What Are Props?         

We will now be discussing our last two visual aids; we will go into detail and explain how props are beneficial. Props are used almost everywhere you would find students, teachers and professionals use them typically in presentations. Props are basically physical objects, which are used to help a presenter explain themselves to their audience. There are many physical objects which you can potentially use as a prop; there are no restrictions or limits to what you can use. Since props are physical objects, they can come in various different sizes and shapes. Aside from this, props can also be used for onstage performances, but we will be discussing their use for presentations. Below I will go into detail about the pros and cons of using this particular visual aid.     

Props Pros     

 We now know what props are, but what makes props so great? How are props beneficial to the presenter? Well for one, it realistically helps and supports the explanation of message content (Guffey, M.E., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P., 2011, p.496). It also increases the participation among people in the audience (Guffey, M.E., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P., 2011, p.496). But how does it support the explanation of message content? Well, it improves the clarity when you physically show something, that way you wouldn’t have to explain so much to the audience (Dugdale, 2006-13, para.7). However, using props also improves the credibility of your presentation, because you are now showing proof which supports your explanation (Dugdale, 2006-13, para.8). As we can see props can really make a dramatic improvement of a person’s presentation.

Props Cons  

So we now generally have a clear idea of how helpful props can be, but what are the bad sides to it? Do the cons of this visual aid outweigh the pros? This is something which we would need to discuss. To begin with, props can lead to extra work and expense in transporting and replacing worn out objects (Guffey, M.E., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P., 2011, p.496). So either replacing or repairing props should be taken seriously, because it would look terrible to bring in a damaged prop. Secondly, props are limited in use when dealing with larger audiences (Guffey, M.E., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P., 2011, p.496). Although, these negative attributes may seem discouraging, we must keep in mind things could have been worse. In other words, the positive qualities of props outweigh the cons.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I think using props as a visual aid is very helpful, because sometimes it can become extremely difficult to explain certain things. I personally would recommend this visual aid to anyone who is doing a presentation or even performing on stage. However, as explained in the paragraph above, we would need to take initiative to either purchase or repair our props. So in the end, it becomes a choice for all individuals as to whether it is worth purchasing or not.   

                       REFERENCES

1.          Guffey, M.E, Rhodes, K. & Rogin, P. (2011). Business Communication. 1120 Birchmount Road, Toronto, Ontario, M1K 5G4: Nelson Education.

2.      Dugdale, S. (2006-13). How to use props (visual aids) in a speech. Retrieved from http://www.write-out-loud.com/howtouseprops.html