Using Props in Business Presentations by Dianna Booher
Channel: Dianna Booher - Communication Strategist & Author
Date: 22/03/2012

http://www.booherresearch.com  1-817-283-2333
Executive Communication Expert Dianna Booher
--- The Power of a Prop to Make a Point
Last Sunday proved to be a first.  They gave everyone who showed up at church money--$30,000.  Yes, you heard that right.  Pastor John Meador passed out $30,000 of real greenbacks to his congregation to teach the principle of generosity.  Taking as his sermon text for the morning Proverbs 11:24-25 and also the New Testament parable of the Ten Talents, he went on to elaborate that if you sow generously you will prosper.   You invest in other people by faith first.  You reap the rewards later.  And more always comes back to you.  

Then twenty minutes into his sermon, he asked the ushers with buckets of money--$30,000 in small denominations of $5, $10, and $20-to pass out sealed envelopes  to every person in the auditorium.  His charge to the almost 3,000-member group as they opened their envelopes of money:  "Go apply this principle of generosity, and see if God won't do what He says He will.  We'll ask several of you to email or call us in a few weeks to see what happens after you use this money to bless other people's lives in whatever way you choose."  

Talk about buzz..   
A friend of my mine stopped by our house later in the day and recounted this story:  "My envelope had $5, my wife got $20, and my eleven-year-old got $10.  She's excited. She's already planning a lemonade stand for next weekend to see if she can double her money and then give it away."

In all my years of going to church and serving on various giving and "cause" campaigns, this was a first.  Typically, once or twice a year pastors around the world talk about tithing ten percent of your income or giving to those less fortunate in general, especially around this season of the year.   But few have found a way to make the point so dramatic and visual.  

Generals before Congress, presidents before foreign leaders, and pastors before parishioners-they all have used props to make a point.   The impact of props may last for years.  Consider them for your next presentation.