Bill Myers

Sooner or later someone is going to ask you to be a speaker or presenter at a training workshop. When that happens, you'll want to make sure that you are well prepared.

In most cases, being prepared for a speaking engagement means making sure you know your material, having an outline of your talk, and bringing something to help you get through your presentation.

When I first started speaking on stage, I discovered that having a box of carefully selected 'props' made it easy for me to cover the subject.

Preparing for the presentation, I'd collect items and examples from my office, place them in a box in the sequence I wanted to cover them, and then carry the box on stage.

During my presentation, I'd look in my prop box, pull out a new object, and talk about that item as it related to the subject of the presentation. Because the audience could see actual examples of what I was speaking about (and because they never knew what I might be pulling out of the box next), the audience stayed interested and the presentations went over well.

Next time you get a speaking engagement, consider using a prop box. It makes giving the presentation much easier, adds credibility to what you are saying, and keeps the audience involved.