Artful Persuasion: How to Command Attention, Change Minds and Influence People

THE POWER OF A SIMPLE PROP

Sometimes a simple $5 prop can prove as dramatic and persuasive as a $20,000 video.

On 28 January 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing seven astronauts. The cause: Two rubber O-rings leaked. The rubber rings had lost their resiliency because the shuttle was launched in icy conditions.

At the presidential commission set up to investigate the crash, much of the testimony presented was highly technical, confusing, and often evasive. Most of the experts used standard overheads – usually crammed full of numbers, formulas, and calculations to support their cases.

Then the late Richard P. Feynman, the Nobel Prize-winning laureate, cut through the confusion with a compelling visual demonstration.

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