Presentation inspiration from Larry Page

In the age of Internet, who needs an introduction to the brains behind a seemingly improbable idea of downloading the entire www-data in a single place which is fondly called ‘Google’? Yes, you got it right. We are talking about Larry Page – a computer scientist, and a world-renowned Internet entrepreneur, who co-founded the Google Inc., along with Sergey Brin in 1998.

Known for its passion and ambitious internet-based global projects, Larry Page, is regarded for his sound vision, knowledge and Internet know-how. Today, with an array of Internet-based products and services in the areas of the search engine, advertising, office productivity and enterprise solutions, Google has been regarded as the World’s 2nd Most Valuable Brand by Forbes, with the brand value of $82.5 Billion (as of May 2016). According to 2015 Forbes reports, Google was announced as “the most influential company of the digital era.” Larry Page, the CEO of Alphabet – the parent company of Google – is said to have a net worth of $37 Billion (as of 9th June 2016).

While throwing a material sense, all these statistics also highlight the success of the original, ingenious and entrepreneurial spirit of Larry Page. His cool yet shy appearance resembles a typical silicon valley tech entrepreneur, but his achievements are way beyond one’s reach. Larry is not a typical presenter. So, to analyze his presentation style, we observed him in his TED talk (the year 2004) and other recent interview videos and attempted to study his traits and style as a tech presenter-cum-entrepreneur. And, below is the summary:

 

SIMPLE APPEARANCE:

Page appears as a shy and non-dramatic personality with more of sincere, attentive style. However, when he presents his global projects and ideas, his geniuses come out. Page carries little glamor or emotional strength in his speech, as what we used to find in the style of Late Mr. Jobs. His ubergeek persona is not enough to take over the audience for the entire session, yet it feels good to see him projecting his dreams and talking about the concurrent developments. The sheer simplicity is rather the best part of watching or listening to this Silicon Valley billionaire.

 

VOICE:

Anyone who listens to Larry Page for the first time would notice his unusually low and hoarse voice. Well, years before, he was caught by a severely bad cold and since then, he could never recover his original voice. Later on, doctors diagnosed that he had a paralysis in his left vocal cord. In 2013 again, after getting sick due to the similar kind of cold, he was medically informed that his right vocal cord was also getting impaired. Seems sad, but despite the voice problem, Page’s passion and idea leadership are the x-factors of his personality.

 

PURE CONVERSATIONS:

In most of his speeches, we can see him giving a fair idea about his new projects and ventures. He is more of a conversationalist than a showman presenter. Indeed, in terms of presentation talent, he would be far behind the iconic Late Steve Jobs. This comparison apart, we can’t ignore the fact that selling life improving breakthroughs and services is not an easy job. The Google services available so far are powered by computer science and the Internet. Lately, Larry and Sergey have also invested in several highly innovative, game-changing projects which incorporate artificial intelligence as a key operating principle. This stream of idea evolution requires a different level of understanding, and therefore, explaining them to the mix of the audience without subsiding or losing the essence of the idea is a big, rather a massive challenge, and Larry does it well. He understands that the Internet is a business involving people from across the globe and so it is important for Google, as a brand, to maximize its penetration into peoples’ lives and create a higher brand connectivity. The product adoption and success, by and large, involve people. And to earn the favor of the larger user base, it is imperative to share the larger vision behind the product idea, the Google brand and the inside culture of Google. And he does that job relatively easily, thanks to the well-defined and powerful vision behind each and every product and service of Google!

 

PASSION FOR INTERNET AND TOUCHING LIVES:

With each of his new projects, we witness his passion for integrating computer science with human lives to the maximum possible extent, be it a search engine (Google), internet maps (Google Maps), a mobile operating system (Android OS), a free email service (Gmail) or a pilot-scale auto-driving car project. The collective vision behind all the ongoing or the upcoming services is – adding comfort to our daily lives. And, this is not just for the sake of saying, we witness it. We experience it with every move of our lives. Computer, information, science, engineering, artificial intelligence, simplifying lives, data, social impacts, job opportunities, innovations – if these terms are frequently hitting your ears, then you, most probably, are listening to the father of Google anatomy!

 

THE ‘GOOGLE WAY’:

We find a flair of pride in him every time he talks about Google and its achievements as a globally successful brand. He can influence nearly everyone in the audience to think alike Google–way. Well, this sense of belonging and pride is totally justified and natural also when one evolves a global brand and sees it growing at all levels, since last two decades. It is just not possible to see him cut off the Google – his brainchild. And why should he? Of course, he works with artificial intelligence, but at the end of the day, he is a human being just like you and me and has his own share of sentiments, isn’t it?

 

BEING YOURSELF:

Critics have, at times, characterized the views of Larry as insensitive and tactless, especially with reference to encountering the questions about markets and competition. Apparently, that seems true too, but from the standpoint of being oneself (and less shrewd!), it can be okayed. If you want to address your rivals directly at some point in time, it should be okay unless you utter something really mean. No communications guidelines in the world can drag you away from your wish of being yourself. Freedom of speech, of course!

 

A LITTLE DASH OF HUMOR:

Larry manages to keep the delivery lighter by adding humorous statements, thus saving them from being one like a nerd.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: RIDHDHI PAREKH

As a Marketing and Communications professional, I have 6+ years of combined corporate & freelance work experience in content development, product marketing, promotion and business communications. During initial career years, I found myself naturally inclined towards writing. That’s when I dug deeper and today, I have developed a capability for creating SEO-driven, well-researched and compelling content for print/online resources. I enjoy exploring and writing about: business, travel, gardening, cooking, feminism, startup/tech news.

Writing apart, I love getting absorbed in diverse creative activities. I am especially interested in quick DIY waste-utilization projects, gardening, cooking, and traveling. I am passionate about sustainability and human services. Research, detailing, exploration, knowledge – all of them attract me at once.

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