Essential Leadership Apps
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“They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read." Nehemiah 8:8 (NIV)

“But you are to proclaim things consistent with sound teaching.” Titus 2:1 (CSB)

"As a communicator, I can either try to be a sage on the stage or a guide by their side. A sage looks down on others and tries to impress them with wisdom. A guide comes alongside, shares the journey, and encourages them to go the distance with him. I don’t want to impress others; I want to connect with them and help them." - John Maxwell, Leadershift
I recommend John Maxwell's book, Everyone Communicates - Few Connect (What The Most Effective People Do Differently) to catapult your capacity to effectively communicate personally, in group settings, and in front of audiences. Download my summary of the book here. 

This App is designed to be a place were helpful content is warehoused for those who are looking to improve their public speaking abilities and specifically it focuses on preaching. There are many approaches to communicating God's Word but the style that I resonate with the most is laid out in Andy Stanley's book Communicating For A Change. Below is a "cliff notes" version of the book that will serve to orient you to the basic concepts of Communication That Sticks. 
communicating_for_a_change.pdf
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File Type: pdf
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Click here to watch a video from the 2009 Drive Conference where Andy Stanley teaches through some of the fundamental principles found in "Communicating For A Change." If you'd like to follow along with notes download the PDF below. 
communication_that_sticks.pdf
File Size: 2382 kb
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You should also check out Andy Stanley's "Five Guidelines for Communicating with Unchurched People in the Room." A decade ago, Andy (subtly but monumentally) adjusted his approach to preaching. Watch as he outlines the what and why in “Double-Barrel Preaching.” Download the notes and follow along here. 

Jeff Henderson has written a book, "Know What You're FOR: A Growth Strategy for Work, An Even Better Strategy for Life", and in that book he talks about the importance of finding your voice. There is a helpful assessment that you can take at his website here. This will help you to delve deeper into your presenter voice - the teacher, the motivator, the storyteller or the visionary. Each of these voices has a strength and a weakness. Once you know this, you can leverage the strength and avoid the weakness, which will be a huge help in improving as a communicator.

THE TEACHER
  • The voice of the teacher is instructional, with explanation as the goal.
  • The weakness of this voice can potentially be a lack of connection with the crowd.
  • The question the teacher must answer for the audience is, “Why is this content important?”
 
THE MOTIVATOR
  • The voice of the motivator is action-oriented, with personal change as the goal.
  • The weakness of this voice is that it can lean more on inspiration and less on content and clarity.
  • The question the motivator must answer for the audience is, “What do I want you to do with this information?”
 
THE STORYTELLER
  • The voice of the storyteller is engaging, with an emotional connection with the crowd as the goal.
  • The weakness of this voice can be a lack of direction and clarity regarding the purpose of the presentation.
  • The question the storyteller must answer is, “Where am I taking the audience?”
 
THE VISIONARY
  • The voice of the visionary is inspiring, with organizational/world change as the goal.
  • The weakness of this voice is clearly articulating the how behind the why of the change.
  • The question the visionary must answer is, “How are we going to accomplish this?”

Images Adapted From Tony Morgan's Webinar

Tim Challies offers some inspiring thoughts about how to pray (original credit goes to Mike McKinley) when you're preparing a sermon as well as a set of helpful questions designed to be used near the end of a time of preparation. They form a bit of a checklist to ensure that what has been prepared is well-structured and that it will avoid missteps that may prove hindrances to those who are listening. 
praying_and_preparing_for_a_sermon.pdf
File Size: 19 kb
File Type: pdf
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I have a tremendous amount of respect for pastor and author Timothy Keller. Watch him speak at the "Preaching To The Heart" workshop on preaching at The Gospel Coalition's 2015 National Conference in Orlando, Florida. 

