Communicating for a Change
by Andy Stanley
Part 1
Outreach Magazine just released their annual list of the nation's largest and fastest growing churches. It is always encouraging, if not a little intimidating. (The dark side of me will often compare myself and think, "What about me? Am I doing anything significant for God?") Then, I remember, it is not about me. Oh, yeah.
When you are in as many churches as I am that are struggling, it is just encouraging to see churches that are thriving.
Here are some highlights:
The nation's largest church (Lakewood Church, Houston, TX) grew by 38%, from 32,500 to 45,000. That is an increase of 12,500 in one year. I am sometimes in larger churches that tell me it is really hard to sustain growth for a church our size.
230,000 attended the ten largest churches.
216,000 attended the next 15 largest churches. That is nearly half a million people attending at the 25 largest churches.
39 of the top 100 churches use multi-sites. This is clearly one of the biggest changes in church in my lifetime. See Warren Bird's new book on the subject.
Less than half of the top 100 churches are white.
There are over a hundred churches in the United States that have over 2000 in attendance AND are less than ten years old.
A million people, roughly 10% of all who attend church attend the top 1,210 churches. If seen as a denomination, these 1,210 congregations would be the third largest denomination in the United States, behind Catholics and Southern Baptists. A million people attend the top .3% of churches.
Outreach is my favorite magazine. I would highly encourage you to subscribe. For more information, see:
www.outreach.com
www.outreachmagazine.com
Also, see John Vaughan's web site. John Vaughn did the actual research and compiled the list for Outreach:
www.churchgrowthtoday.com
What do all these churches have in common? Not much. They are Charismatic and Charismatic-hating. They are contemporary and old fashioned. They are Sunday School based and home group based. They are seeker targeted and seeker hostile. They are of every denomination--and no denomination. They are found in every geographical area. They are found in cities and relatively small towns. Central Baptist Church, Jonesboro, AR made the list. I noticed it because my brother used to be on staff there. I have been to Jonesboro. It is, well, Jonesboro. This is not Atlanta or Dallas, this is Jonesboro for heaven's sake.
What do these churches have in common? Not much. But, they do have one thing in common. There is one thing that every single one of these churches shares in common--no exceptions. (Can I get a drum roll, please?)
They all have able communicators in the pulpit. Crowds do not throng to boring preaching. One of Thom Rainer's findings years ago is that the number one predictor of the growth of any church is the preaching ability of the preacher. People like to go where the preaching is interesting. In this issue of Outreach, Thom Rainer repeats this finding, "Our reseach has shown consistently that while megachurch growth can be explained a number of ways, one factor is pervasive [Note: ONE factor]: Megachurches have high quality preaching.
Let's take it down a level. Let's talk about Sunday School classes and small groups. The number one predictor of the growth of any group is the teaching ability of the leader.
This is not to say that other things don't matter. Everything matters. Music matters. Fellowship matters. Facilities matter. Everything matters. But, the thing that matters most, in terms of predicting the growth of any group, be it a small group or a mega-church is the communication ability of the communicator.
The importance of great preaching to the growth of churches and great teaching to the growth of classes is often missed because of one thing. When Bill Hybels teaches on how to become a prevailing church (his preferred term to growing church) it is a little brash for him to say, "The reason Willowcreek has grown is because of my great preaching." It may be brash of him to say, but it is true.
This is why I would like to ask you to join me in a commitment. If you are a communicator, I would like to challenge you to make a promise to God that for the rest of your life, as long as you get to do this thing called communication, you are going to work at getting better and better at it. I want to invite you to continually read the books, listen to the audio, take the classes and attend the seminars that will help you to be a better and better communicator.
"Where do I begin?" you might be asking? What do I read that will help me be a better communicator? I have good news for you. Every year, someone will write another great book on communication.
This year, the book is Andy Stanley and Lane Jones' new book Communicating for a Change.
Don't walk--run to your nearest book store and get this book- it is great. If I were a Pastor we would be studying this book with my teachers this fall. It is great. I rarely finish books. I devoured this one and will likely read it again. If Andy releases any audio, I will likely buy those and listen. It is just that good.
Communicating for a Change is divided into two sections. The first half is a story about a man who learned to preach from a truck driver. In this story, the authors weave into the conversation the seven principles of Communicating for a Change. The second half details the seven principles in a more straightforward way.
