Many people remember Bill Gates opening up a container full of mosquitoes and letting them loose in a conference so that his audience would get the feeling of what it was like to have mosquitoes flying around you as millions of Africans do every day.
We saw another use of a prop – not for such a good cause – but highly effective. It was a house brick held by the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, at the Tory party conference. He wanted to highlight the construction success in London, so he held up the red brick and said: “Look at the skyline of London, writhing and sprouting with extraordinary growth like a speeded-up David Attenborough nature-film.” Great imagery, leaving no doubt that house-building in London was a top priority.
Look at every future presentation and ask yourself – “Where can I bring in a prop”? You’ll have fun, your audience will enjoy it and your message will get through.
“If you’re presenting yourself with confidence, you can pull off pretty much anything.” Katy Perry
Posted by Barry Graham on Sunday, November 2nd, 2014 in Features › News ›
Tags: making an impact, memorable message, memorable presentations, persuasive presenting, presenting, props