Presentation Zen has two great articles that contrast the presentation styles (and implicitly the effectiveness) of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. The first article is titled Bill Gates and visual complexity and that was followed by Gates, Jobs, & the Zen aesthetic. Garr Reynolds, the author of the site, lays out in a very concise manner, what drives the Steve Jobs mystique and what leads to the Cult of Mac of mentality of its users.

One of his memorable quotes is “Design matters, visuals matter…it ALL matters!” When giving a presentation it really does make a difference. Steve Jobs has an open manner with simple, almost spartan slides that highlight his points. Gates (and many others) use the “Microsoft Method” otherwise known as the Really Bad PowerPoint when the presentation is stilted and the meaning gets lost.