Principle #1: Determine your goal
There are three approaches to teaching adults:
·Teach the Bible to people
· Teach people the Bible
· Teach people how to live according to the Bible.
Andy subscribes to the last one. The point is not to make smarter sinners. The point is not to cover the material. The point is to teach people how to be doers of the word, not hearers only.
What is wrong with this rendition of the Great Commission:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
Did you find it? I left out two important words: "to obey." The text actually says, "teaching them to obey." That is the goal of effective teaching.
Andy tells the story of a conversation he has with one of their communicators. He--not Andy, the other guy--was trying desperately to keep everything straight in his head. He badly wanted to get it right, to do well. Andy called him to the side just before he was to speak and gave him a talk he has given to himself many times:
"How would you communicate this message if your eighteen year old boy had made up his mind to walk away from everything you have taught him morally, ethically and theologically unless he had a compelling reason not to. What would you say this morning if you knew that was at stake. Because for somebody's son out there today, this may be his last chance. Now, quit worrying about your outline. Go out there and plead your case like your son's future was at stake."
Principle #2: Pick a point
The goal is life-change. The point is the single area of life-change that we are seeking in this teaching. What is the one thing you want to communicate to your people this week? What is the one thing I want the to know? What do I want them to do about it?
I ought to be able to stop you before you walked into class and ask, "What are you going to teach today?" You ought to be able to say in one sentence. I ought to be able to ask any one of your students after class, "What did the teacher teach on today?" And, I ought to hear the same answer.
Andy is a big fan of the one-point sermon and not a big fan of the three point sermon. You might be thinking, "Well, what about his dad? Charles Stanley seems to have done O.K. with the three point sermon.
Andy talks about a conversation he had with his dad about this at their monthly breakfast meeting. "You have to have a burden," Charles said. "If you don't have a burden, it is just a bunch of fluff."
As they continued their conversation it became clear that when he talked about the burden, he was talking about the one thing. That one message, idea, principle or truth that just had to be communicated. The one thing isn't just information. It isn't just a carefully crafted phrase. It is literally a burden. It is a burden that weighs so heavily on the heart of the communicator that he or she must deliver it. Everyone knows whether the communicator is carrying a burden or dispensing information.
Principle #3: Create a map
Andy recommends a five-step process in communicating the one thing. He calls it ME-WE-GOD-YOU-WE.
ME: This section introduces the speaker to the audience and to the dilemma the speaker has been wrestling with.
Example: sometimes I find myself wondering about how to respond to certain situations in my marriage.
WE: In this section the speaker seeks to find common ground with the audience around this dilemma. We don't want to transition to the next section until we have created a tension that the audience is dying for you to solve. In other words, assume no interest.
Example: I imagine you have found yourself in situations where you didn't know what to do either.
God: In this section the speaker unpacks what the Bible has to say about the matter. Andy recommends that you avoid two extremes. We don't want to be so shallow that we fail to really deal with the text, but we also don't want to go so deep that we lose the audience. There is such a thing as teaching that is too deep for this audience at this time.
Example: The Bible has plenty to say about how husbands and wives are to relate to one another.
YOU: This is application. Imagine someone asked you after your teaching: "What do you want me to do about what you said today?" Again, you ought to be able to answer in a sentence or two. Andy Stanley rarely makes the application life-altering decisions. Rather, he prods people to take baby steps in the right direction--to try something today or this week.
Example: This week, I want to invite you to put the needs and desires of your spouse ahead of your own needs.
WE: This section is all about inspiration. It is about vision casting. If we can find one, use a heart warming story to drive the point home. Otherwise, perhaps a simple question would do.
Example: Imagine what would happen in a marriage where each person tried to put the needs of the other above their own needs.
This five-step approach to teaching is amazingly flexible and can work with virtually any material. It creates a great map for taking people from where they are to where you want them to be.
Next week we will look at the final four principles:
· Internalize the message
· Engage your audience
· Find your voice
· Start all over
Part 2
How to communicate like their life depended on it
It you really want to get the most out of Andy Stanley's great new book, here is what I recommend. Read the book. Then read it again (at least the back half). Then, watch some Andy Stanley sermons so you can see how he teaches the way he says.
This would be a great book to study with your group leaders.
Principle #4: Internalize the message
Before we can stand and deliver a message, we must own it. By own it, we mean you should be able to sit down at a table and communicate the message to a friend without notes. When you can tell your sermon, rather than preach it, you are ready to communicate. "I find something very disingenuous about a speaker who says, 'This is very, very important and then reads something from his notes. Constantly referring to notes communicates, 'I have not internalized this message. I want everyone else to internalize it, but I have not.'"
