I realize that’s quite a lofty target, but imagine for a moment if we could reach this goal.
In Ministry…
I suspect enjoyment would rise. Application would increase. Participation would grow. And if bet attendance would be more consistent.
In the Marketplace…
Marketplace communicators would experience a similar benefit. Your posture, tone, and presence dictate how you are perceived. You’re seeking to increase influence, and how you speak can increase your influence or decrease your relationship with customers, staff, and everyone in between.
Think about it. We all want to work with people we like and trust. We want to follow leaders worth following. We want to consider faith messages from people who seemingly care about us.
These are all posture conversations.
Here are 10 tips to help people beg to come back to listen to you more:
1. Connect Before You Communicate
Don’t just jump right into the “meat” of your message. People need to connect with you to connect with the content. I don’t mean you should take 5 minutes, but at least a few seconds. And “Good morning” or “I’m excited to be with you today” are terrible connections.
If you’re being introduced, skip the bio and give your introducer something you can use as a connection jumping-off point. For example, I just preached at a church in Indiana. It was my first time on the stage at this church, so I asked the lead pastor to say, “Gavin’s wife went to college in Evansville, Indiana, so during college, he drove up here every other weekend to visit. Last night at dinner, he was just grateful to fly this time!” This is silly, but it helped the crowd connect with me. And I could walk on stage and say, “Go Evansville Purple Aces!” People cheered, and off we went.
Partners of the Church Accelerator Community have access to my complete teaching course and all sorts of little, helpful tricks like this.
2. Create a Reason To Listen
Too many speakers assume people are interested because they are in the room. But just because you’re speaking doesn’t mean anyone is listening.
It’s the speaker’s job to create a reason to listen. Think of this as introducing tension or interest after your connection. Introduce a problem that must be solved or a mystery that needs to be resolved. Make sure you personalize this tension, too.
3. Never Make Yourself the Hero of Your Own Story
Sharing personal stories helps personalize you to the audience, but when your story places you as the hero or the one always “getting it right,” the audience may recoil.
Sharing stories is a great way to connect with the crowd and drive home a point. Work to share stories that show your humanity. If you are a hero in a story, communicate it with humility and authenticity.
4. Always Personalize the Problem
As I mentioned in number two, great messages resolve essential problems. What defines a problem’s importance is how personal it feels to the audience. People care about their problems, not just problems.
When you introduce the problem, be sure to paint the audience into the problem.
5. Inspire People To Consider Your Application
Communication is about application, not information. This is an oft-missed point in messages. Yet offering an application point isn’t enough.
To consider attempting an application, people need to believe that it is profitable and achievable. As the communicator, it’s your job to inspire your audience to apply your message to solve their problems.
When I teach workshops or courses on communication (like I do for churches in the Church Accelerator Community), the first module always covers the purpose of communication: The purpose of communication is to provide information that inspires application.
6. Address Obvious Obstacles
Any great communicator takes time to recognize the obstacles blocking the path to applying their message. When you’re working to craft your content, ask yourself, “What would keep people from embracing this solution or applying this idea?”
