Steve Jobs was one of the most successful leaders in the technology industry. In his commencement speech at Stanford University, he shared some of his thoughts on what it takes to be a good leader.
Jobs said that good leaders need to have a clear vision for their organizations. They also need to be able to communicate that vision to others and inspire them to work towards it. Additionally, leaders need to be able to make tough decisions and stand by them even when they are unpopular.
Jobs also emphasized the importance of hard work and persistence. He said that no one ever achieved anything great without putting in a lot of effort. He encouraged the students to never give up on their dreams and to always keep moving forward.
Happiness and delight are aspects that have been clear and parallel in many varied views of a fulfilled existence. Steve Jobs has been admired by many individuals as a role model and a symbol of a successful journey among today’s prominent icons.
Steve Jobs was the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Apple Inc. His commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005 has been one of his most memorable speeches that have left people in awe. The main purpose of Steve Jobs’ speech was to inspire graduates to follow their dreams and pursue their passions without succumbing to the societal norms that tell them to play it safe. In order to do this, Jobs employed various rhetorical devices throughout his speech including ethos, pathos and logos.
Jobs begins his speech by immediately addressing the audience with a personal story about how he dropped out of college after six months and how he eventually found himself “ sleepin’ on the floor in friends’ rooms, returnin’ coke bottles for the 5 cent deposits to buy food with, and gettin’ a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant just to stay alive.”
By sharing this personal experience with the audience, Jobs is able to establish ethos as he gains the trust and credibility of the listeners. In other words, because he has been in a similar position as them, his advice carries more weight. Furthermore, by starting off with this story, Jobs is also able to evoke pathos or emotion from the audience by making them feel sympathetic towards him and his experiences.
Jobs continues by talking about how getting fired from Apple was one of the best things that ever happened to him. He says that “the heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”
By saying this, Jobs is able to provide the audience with a new perspective – that sometimes failure is necessary in order to achieve success. This change in perspective is an important component of his speech because it challenges the conventional wisdom and encourages graduates to take risks.
In addition, Jobs also talks about how connecting the dots backwards can help people make sense of their past and see how it has led them to where they are today. He states that “you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” This is an important point that Jobs is trying to get across to the audience because it highlights the importance of having faith, even when things might not make sense in the present moment.
To summarize, Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford University was an inspirational and motivating call-to-action for graduates to follow their dreams and pursue their passions. Through the use of various rhetorical devices, Jobs was able to effectively communicate his message and leave a lasting impression on the audience.
Steve Jobs, in his commencement address to the Stanford University graduate students, expands on the idea that it is critical to follow one’s heart in order to discover what makes one truly happy. He also stresses the importance of finding a job where one is good at and enjoys doing, showing success through happiness displayed in what one does.
Jobs’s experience as the former CEO of Apple and Pixar, provides evidence for his argument that if one follows their heart, they will achieve greatness and find happiness.
The first rhetorical strategy Jobs uses is ethos. He establishes himself as a credible source by providing his credentials; he was the co-founder of Apple and former CEO of Pixar.
Furthermore, by sharing his personal story about how he dropped out of college and took a calligraphy class that later changed the way fonts were used on computers, Jobs demonstrates that following one’s heart can lead to success. This is especially significant because it is relatable to the audience; many people in attendance are recent college graduates who may be unsure about what they want to do with their lives.
Although Jobs may have thought he was merely stating a fact, he was in fact conveying an idea that individuals live. People are more likely to do something they enjoy and find pleasure in doing as human beings. His own personal narrative, in which he discovered what he liked while working at Apple and developing inventive technologies, and remained determined to carry out the job he loved, exemplifies this notion.
Even when he was faced with terminally cancer, he did not give up and fought till his last breath. This is a powerful story that touches on many people’s emotions because it resonates with the idea of continuing to pursue one’s passion despite difficulties.
Jobs effectively uses ethos throughout his speech to gain credibility with his audience. He begins by talking about how he dropped out of college and how that experience made him who he is today. By sharing this personal story, Jobs is able to connect with his audience and establish himself as someone who has gone through struggles and come out successful. This helps to build trust with the audience and make them more receptive to the ideas Jobs is trying to communicate.
Jobs also uses logos in his speech to appeal to his audience’s reason. He talks about how technology has the power to change people’s lives for the better and how Apple is constantly striving to push the envelope and create new and innovative products. This helps to establish Apple as a company that is committed to making a positive difference in the world.
Lastly, Jobs uses pathos to appeal to his audience’s emotions. He talks about how he was diagnosed with cancer and given only a few years to live. Despite this, he continued to work hard and fight for what he loved. This story is very moving and it speaks to the human condition of never giving up, even in the face of adversity.
Overall, Steve Jobs’ commencement speech is a masterclass in rhetoric. He effectively uses ethos, logos, and pathos to appeal to his audience and deliver a powerful message that is sure to resonate with many people.