A monthly minute isn’t much time. In fact, it’s barely enough to explain what you do, let alone who you help, how you help them, and why they should care.
So rather than trying to cram more information into those precious few seconds, what if you focused instead on being memorable?
That’s the true purpose of a monthly minute: not to secure a sale on the spot, but to spark curiosity. You want people in the room, whether they’re long-standing members or first-time visitors, to lean in, pay attention, and think, “I want to know more about what they do.” When that happens, they book a 1:1. And that’s where the real conversation begins, the relationship develops, and the opportunities form.
One of the most effective, and most overlooked ways to be memorable is to use props. No, not gimmicks. Not comedy for comedy’s sake. But meaningful, strategic props that visually reinforce the message you want people to take away.
I’ve seen some awesome props used from wind up teeth by a financial advisor, to a balaclava from a security expert.
I’ve used props in two of my own spotlight/feature presentations, and in both cases, the reactions in the room were exactly what I hoped for: smiles, surprise, intrigue, and most importantly connection. Because props don’t just add interest; they help people understand your message emotionally as well as intellectually.
Here’s how I’ve used them, and how you can too.
The spaghetti, the shiny objects, and the ringing phone
The first presentation I gave involved an unlikely set of items:
- a bowl of cooked spaghetti,
- several boxes wrapped in tin foil,
- an old-fashioned telephone,
- and one volunteer with a sense of humour.
The task I set for the volunteer was simple: place the bowl of spaghetti on her head and walk from one side of the room to the door on the other side. That’s it. A single, straightforward objective.
Just like in business.
We all have simple tasks we need to complete daily: send the email, follow up on the quote, update the system, finish the project. Yet somehow, despite their simplicity, these tasks feel overwhelming. They expand. They drag. They fall further down the list. And suddenly, something small becomes something heavy.
That bowl of spaghetti represented the messiness we often carry around in our heads; our tangled thoughts, half-made plans, and the mental clutter that makes even simple tasks feel complicated.
But of course, the journey wasn’t easy. I had placed several tin foil-wrapped boxes across the floor. They represented shiny objects – the distractions we all face:
- Notifications pinging on our phones
- Emails popping up
- New courses launching
- Social media
- Interesting ideas that pull us in three different directions
As my volunteer walked, I asked her to collect each shiny object and balance it on top of the wobbling bowl of spaghetti.
It got harder. It got more precarious. The room was laughing, but they were also understanding.
Just before she reached the door, the telephone rang. I asked her to answer it while continuing her mission. Another distraction. Another demand on her attention. Another plate (or in this case, spaghetti bowl) to balance.
She almost made it to the finish line. But on the final stretch, several shiny boxes fell to the floor. That moment wasn’t planned, but it was perfect. It illustrated the core message better than words ever could:
When you’re carrying too many things and trying to respond to everything, something will eventually drop.
This single demonstration helped the room understand exactly who I help: business owners who are overwhelmed, distracted, spinning plates, losing focus, and struggling to move forward in a straight line. People who want clarity, structure, priorities, and someone to hold them accountable so they stop dropping the important things.
And it worked, not because of the spaghetti or the tin foil, but because the props told a story. A story people recognised instantly as their own.
The juggling plates that no one could keep spinning
In another presentation, I used colourful plastic juggling plates on sticks. I handed them to several people in the room and asked them to keep the plates spinning for as long as possible, and without dropping any.
As you can imagine, it didn’t take long before the plates began to wobble.
This demonstration represented another universal business challenge: trying to do everything, all at once, with no pause and no prioritisation.
So many business owners believe that success comes from juggling more: more projects, more ideas, more tasks, more commitments. But true progress often comes from doing less. From putting some plates down, temporarily or permanently, so you can focus on the ones that matter most.
Watching the plates slip and fall gave people a visual metaphor they instantly related to. They saw themselves. They felt the truth of it. And they started asking better questions:
- “Which plate should I put down?”
- “Which plate matters the most?”
- “Which plates have I been spinning out of habit rather than necessity?”
- “Do I need someone to help me decide what to drop?”
Again, the props didn’t make the message; they magnified it.
Why props work and how you can use them too
Using props in your monthly minute (or feature presentation) isn’t about being quirky for the sake of it. It’s about translating your message into something people can see, feel, and remember.
Props work because:
- They cut through predictability: no one forgets the person with spaghetti on their head.
- They create emotion: laughter, curiosity, surprise, all powerful anchors.
- They make abstract ideas tangible: overwhelm, distraction, priorities, suddenly visible.
- They tell a story: stories are remembered long after facts are forgotten.
- They give people something to talk about: and word of mouth starts with something worth mentioning.
If you want to stand out in your monthly minute, think about the problems your clients face. Then consider what physical object could bring that to life.
It doesn’t have to be big. It doesn’t have to be dramatic. It just needs to mean something.
Final thought
In networking, your goal isn’t to deliver the perfect pitch. It’s to be the person people remember and want to speak to after the meeting.
Props, when used thoughtfully, are one of the most powerful ways to make that happen.
If you’d like support refining your pitch, choosing the right message, or even brainstorming props that fit your business, I’d love to help. It’s amazing what clarity and creativity can achieve when they come together.
Drop me an email and I’ll ping you a link to my calendar to book a chat.
