Props are a great presentation tool.
Both Donald Trump and Sean Spicer recently used props in presentations. Donald Trump’s prop was probably effective, at least among his supporters. But in my opinion it was misleading and therefore not honest. We don’t want to be dishonest in our presentations, or sales processes even unintentionally.
I believe Sean Spicer’s use of a prop was both misleading and ineffective. It’s unlikely he intended either of those results.
Props can help a presentation in several ways:
1.They can make a point concrete.
2.They can have an emotional impact.
3.They can be effective metaphors.
4.They can inject humour into a presentation.
5.They focus the audience’s attention and interest.
6.They are memorable.
My favourite presentation skills vendor is Corporate Visions. In their list of top five selling techniques that work, here’s number 5:
5.Using 3D Props (Corporate Visions)
There are many ways to tell a story. But one extremely effective – and underutilized – technique is to use 3D props. Props break the pattern of what’s expected – and can make the prospect sit up and pay attention. Props make a metaphor or analogy tangible. Props create a physical reminder and can continue selling even when you’ve left the room.
Mr. Trump
In President Trump’s speech to congress on February 28, he effectively used a powerful 3D prop – People.
Four of Mr. Trump’s guests were family members of people who, authorities said, were killed by immigrants living in the United States illegally.
Regardless of the fact that immigrants are statistically less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans (Pérez-Peña, 2017), no families of people killed by Americans were guests. If they had been, their numbers would have been proportionately much greater than Mr. and Mrs. Trump’s chosen guests. Now this can be taken as a political opinion; but here it’s meant as an evaluation of a powerful presentation tool – props.
When you use props in your presentations, you will naturally use those that are likely to be most effective. That just makes sense. And from Trump’s perspective, his props (guests) probably did just that. But I believe it gave an inaccurate visual to the audience.
Was Mr. Trump’s use of a prop inaccurate to the point of misleading? And how dangerous can that be?
Well, there’s the possibility of hate being generated against immigrants. Fear is a powerful motivator, as is a ‘common enemy’. The presentation of these guests as props could contribute to a view of immigrants as the enemy, and potentially even hate crimes. Mr. Trump would not have intended that.
Even if a prop is accidentally inaccurate, the results can be significant. The poor use of a 2D visual aid, or prop may have had a significant causal effect on the Challenger disaster. Information designer Edward Tufte has claimed that the Challenger accident is an example of the problems that can occur from the lack of clarity in the presentation of information.
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when the NASA Space Shuttle orbiter Challenger (OV-099) (mission STS-51-L) broke apart 73 seconds into its flight,
leading to the deaths of its seven crew members, which included five NASA astronauts and two Payload Specialists. (from Wikipedia).
From Tog on Software Design
The Challenger: An Information Disaster:
Why did the space shuttle Challenger explode? Many people assume it was because of poorly-functioning O rings on the booster rocket. However, those O rings didn’t send that ship up on a cold winter’s morn. Continue reading here...
Contact Details:
Mustang PPD
13-4211 Millcroft Park Dr,
Burlington, Ontario
Zip Code: L7M 3Y9
Business Phone: 416-220-9671
Business E-mail: aileenmcnabb@mustangppd.com
Both Donald Trump and Sean Spicer recently used props in presentations. Donald Trump’s prop was probably effective, at least among his supporters. But in my opinion it was misleading and therefore not honest. We don’t want to be dishonest in our presentations, or sales processes even unintentionally.
I believe Sean Spicer’s use of a prop was both misleading and ineffective. It’s unlikely he intended either of those results.
Props can help a presentation in several ways:
1.They can make a point concrete.
2.They can have an emotional impact.
3.They can be effective metaphors.
4.They can inject humour into a presentation.
5.They focus the audience’s attention and interest.
6.They are memorable.
My favourite presentation skills vendor is Corporate Visions. In their list of top five selling techniques that work, here’s number 5:
5.Using 3D Props (Corporate Visions)
There are many ways to tell a story. But one extremely effective – and underutilized – technique is to use 3D props. Props break the pattern of what’s expected – and can make the prospect sit up and pay attention. Props make a metaphor or analogy tangible. Props create a physical reminder and can continue selling even when you’ve left the room.
Mr. Trump
In President Trump’s speech to congress on February 28, he effectively used a powerful 3D prop – People.
Four of Mr. Trump’s guests were family members of people who, authorities said, were killed by immigrants living in the United States illegally.
Regardless of the fact that immigrants are statistically less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans (Pérez-Peña, 2017), no families of people killed by Americans were guests. If they had been, their numbers would have been proportionately much greater than Mr. and Mrs. Trump’s chosen guests. Now this can be taken as a political opinion; but here it’s meant as an evaluation of a powerful presentation tool – props.
When you use props in your presentations, you will naturally use those that are likely to be most effective. That just makes sense. And from Trump’s perspective, his props (guests) probably did just that. But I believe it gave an inaccurate visual to the audience.
Was Mr. Trump’s use of a prop inaccurate to the point of misleading? And how dangerous can that be?
Well, there’s the possibility of hate being generated against immigrants. Fear is a powerful motivator, as is a ‘common enemy’. The presentation of these guests as props could contribute to a view of immigrants as the enemy, and potentially even hate crimes. Mr. Trump would not have intended that.
Even if a prop is accidentally inaccurate, the results can be significant. The poor use of a 2D visual aid, or prop may have had a significant causal effect on the Challenger disaster. Information designer Edward Tufte has claimed that the Challenger accident is an example of the problems that can occur from the lack of clarity in the presentation of information.
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when the NASA Space Shuttle orbiter Challenger (OV-099) (mission STS-51-L) broke apart 73 seconds into its flight,
leading to the deaths of its seven crew members, which included five NASA astronauts and two Payload Specialists. (from Wikipedia).
From Tog on Software Design
The Challenger: An Information Disaster:
Why did the space shuttle Challenger explode? Many people assume it was because of poorly-functioning O rings on the booster rocket. However, those O rings didn’t send that ship up on a cold winter’s morn. Continue reading here...
Contact Details:
Mustang PPD
13-4211 Millcroft Park Dr,
Burlington, Ontario
Zip Code: L7M 3Y9
Business Phone: 416-220-9671
Business E-mail: aileenmcnabb@mustangppd.com
