“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
“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. John's book, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication: Apply Them and Make the Most of Your Message is a tremendous resource to help you improve as a communicator. He was interviewed by Craig Groeschel and the notes from that interview are here. I appreciated the 8 questions below from the Law of Preparation. I use them myself to help me when I'm speaking outside of my normal context so that I can be sure to add value to those who will hear me communicate.
- What is the event?
- Does it have a theme?
- Why have you chosen me to speak?
- What is the context?
- What is the subject?
- Are there specific things you want me to talk about?
- What would you consider a win?
- Is there anything else I can do to add value to you?
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 |
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 |
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 MOTIVATOR
THE STORYTELLER
THE VISIONARY
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 |
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 |
| how_to_write_a_killer_bottom_line.pdf |
| 7_reasons_you_should_give_a_talk_without_notes.pdf |
| how_to_deliver_a_talk_without_using_notes.pdf |
| 5_rarely_talked_about_tips_for_every_communicator.pdf |
| preaching_cheat_sheet.pdf |
Carey Nieuwhof interviews Jeff Henderson about "How Anyone Can Become a Better Communicator".
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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 ...
The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Great Sermon 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 |
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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
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 |
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.
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 |
| episode15.pdf |
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)
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
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)
Teaching - Episode 94 - The Unstuck Church Podcast with Tony Morgan (notes below)
| e94_conversation_guide_senior_pastor_roles_teaching.pdf |
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.
Craig Groeschel's Podcast: The Art of Public Speaking | Liz Bohannon. Notes here.
ChurchLeaders Podcast: Beth Moore on the ‘Most Important Part of the Process’ of Teaching God’s Word.
Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Podcast: 8 Practices Of Emotionally Healthy Preaching and Teaching, E-Book here.
Craig Groeschel's Podcast: The Art of Public Speaking | Liz Bohannon. Notes here.
ChurchLeaders Podcast: Beth Moore on the ‘Most Important Part of the Process’ of Teaching God’s Word.
Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Podcast: 8 Practices Of Emotionally Healthy Preaching and Teaching, E-Book here.
Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World (Discover the Power of Christocentric Preaching) ... A Lecture Series by Tim Keller and Edmund Clowney. Preaching Christ in All of Scripture by Edmund Clowney.
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?
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?