"How can I remember everything I want to say without notes?" Good question. They key is not to have too much to say. Specifically, have one thing to say. One thing. If you can reduce the message down to one thing, you have some hope of internalizing it within yourself and communicating it to your audience.
Here is an example. I could summarize my message to this: you can double your class in two years or less by inviting every member and every prospect to every fellowship every month.
Some have called this the "elevator pitch." Summarize the message in the time it takes the elevator to reach the next floor. If I had more time, I might add these sentences:
· A class of ten that doubles every 18 months can reach 1000 people in ten years. That is the power of doubling groups.
· Doubling a group in two years only means growing from 10 to 14 in a year. You can do this.
· One effective way of doing this is to give Friday Nights to Jesus--an informal time of Coffee Cake, Diet Coke, and Table Games. Invite your best friends, along with some absentees or prospects for the group. I have seen it happen more times than I can count that if I can get them to the party I could not keep them from class.
· If we love them, they will come, and they will come to love our Lord. Love at its best is simple. It is Diet Coke and table games and card playing and bowling pins and somehow in the mix off all that, people feel loved.
How would you summarize your lesson from last Sunday?
Andy Stanley recommends you reduce it to a well-worded statement summarizing the big idea. He often writes that on a card, and then holds it up and reads it. "I wanted to make sure I said this right, so I wrote it down."
Principle #5: Engage your audience
If communication can be compared to taking people on a journey, then it is imperative that we actually take them with us. A principle that every world-class communicator knows is this: presentation trumps information when it comes to engaging the audience. Attention and retention is determined by presentation, not information. Presentation matters. A lot. How you say what you say is every bit as important as what you say.
Somewhere along the line we bought into the lie that good content was all we needed to engage an audience. Not so. We need both something to say and we need to say it well.
Think about your favorite restaurant for a moment. My guess is they serve beef, chicken and fish. So does every other restaurant, including a lot of restaurants that you don't like. It is not about what they serve; it is about how they serve it.
Whatever else a person thinks about Jesus, they need to understand this. In the time Jesus was alive, people loved him or hated him. They were not neutral. Nobody fell asleep.
How do you do this? People engage easily when they are convinced you are about to answer a question they have been asking, solve a mystery they have been unable to solve, or resolve a tension that they have been unable to resolve.
But, what if they are not interested? Simply put, you have to manufacture interest. That is your job. If you give answers to questions that no one is asking, the information will likely fall on deaf ears.
Tips for engaging the audience. Andy spends a page or two on each one of these, but let me summarize these to bullet points here:
· Check your speed. Generally faster is better than slower, but there is such a thing as too fast.
· Slow down in the curves. Make sure everyone knows when you are going from point one to point two. Oh, I forgot, Andy is not big on points. Anyway, when you transition from one part of the talk to the next.
· Navigate through the text. In this section, Andy shares some practical and insightful ideas on how to make the text itself more engaging. Buy the book!
· Add something unexpected to the trip. Predictability is the death of learning. Surprise them.
· Take the most direct route. It is better to be clear than creative.
Principle #6: Find your voice
The goal is to communicate as well as the best of communicators, not to communicate like the best of communicators.
One thing Andy warns about at this point is listening to too much of one speaker to the exclusion of other speakers. In this MP3 era, it is important that we all listen to a variety of voices and eventually find our own.
It is also important that you don't use your style as a cover up for boring. Boring is not a style. It is just boring. Confusing might be a style. But, it is still confusing. "Style" can be a combination of bad habits.
In this chapter Andy tells a couple of stories of opportunities he has had to coach some world-class communicators. He doesn't mention any names, but you get the impression that if he did, we would all know who he is talking about. I found myself thinking, "Wow, what would it be like to have someone like Andy Stanley to coach me?"
How would you like to have a coach that was guaranteed to make you a better communicator listen to and evaluate some of your teachings? The best of communicators do this regularly. That is why they are the best. They have extraordinary talent and they work really hard at it. Sam Shaw used to ask me regularly, "How can I be better? How can I improve?"
Would you like a communication coach to help you? Here is an idea: be your own coach. Listen to a recording of your own teaching. Guaranteed you will discover countless ways to improve. If you really want to improve, watch a video. If you really, really want to improve, have your pastor, Minister of Education of some other person knowledgeable in communication to watch it with you.
