Return to the Home Page
Information on Talks/Speeches
Organizations that have had me in to speak
 
Meeting Planner Information
 

Unveiling Props

by Jim Snack

 

In a previous article I discussed the technique of "pointing up" your
props. (If you missed the article, you can find it here.)  Here's another simple showmanship tip for introducing any object that can really draw the audience into your presentation.

Whenever possible unveil props.

Rather than simply picking up an object, you can create a lot more interest by first wrapping up the object in some manner.

For example, put it into a nice velvet bag.  By putting it into an elegant bag you create suspense in the mind of the audience and draw them into your presentation.  They are thinking, "What's in the bag?" 

Furthermore, by enclosing your prop in nice wrapping, you create an increased sense of value. Have you ever received a present wrapped in really nice wrapping paper? It seems more special than one in cheap wrapping paper or not wrapped at all.

Advertisers often use this technique to give a product a sense of value.  Crown Royal Whiskey, for example, puts the bottle of whiskey into a royal purple bag before putting it into the box.

You can have a little fun by using a Crown Royal bag in your presentation!  Don't say anything about the bag or you'll risk offending the teetotalers in your audience.  Just casually display it, then remove the object.  The whiskey drinkers in your audience will sit up and take notice when they see the bag, and then chuckle when they see that the object isn't a bottle of whiskey.

The technique of unveiling a  props can be taken even further by using multiple layers of wrapping.  For example, put an object into a box, that is inside a bag.  You create even more suspense by having multiple layers of wrapping to unveil.  Consider the "Dance of the Seven Veils"  Works for the same reason.

Next time, don't just take out a prop, unveil it in some way.  Then, don't forget to point it up, as discussed in the previous article.  Little touches like these can add a lot to your program.


 

 

You are welcome to reprint this article

Please use the following text on your reprint:

Copied with permission of the author, Jim Snack

Source:  www.jimsnack.com

Back to Article Index