I have found numerous helpful resources from Carey Nieuwhof as well. The PDF's below have been adapted from numerous blog posts from Carey's blog. Each one addresses an aspect of communication that can help you develop this calling you may have on your life. 
ways_to_get_better_as_a_communicator.pdf
File Size: 46 kb
File Type: pdf
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how_to_write_a_killer_bottom_line.pdf
File Size: 47 kb
File Type: pdf
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7_reasons_you_should_give_a_talk_without_notes.pdf
File Size: 38 kb
File Type: pdf
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how_to_deliver_a_talk_without_using_notes.pdf
File Size: 49 kb
File Type: pdf
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5_rarely_talked_about_tips_for_every_communicator.pdf
File Size: 51 kb
File Type: pdf
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preaching_cheat_sheet.pdf
File Size: 180 kb
File Type: pdf
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Carey Nieuwhof interviews Jeff Henderson about "How Anyone Can Become a Better Communicator".
For those moments when you find yourself having to speak or preach on the fly and in the moment ... read How To Give An Impromptu Speech When You Have Zero Prep Time by Carey Nieuwhof. He has also written seven additional blog posts addressing communicating ... 

7 Easy Ways To Ruin An Otherwise Great Sermon, Message, Or Talk (And How To Fix It)
​

7 Fresh Ways To Get Over Your Fear Of Talking About Money In Church

7 Ways To Beat Writer’s Block And Eliminate Boring Sermons 

7 Reasons Your Sermons Are Boring

The 4 Categories of Preaching: How To Tell If Your Sermon Is Going To Be a Hit or a Dud

​5 Ways to Get Better at Preaching/Speaking Directly Into A Camera

How To Design a Message Series That Engages Unchurched People​
Picture

Here are other articles for your consideration ...  

Note to Aspiring Preachers: Here are Seven Key Pitfalls to Avoid by Michael J. Kruger

Seven Ways to Improve Your Preaching by Kevin DeYoung 

Improve Your Sermon Titles with These Four Questions by Rick Warren 
​

Here is a valuable message evaluation tool that was adapted from Preaching Rocket ... 
sermon_evaluation.pdf
File Size: 33 kb
File Type: pdf
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Pastor Steve Carter hosts, Craft and Character,  an insightful podcast on the art of preaching. Each episode is packed full of helpful content and interviews to grow you as a communicator. 

Craig Groeschel's leadership podcast featured two sessions on becoming a better communicator. Click the links below to watch the sessions and download the show notes to follow along and discuss with others. 

Episode 14 - Sharpening Your Communication Skills, Part 1 (November 3, 2016)

If you’re a leader, you probably also want to improve as a speaker. On “Sharpening Your Communication Skills, Part 1,” we’ll discuss a few ways we can sharpen our communication skills and make ideas stick in the minds of the people who need to know them.

Episode 15 - Sharpening Your Communication Skills, Part 2 (December 3, 2016)

We wear many hats as communicators. In “Sharpening Your Communication Skills, Part 2,” we’ll talk a little about communicating in the right way and using the four communication languages to our advantage.
episode14.pdf
File Size: 530 kb
File Type: pdf
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episode15.pdf
File Size: 665 kb
File Type: pdf
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Watch "I Was Taught & I Thought" by Craig Groeschel where he talks about the courage to preach the gospel. Start @ 0:00 - 13:25; 28:50 - 34:24

There is an ongoing conversation that surfaces when there is discussion about communicating. It focuses on the balance between preparation and spontaneity. To explore these topics click on the links below ... 

Leading With Leftovers (formerly Bring What You Have) by Albert Tate

Growing in Ministry Faithfulness (Francis Chan / Chip Ingram)

There is an art to using humor as a communicator and these resources can help you develop the use of humor ... 

Earl Creps wrote a blog post that provides insight: What Jim Gaffigan Taught Me About Communication 

Carey Nieuwhof's Interview with Andrew Bright entitled What Leaders and Communicators Can Learn From Improv

Watch "Punchline" with Michael Jr. at Life.Church. Visit his Michael Jr. too! 

