Public Speaking : STRANGE OCCURRENCES

OK, OK, I know I've been preaching for years the fact that you should always use humor to make a point in a presentation. Well sometimes I don't do that at all.

Sometimes I might just do something to create a buzz. -- Just to give people something to talk about after they leave my presentation. These things I do easily could be used to make a point if I wanted to, but I don't always want to.

HERE'S AN EXAMPLE:

Do you think you might tell someone about it if you saw me speak and you witnessed with your very own eyes a handkerchief flying 100 feet across the meeting room right into my hand?

You can make that happen for about $80.00

Not that there is any point here, but I do need a reason that the handkerchief decided to fly over to me. I set that up by saying, "It seems to be getting a little hot in here." Now it makes sense for me to summon a handkerchief to wipe my brow. I then put it in my lapel pocket and continue as if nothing happened.

I don't really continue . . . I pretend to continue until people start yelling, "How'd you do that?" I respond as if I don't know what they are talking about and play that out for a while. I never do tell them.

HERE'S ANOTHER ONE:

How about pouring water on someone's head and they don't get wet? You can do that too for about ten bucks.

Am I going to tell you how the above things are done? Absolutely not! Someone from the magician's union would kill me. You can however, take this article to a magic shop and tell them you want to be able to do these things and they will sell you the appropriate equipment / supplies. Once you've purchased, then you have the right to know how it works. That's the way it works with magic. Don't go into the store and ask them how to do this, because they won't tell you. YOU MUST PURCHASE FIRST and there are no refunds, so be prepared to either go through with these tricks or throw them in a drawer.

I will tell you, that these two tricks take minimum practice, but they DO TAKE SOME PRACTICE. Don't go off and try to use them in a presentation the moment you get them or you're guaranteed to mess up. -- and messing up the water trick will get YOU in hot water with the person you just soaked. :)