Principle #7: Start all over
Sometimes we get stuck. Sunday comes, but the lesson never gets here. The big idea doesn't materialize. What do we do.
Step #1: pray. No kidding. Pray hard.
Step #2: four questions.
Question #1: What do they need to know? In light of my study this week, in light of what I know of my group. In light of my prayer time and what God is saying to me. In light of all of that, what do they need to know. Summarize it down to one sentence. One big idea.
Question #2: Why do they need to know it? In just about every teaching we do well to say, "This is why this is important." What will happen if they discover this truth and this truth really gets a hold of them? What is at stake? What happens if they don't?
Question #3: What do they need to do? What do you want them to do in response to what you have said? Be specific. Be creative. You don't have to ask for some big, monumental change. Oftentimes, a baby step in the right direction is better.
For example. Suppose you are doing a teaching on prayer. The bottom line could be, "So, pray!" A better approach might be to challenge the group to set their alarm 7 minutes earlier just for this week and spend seven minutes with God before they start their day this week.
Question #4: Why do they need to do it? Do a little vision casting. I might say, "Imagine a church where every group leader embraced the vision of 2 Timothy 2.2--of doubling a group every two years or less. What would it mean for that church? What would it mean for the teachers? What would it mean for the world? What would it mean for the next generation who grew up in a church like that?
Question #5: What can I do to help them remember? How can I say it in a way they have never heard it before? How can I say it in a way they will remember? How can I be creative? What props might I use? What questions might I ask? How can I make it stick?
The #1 predictor of the growth of any church is the preaching ability of the preacher. The #1 predictor of the growth of any class is the teaching ability of the teacher. There are only so many variables that affect the quality of the teaching:
· How much God-given talent you possess.
· The literature that you use. (Has only a modest affect in my estimation.)
· The amount of time and effort you spend on the lesson.
· The amount of time you spend evaluating your teaching.
· The number and quality of training you participate in.
If you are committed to being the best teacher you can be, I want to ask you to join me in making a life-long commitment to improvement in your teaching. And the baby-step toward that dream is to read and study Andy's excellent book, Communicating for a Change.
by Andy Stanley
Part 1
Outreach Magazine just released their annual list of the nation's largest and fastest growing churches. It is always encouraging, if not a little intimidating. (The dark side of me will often compare myself and think, "What about me? Am I doing anything significant for God?") Then, I remember, it is not about me. Oh, yeah.
When you are in as many churches as I am that are struggling, it is just encouraging to see churches that are thriving.
Here are some highlights:
The nation's largest church (Lakewood Church, Houston, TX) grew by 38%, from 32,500 to 45,000. That is an increase of 12,500 in one year. I am sometimes in larger churches that tell me it is really hard to sustain growth for a church our size.
230,000 attended the ten largest churches.
216,000 attended the next 15 largest churches. That is nearly half a million people attending at the 25 largest churches.
39 of the top 100 churches use multi-sites. This is clearly one of the biggest changes in church in my lifetime. See Warren Bird's new book on the subject.
Less than half of the top 100 churches are white.
There are over a hundred churches in the United States that have over 2000 in attendance AND are less than ten years old.
A million people, roughly 10% of all who attend church attend the top 1,210 churches. If seen as a denomination, these 1,210 congregations would be the third largest denomination in the United States, behind Catholics and Southern Baptists. A million people attend the top .3% of churches.
Outreach is my favorite magazine. I would highly encourage you to subscribe. For more information, see:
www.outreach.com
www.outreachmagazine.com
Also, see John Vaughan's web site. John Vaughn did the actual research and compiled the list for Outreach:
www.churchgrowthtoday.com
What do all these churches have in common? Not much. They are Charismatic and Charismatic-hating. They are contemporary and old fashioned. They are Sunday School based and home group based. They are seeker targeted and seeker hostile. They are of every denomination--and no denomination. They are found in every geographical area. They are found in cities and relatively small towns. Central Baptist Church, Jonesboro, AR made the list. I noticed it because my brother used to be on staff there. I have been to Jonesboro. It is, well, Jonesboro. This is not Atlanta or Dallas, this is Jonesboro for heaven's sake.
What do these churches have in common? Not much. But, they do have one thing in common. There is one thing that every single one of these churches shares in common--no exceptions. (Can I get a drum roll, please?)
