PRESENTATIONS: HOW TO USE PROPS WHEN YOU ARE PRESENTING

It's not just a product presentation that can be improved with some props. Thoughts and ideas can all benefit from a prop working as a useful analogy. If your presentation sets out to explain something or inform your audience then a prop will come in handy.

When you use a prop to introduce something, explain something or summarise something in your presentation aim for the following:

Techniques for using props

1) Reveal. Introduce your prop slowly but surely by uncovering or revealing it to your audience. A bulky object covered in a blanket will ignite interest among your audience. Make sure that your audience knows its name, its age, its source or provenance.

2) Highlight. Take the opportunity to highlight a key feature or features of your prop. Keep your highlights short and to the point.

3. Benefits. Summarise the benefits of the prop if it's a product or device. If you are using a prop to explain an idea or a concept use the prop to summarise the benefits of your idea.

4. Practicality. If possible you should demonstrate the practicality of the prop. Or demonstrate the practicality of your concept using your prop as an analogy. This is an ideal chance to build movement into your presentation.

5. Distribute. When you distribute a prop among your audience you build on one of the critical engagement steps. Your audience participates in your presentation. When you have an item or items circulating the room do make sure that you retain one yourself and keep the talk going.

Working with props is an ideal way for you to get some key points across to your audience. Use a prop to explain a product or service. Or use a prop to provide a useful analogy to an idea or concept.

Whatever your chosen prop, make sure that you rehearse, test and practise all your interplays. If the item opens, test it. If it moves then test that. Become fully familiar with its working before you are ready to present.

Props will give your presentations that extra dimension. It's well worth the investment in practice.

For more skills tips, you can always attend a PresentPerfect presentation training course.

"There's two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery."

Enrico Fermi