The Panic Squad

Read a summary of Strong and Weak by Andy Crouch. It's an insightful consideration of how we are to balance authority and vulnerability when we're communicating.  

Chris Anderson (Head of TED) shares his insights regarding how we share ideas here: TED's Secret to Great Public Speaking

How To Tell A Successful Story ... Storytellings Tips & Tricks

Gavin Adams served as the Lead Pastor of Woodstock City Church, a campus location of North Point Ministries. He wrote a blog post that has added value to my journey here: Does Your Preaching Connect? One Important Shift You Can Make. 

Listen to the Read to Lead Podcast: #157: Mastering the Art and Science of Exceptional Presentation Design to learn a proven process used by compelling communicators for designing presentations that touch your audience in a highly impactful way.

There are some great succinct thoughts for communicators in this podcast at 34:12. The Joshua Gagnon Leadership Podcast: 024: People Matter: A Conversation About What Really Counts in Ministry

According to Tony Morgan, if you’re the lead pastor, you can’t delegate teaching, and you MUST delegate the things that get in the way of great teaching. Listen to the podcast below for more details ... 

Teaching - Episode 94 - The Unstuck Church Podcast with Tony Morgan (notes below) 
e94_conversation_guide_senior_pastor_roles_teaching.pdf
File Size: 210 kb
File Type: pdf
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A few years ago Tony wrote a blog post that you may find insightful ... Netflix, TED and the Future of Preaching

Craig Groeschel's Podcast: Q&A with Vanessa Van Edwards: How to Communicate with Charisma. Notes here.

ChurchLeaders Podcast: Beth Moore on the ‘Most Important Part of the Process’ of Teaching God’s Word.


Questions for reflection ... 

What do you enjoy most about the process of communicating?

What are you learning about being an effective communicator? 

In what areas do you feel a need to improve as a communicator? 

What growth areas do you personally sense that you would like to explore in the coming year?

  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Resume
    • Objective
    • Wiring
    • Education
    • Credentials
    • Experience
    • Technical Experience
    • My Story
    • Beliefs >
      • Church & Culture
      • Holy Sexuality
      • Life
    • Sermons
    • Recent Reads
    • Favorite Podcasts
  • About
  • OS
    • A Work, Not A Job
    • Because I Am A Leader
    • Four Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership
    • Handling Criticism
    • Holy Redundancy
    • Introverted Leadership
    • Judgment Call
    • The Land Between
    • The Making Of A Spiritual Leader
    • The Optics Of A Leader
    • The Replenishment Of A Leader
    • Six Types of Leaders
    • Succession Planning
    • The Transition Of A Leader
    • Trust vs. Suspicion
    • What Following Jesus Looks Like
    • Women In Leadership
  • Apps
    • Bible
    • Contacts
    • Heart
    • Weakness
    • Books
    • Health
    • Questions
    • Direction
    • Camera
    • Wired
    • Rhythm
    • Generosity
    • Flashlight
    • Rubber Band
    • Vision
    • Prayer
    • Y5
    • C7
    • Recreation
    • Adaptation
    • Delegation
    • Honor
    • Music
    • Priorities
    • Change
    • Conflict
    • Encouragement
    • Communication
  • Deep
    • Dream & Philosophy
    • Explanation & Invitation
  • Married Life
    • Premarital Counseling
    • iMarriage
    • The Vow
    • Trust God
    • Hurry Home
    • Cultivate Communication
    • Nurture Romance
    • Celebrate Differences
    • Finish Together
    • Necessary Endings
    • Divorce & Remarriage
    • Enemies Of The Heart
    • Parenting
  • Follow
    • Attribute Overview
    • Learn To Be With Jesus
    • Learn To Listen
    • Learn To Heal
    • Learn To Influence
    • Learn To Love
    • Learn To Pray
    • Learn To Manage
    • Coaching
    • Group