They all have able communicators in the pulpit. Crowds do not throng to boring preaching. One of Thom Rainer's findings years ago is that the number one predictor of the growth of any church is the preaching ability of the preacher. People like to go where the preaching is interesting. In this issue of Outreach, Thom Rainer repeats this finding, "Our reseach has shown consistently that while megachurch growth can be explained a number of ways, one factor is pervasive [Note: ONE factor]: Megachurches have high quality preaching.
Let's take it down a level. Let's talk about Sunday School classes and small groups. The number one predictor of the growth of any group is the teaching ability of the leader.
This is not to say that other things don't matter. Everything matters. Music matters. Fellowship matters. Facilities matter. Everything matters. But, the thing that matters most, in terms of predicting the growth of any group, be it a small group or a mega-church is the communication ability of the communicator.
The importance of great preaching to the growth of churches and great teaching to the growth of classes is often missed because of one thing. When Bill Hybels teaches on how to become a prevailing church (his preferred term to growing church) it is a little brash for him to say, "The reason Willowcreek has grown is because of my great preaching." It may be brash of him to say, but it is true.
This is why I would like to ask you to join me in a commitment. If you are a communicator, I would like to challenge you to make a promise to God that for the rest of your life, as long as you get to do this thing called communication, you are going to work at getting better and better at it. I want to invite you to continually read the books, listen to the audio, take the classes and attend the seminars that will help you to be a better and better communicator.
"Where do I begin?" you might be asking? What do I read that will help me be a better communicator? I have good news for you. Every year, someone will write another great book on communication.
This year, the book is Andy Stanley and Lane Jones' new book Communicating for a Change.
Don't walk--run to your nearest book store and get this book- it is great. If I were a Pastor we would be studying this book with my teachers this fall. It is great. I rarely finish books. I devoured this one and will likely read it again. If Andy releases any audio, I will likely buy those and listen. It is just that good.
Communicating for a Change is divided into two sections. The first half is a story about a man who learned to preach from a truck driver. In this story, the authors weave into the conversation the seven principles of Communicating for a Change. The second half details the seven principles in a more straightforward way.
Principle #1: Determine your goal
There are three approaches to teaching adults:
·Teach the Bible to people
· Teach people the Bible
· Teach people how to live according to the Bible.
Andy subscribes to the last one. The point is not to make smarter sinners. The point is not to cover the material. The point is to teach people how to be doers of the word, not hearers only.
What is wrong with this rendition of the Great Commission:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
Did you find it? I left out two important words: "to obey." The text actually says, "teaching them to obey." That is the goal of effective teaching.
Andy tells the story of a conversation he has with one of their communicators. He--not Andy, the other guy--was trying desperately to keep everything straight in his head. He badly wanted to get it right, to do well. Andy called him to the side just before he was to speak and gave him a talk he has given to himself many times:
"How would you communicate this message if your eighteen year old boy had made up his mind to walk away from everything you have taught him morally, ethically and theologically unless he had a compelling reason not to. What would you say this morning if you knew that was at stake. Because for somebody's son out there today, this may be his last chance. Now, quit worrying about your outline. Go out there and plead your case like your son's future was at stake."
Principle #2: Pick a point
The goal is life-change. The point is the single area of life-change that we are seeking in this teaching. What is the one thing you want to communicate to your people this week? What is the one thing I want the to know? What do I want them to do about it?
I ought to be able to stop you before you walked into class and ask, "What are you going to teach today?" You ought to be able to say in one sentence. I ought to be able to ask any one of your students after class, "What did the teacher teach on today?" And, I ought to hear the same answer.
Andy is a big fan of the one-point sermon and not a big fan of the three point sermon. You might be thinking, "Well, what about his dad? Charles Stanley seems to have done O.K. with the three point sermon.
Andy talks about a conversation he had with his dad about this at their monthly breakfast meeting. "You have to have a burden," Charles said. "If you don't have a burden, it is just a bunch of fluff."
As they continued their conversation it became clear that when he talked about the burden, he was talking about the one thing. That one message, idea, principle or truth that just had to be communicated. The one thing isn't just information. It isn't just a carefully crafted phrase. It is literally a burden. It is a burden that weighs so heavily on the heart of the communicator that he or she must deliver it. Everyone knows whether the communicator is carrying a burden or dispensing information.
Principle #3: Create a map
Andy recommends a five-step process in communicating the one thing. He calls it ME-WE-GOD-YOU-WE.
