanding that threats and opportunities exist simultaneously is the healthiest path. Science, which explains the world through observation and research, is helpful. Seeking other people’s insights is also useful, even when they conflict with your own.

“I realize that after decades of positive thinking the notion of realism, of things as they are, may seem a little quaint.”

Thinking positively, despite circumstance, becomes a burden. Sometimes, recognizing threats, heeding bad news or listening to negative people is imperative. “Vigilant realism” and the ability to confront unpleasant circumstances head-on enable genuine happiness. “The threats we face are real and can be vanquished only by shaking off self-absorption and taking action in the world.”

About the Author

Barbara Ehrenreich, who wrote Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch, is a New York Times columnist and contributing essayist for Harper’s and The Nation.

Read summary...
Bright-Sided

Book Bright-Sided

How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America

Metropolitan Books,
 



All Articles
Load More