How props can elevate your storytelling game

Quote of the week

“The old cliché in theater is, if you’re nervous, pick up a prop, which will immediately take you outside of your mind.” Jesse Eisenberg 

How props can elevate your storytelling game

"What did you want to talk about?"

Without saying a word my boss placed a pack of custom playing cards on the table.

We were at meeting with the president of $40 billion dollar division of a major Japanese consumer brand. The cards had been prepared specifically with our Japanese prospects in mind.

Each card had a vivid photograph on one side, with a short question, such as "How do I my kids off the sofa?" overlaid on it. The other side had fewer than 50 words painting out a scenario or response to the question.

We'd been told that the president could spare very little time. However the next one hour he was not only engaged, but curious like a kid eager to hear the story or scenario behind every card. At the end of the meeting he wanted to know if he could get an additional set of the pack of cards!

The pack of cards we used is an example of a prop.

The term "prop" comes from property and are commonly used in all sorts of settings—business, political or social.

Props need NOT be physical objects you show or demonstrate. It could be the outfit you wear (a fireman's uniform) or the overhead presentation you use. Many of us have mistaken our slide deck to be our "presentation" — it is a prop and if not done well can hamper rather than help your objectives.

Why use props?

Props when used judiciously can transform your meetings, presentations or storytelling to an amazing experience.

The biggest reason is the old adage, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’ The use of visual language (“a thousand songs in your pocket”) can help paint a word picture. But when you pull a MacBook Air out of a mailing envelop you are using a prop. Props allow you to use many other techniques from your verbal toolbox - such as pauses or questions.

What props to use?

You can rely on the three questions we ask for any presentation or story:

• who is my audience?

• what is my intent?

• what is my message?

If your audience is middle-schoolers vs senior citizens, your work group or customer prospects you'd pick a different and appropriate prop. The use of a cigarette as a prop may be highly inappropriate for some audiences yet effective in another. If you intent is to build credibility or shock the audience out of their comfort zone, you could do that with a data graph or a statistic or with a human brain in your hand. Whatever your message, your prop should make it easier to comprehend or make it more memorable.

Can props hurt?

The use of an inappropriate prop can confuse or distract your audience. Even if the prop is the right one, its size—if too small would a blown-up picture on a slide work better (yes) or too large can detract from the rest of your story. Of course when an entrepreneur attempts a live demonstration of their "amazing" widget, Murphy's law will invariably butt in and completely undermine them.

Determining the right prop is best done by forethought, planning and above all by trial and practice. What prop will you use for your next presentation or story?

Video

In this video, the speaker sets to make the point that “drinking a can of pop seems harmless.” Notice how he uses a simple prop to capture the attention of his audience.

• How much sugar do you think is in a can of Coke or a McDonald's milkshake?

• Did the prop help or hinder the point he was trying to make?

• What other alternate props would you use to make the same point?