Archive for May, 2009

Why you should get more comfortable using props to engage your audience at your next presentation

Kathy McAfee's presentation at the 2009 YWCA In the Company of Women luncheon

Get more creative when you communicate your message.

As a PowerPoint-FREE speaker and executive presentation coach, it is my job to investigate and experiment with the many different ways in which you can engage your audience and motivate them to action during presentations. Because of the over-use and misuse of PowerPoint and other technical crutches that most presenters rely on,  we  must strive to find new ways to provide visual stimulation in our presentations. I have found the use of props to be quite effective.

Props are physical objects that you can use to help you tell a compelling story. They are excellent tools to open or to close your presentation – the two most vital times during your presentation. (first and last impression).

Your props can be small or large, but they must be relevant to your message and intriguing to your audience. In the past few years, I have used the following props with incredible success:  pair of green  shoes, a boomerang, a velvet bag full of river rocks, hard covered books, a sprig of parsley, to name just a few.

A red purse and a jar of marbles?

My client Scott Kallenbach of LIMRA International successfully used his daughter’s red leather handbag to bring to life his research insights on the power of women and their purchasing power at a major insurance industry conference. He pulled items from inside the purse Read the rest of this entry »

Within the last two weeks, I have sat through (endured, really), more than four chronological life stories. You know, where the person sharing tells you every detail of every significant event at every age from their past all the way up to the present day. It is excruciating – almost as bad as sitting through a boring 50-page PowerPoint presentation. (Well, maybe not that bad.)

It’s just too much detail.

I know this to be true because I have been on both sides of the table: both as the offender and the offended. I remember destroying potential job opportunities that I might have enjoyed several years ago at LEGO and Yankee Candle Co. because I chose to spend most of the interview time telling my life story, rather than building rapport, learning more about the company, the hiring manager and his needs and positioning myself strategically. I blew it…but I’ve learned from the experience.

So here’s some helpful advice that I can offer you to help save you from yourself during important meetings – whether they are networking meetings, job interviews or formal presentations. Read the rest of this entry »