We all love to have a prop when we get in front of a crowd. It’s natural. How does it feel to step in front of a room full of people without even a podium to hide behind? Most of us feel an uneasy sense of being exposed. It’s not unlike that uncomfortable feeling that wakes us up from those difficult dreams where we have gone off to work without any pants on. It’s natural to want to reach for a pen or a mic stand or a remote control or even something more creative when standing in front of a crowd, but props can be very dangerous as well as very effective. In either case, they deserve some serious consideration.
Why Use a Prop
This may be the most important question you can ask when considering bringing a prop into your next presentation. Props can make you’re most important points more memorable. Props can also enhance your own presence and energy while presenting. If you can clearly and definitively state the manner in which your new prop is related to your talk, you – and your prop – are in business. Otherwise leave it at home.
What to Use for a Prop
Again, as long as you can make a strong clear connection to the content of your lecture, anything goes. However, there are some things to watch out for. Make sure the prop can be handled very easily and won’t interfere with your delivering your presentation. Make sure it’s not something sharp, excessively heavy or dangerous in any way. What can go wrong will go wrong. Also make sure it’s something cheap and easily available. As any veteran presenter will tell you, you will inevitably need to replace it at the last possible moment.
Caution
The biggest risk with props is your presentation’s credibility. Generally speaking, if you whip out a prop and it doesn’t connect to your presentation, you look less than reliable. Likewise, if you pull out a prop as a punchline to a joke and no one laughs, you are in a world of hurt. Be very careful with props. The risk is huge, but we bring it up because the possible payoff always makes it tempting.