ME: This section introduces the speaker to the audience and to the dilemma the speaker has been wrestling with.
Example: sometimes I find myself wondering about how to respond to certain situations in my marriage.
WE: In this section the speaker seeks to find common ground with the audience around this dilemma. We don't want to transition to the next section until we have created a tension that the audience is dying for you to solve. In other words, assume no interest.
Example: I imagine you have found yourself in situations where you didn't know what to do either.
God: In this section the speaker unpacks what the Bible has to say about the matter. Andy recommends that you avoid two extremes. We don't want to be so shallow that we fail to really deal with the text, but we also don't want to go so deep that we lose the audience. There is such a thing as teaching that is too deep for this audience at this time.
Example: The Bible has plenty to say about how husbands and wives are to relate to one another.
YOU: This is application. Imagine someone asked you after your teaching: "What do you want me to do about what you said today?" Again, you ought to be able to answer in a sentence or two. Andy Stanley rarely makes the application life-altering decisions. Rather, he prods people to take baby steps in the right direction--to try something today or this week.
Example: This week, I want to invite you to put the needs and desires of your spouse ahead of your own needs.
WE: This section is all about inspiration. It is about vision casting. If we can find one, use a heart warming story to drive the point home. Otherwise, perhaps a simple question would do.
Example: Imagine what would happen in a marriage where each person tried to put the needs of the other above their own needs.
This five-step approach to teaching is amazingly flexible and can work with virtually any material. It creates a great map for taking people from where they are to where you want them to be.
Next week we will look at the final four principles:
· Internalize the message
· Engage your audience
· Find your voice
· Start all over
Part 2
How to communicate like their life depended on it
It you really want to get the most out of Andy Stanley's great new book, here is what I recommend. Read the book. Then read it again (at least the back half). Then, watch some Andy Stanley sermons so you can see how he teaches the way he says.
This would be a great book to study with your group leaders.
Principle #4: Internalize the message
Before we can stand and deliver a message, we must own it. By own it, we mean you should be able to sit down at a table and communicate the message to a friend without notes. When you can tell your sermon, rather than preach it, you are ready to communicate. "I find something very disingenuous about a speaker who says, 'This is very, very important and then reads something from his notes. Constantly referring to notes communicates, 'I have not internalized this message. I want everyone else to internalize it, but I have not.'"
"How can I remember everything I want to say without notes?" Good question. They key is not to have too much to say. Specifically, have one thing to say. One thing. If you can reduce the message down to one thing, you have some hope of internalizing it within yourself and communicating it to your audience.
Here is an example. I could summarize my message to this: you can double your class in two years or less by inviting every member and every prospect to every fellowship every month.
Some have called this the "elevator pitch." Summarize the message in the time it takes the elevator to reach the next floor. If I had more time, I might add these sentences:
· A class of ten that doubles every 18 months can reach 1000 people in ten years. That is the power of doubling groups.
· Doubling a group in two years only means growing from 10 to 14 in a year. You can do this.
· One effective way of doing this is to give Friday Nights to Jesus--an informal time of Coffee Cake, Diet Coke, and Table Games. Invite your best friends, along with some absentees or prospects for the group. I have seen it happen more times than I can count that if I can get them to the party I could not keep them from class.
· If we love them, they will come, and they will come to love our Lord. Love at its best is simple. It is Diet Coke and table games and card playing and bowling pins and somehow in the mix off all that, people feel loved.
How would you summarize your lesson from last Sunday?
Andy Stanley recommends you reduce it to a well-worded statement summarizing the big idea. He often writes that on a card, and then holds it up and reads it. "I wanted to make sure I said this right, so I wrote it down."
Principle #5: Engage your audience
If communication can be compared to taking people on a journey, then it is imperative that we actually take them with us. A principle that every world-class communicator knows is this: presentation trumps information when it comes to engaging the audience. Attention and retention is determined by presentation, not information. Presentation matters. A lot. How you say what you say is every bit as important as what you say.
Somewhere along the line we bought into the lie that good content was all we needed to engage an audience. Not so. We need both something to say and we need to say it well.
Think about your favorite restaurant for a moment. My guess is they serve beef, chicken and fish. So does every other restaurant, including a lot of restaurants that you don't like. It is not about what they serve; it is about how they serve it.
Whatever else a person thinks about Jesus, they need to understand this. In the time Jesus was alive, people loved him or hated him. They were not neutral. Nobody fell asleep.
