Sometimes, you can address an obstacle indirectly. However, it’s often helpful to call it out directly.
7. Say the Hard Stuff with Empathy
People can only tolerate so much. If you’re delivering a message of conviction, acknowledge the pain and show empathy. This is an important skill to develop. If you don’t learn to say hard stuff well, you’ll either 1) Skip the hard stuff or 2) Say it and turn everyone off.
One approach I use is, “Can I share something that might be a bit tough to hear?” Of course, this is rhetorical, but it prepares people to listen and lets them know that I know this is hard. I’ve also said, “I almost didn’t say this part because it makes me feel bad, but I think it’s important.”
Basically, you can say the hard stuff if you first acknowledge it’s hard and that you’re like them.
8. Take People on a Journey
There’s a reason we all love a great story—our brains are wired for stories. When you craft a message, create a narrative that leads people along a logical journey from where they are to where you want them to be.
I have already written extensively about this, and I offer a course and coach leaders on it, too. Again… all of the courses, workshops, and resources for churches are available to partners of the Church Accelerator Community.
9. Understand Your Audience Before Speaking to the Audience
Studying who you’ll speak to is critical before speaking to them.
Before I speak anywhere, I ask the team or pastor about the audience. What are they like? Do they prefer to engage or sit back? Do they talk back? Is laughing normal?
I also watch a few messages from the leader or pastor to their audience when I can to get an even better feel for the style and approach the audience has come to embrace.
You should always be yourself on the stage, but you should also understand the room so you can adjust your approach to better match it.
10. Speak to the Whole Person
People need a logical path to follow a message. They also need to feel something as they journey with you. Logic keeps people from burning too many calories trying to follow you, while emotion keeps people interested in what you’re sharing.
With emotion, keep in mind there is an entire wheel to utilize. Happy, introspective, energetic, curious, thankful, hopeful, and joyful are all great emotions to bring to your message. Not all at once! And not even all in one message. My point is there are plenty of emotions to leverage, so don’t rely only on facts and logic.
The Posture Challenge
It’s never been more challenging to engage and maintain attention. The last thing people want is more information in our over-informed, over-entertained culture. As a communicator, it’s our job to bring people into something much better than a presentation. We have the opportunity to engage people in an experience. If done intentionally, we might find people coming back for more.
Last Thing…
If you found these tips helpful, consider sharing this post with others in your network who could benefit from mastering the art of communication. Together, we can all become more effective communicators, leaving our audiences wanting more.
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