How do you do this? People engage easily when they are convinced you are about to answer a question they have been asking, solve a mystery they have been unable to solve, or resolve a tension that they have been unable to resolve.
But, what if they are not interested? Simply put, you have to manufacture interest. That is your job. If you give answers to questions that no one is asking, the information will likely fall on deaf ears.
Tips for engaging the audience. Andy spends a page or two on each one of these, but let me summarize these to bullet points here:
· Check your speed. Generally faster is better than slower, but there is such a thing as too fast.
· Slow down in the curves. Make sure everyone knows when you are going from point one to point two. Oh, I forgot, Andy is not big on points. Anyway, when you transition from one part of the talk to the next.
· Navigate through the text. In this section, Andy shares some practical and insightful ideas on how to make the text itself more engaging. Buy the book!
· Add something unexpected to the trip. Predictability is the death of learning. Surprise them.
· Take the most direct route. It is better to be clear than creative.
Principle #6: Find your voice
The goal is to communicate as well as the best of communicators, not to communicate like the best of communicators.
One thing Andy warns about at this point is listening to too much of one speaker to the exclusion of other speakers. In this MP3 era, it is important that we all listen to a variety of voices and eventually find our own.
It is also important that you don't use your style as a cover up for boring. Boring is not a style. It is just boring. Confusing might be a style. But, it is still confusing. "Style" can be a combination of bad habits.
In this chapter Andy tells a couple of stories of opportunities he has had to coach some world-class communicators. He doesn't mention any names, but you get the impression that if he did, we would all know who he is talking about. I found myself thinking, "Wow, what would it be like to have someone like Andy Stanley to coach me?"
How would you like to have a coach that was guaranteed to make you a better communicator listen to and evaluate some of your teachings? The best of communicators do this regularly. That is why they are the best. They have extraordinary talent and they work really hard at it. Sam Shaw used to ask me regularly, "How can I be better? How can I improve?"
Would you like a communication coach to help you? Here is an idea: be your own coach. Listen to a recording of your own teaching. Guaranteed you will discover countless ways to improve. If you really want to improve, watch a video. If you really, really want to improve, have your pastor, Minister of Education of some other person knowledgeable in communication to watch it with you.
Principle #7: Start all over
Sometimes we get stuck. Sunday comes, but the lesson never gets here. The big idea doesn't materialize. What do we do.
Step #1: pray. No kidding. Pray hard.
Step #2: four questions.
Question #1: What do they need to know? In light of my study this week, in light of what I know of my group. In light of my prayer time and what God is saying to me. In light of all of that, what do they need to know. Summarize it down to one sentence. One big idea.
Question #2: Why do they need to know it? In just about every teaching we do well to say, "This is why this is important." What will happen if they discover this truth and this truth really gets a hold of them? What is at stake? What happens if they don't?
Question #3: What do they need to do? What do you want them to do in response to what you have said? Be specific. Be creative. You don't have to ask for some big, monumental change. Oftentimes, a baby step in the right direction is better.
For example. Suppose you are doing a teaching on prayer. The bottom line could be, "So, pray!" A better approach might be to challenge the group to set their alarm 7 minutes earlier just for this week and spend seven minutes with God before they start their day this week.
Question #4: Why do they need to do it? Do a little vision casting. I might say, "Imagine a church where every group leader embraced the vision of 2 Timothy 2.2--of doubling a group every two years or less. What would it mean for that church? What would it mean for the teachers? What would it mean for the world? What would it mean for the next generation who grew up in a church like that?
Question #5: What can I do to help them remember? How can I say it in a way they have never heard it before? How can I say it in a way they will remember? How can I be creative? What props might I use? What questions might I ask? How can I make it stick?
The #1 predictor of the growth of any church is the preaching ability of the preacher. The #1 predictor of the growth of any class is the teaching ability of the teacher. There are only so many variables that affect the quality of the teaching:
· How much God-given talent you possess.
· The literature that you use. (Has only a modest affect in my estimation.)
· The amount of time and effort you spend on the lesson.
· The amount of time you spend evaluating your teaching.
· The number and quality of training you participate in.
If you are committed to being the best teacher you can be, I want to ask you to join me in making a life-long commitment to improvement in your teaching. And the baby-step toward that dream is to read and study Andy's excellent book, Communicating for a Change.
posted by AcrosticGuy @ 9:01 AM
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