Communicating for a Change

After finishing this book, I was reminded of the following verse in 2 Timothy 2:15 - Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Not everyone is called to preach or to give Bible studies but this book, at the very minimum, allows us to see how much work and thought is involved when a pastor gives a sermon/Bible study. Because of that, I very appreciate my pastor who must have worked really hard to preach God's word. Here are the takeaway lessons that are transcribed verbatim from the book for each of the relevant chapters. In order to see how these points were derived, you'll need to read the book which I highly recommend: 1. Determine your goal 1a. Our approach to communicating should be shaped by our goal in communicating. 1b. Our goal should be life change. Specifically, to teach people how to live a life that reflects the values, principles, and truths of the Bible. 1c. When you commit to preach for life change, your preparation is not complete until you have answered two very important questions: So what? and Now what? 2. Pick a point 2a. In a one point message it is essential for the communicator to know the answer to two questions: What is the one thing I want my audience to know? What do I want them to do about it? 2b. For most communicators, the biggest challenge will not be finding the one idea, but eliminating the other three. 2c. The process for developing a one point message is as follows: 1) Dig until you find it. 2) Build everything around it. 3) Make it stick. 3. Create a map. 3a. An outline built around your relationship with the audience, rather than the content, best matches the way they naturally process information. 3b. ME-WE-GOD-YOU-WE 3c. Begin writing these five words in the margin where they apply in your current way of outlining. Add the sections you are missing. 4. Internalize the message 4a. Before you stand to deliver a message you must own it. 4b. Reduce your entire message down to five or six pieces. Not points, pieces or sections of information. 4c. If something doesn't support, illustrate, or clarify the point, cut it. 5. Engage your audience. 5a. Engage your audience. 5b. Engage your audience. 5c. Engage your audience. 6. Find your voice. 6a. Being yourself is not an excuse for poor communication habits. 6b. Be yourself. But become the best communicator yourself can be. 6c. Continually ask yourself, what works? What works for me? 7. Start all over. 7a. Don't allow the pressure to get the sermon finished override your passion to bring something fresh to your audience. 7b. When you get stuck, pray!!! 7c. When you get stuck, go back to basics: What do they need to know? Why do they need to know it? What do they need to do? Why do they need to do it? How can I help them remember? Like these points? There's a lot of great insights that pastor Stanley gives in his book, which is why you should go

I never thought I would be so excited about a book on communication, but I am VERY excited about this one. Stanley shares with the reader his philosophy of communication as well as specific and practical steps to becoming a more effective speaker. This approach may not be for everyone, but it is "home" for me. I have used his approach for the last couple of weeks and my audience is much more engaged and I have gotten very positive feedback from numerous people.

I feel compelled to warn fellow Christian Communicators. This book may make you angry. It just might inspire you to change the way you communicate the life-change message of hope. I suppose whether you are angered or inspired depends upon what your goal is. Is your goal to teach the Bible to people? Or, is it your goal to see people changed as they apply the life-changing message of the Bible? If you are comfortable with people telling you "Nice message..." as they leave; If you really don't want to disturb those who sit under your preaching/teaching; If you are satisfied with merely reading your three points to your people and expect that they'll "get it" because it is a sermon then you might want to take a pass on this book. However, If you are like me and have a burning desire to see people CHANGED having heard the crucial message you want to give them then you will want to read this book (several times) with a legal pad and pen! I can hear my seminary preaching professor even now in my mind, "This is against all convention!" That would be a correct assessment to be sure. I'll confess the title caught my interest so I picked up the book. Once I started reading this book I literally could NOT put it down. Please know that I have read many books on the art and science of preparing, and delivering sermons. I have had several preaching classes in seminary, but NONE of them challenged me to make ONE point! Andy Stanley did... give him a fair hearing. I know this: I will never communicate Biblical truth the same way ever again! As Stanley correctly states, there is so much that is at stake!

A casual reader might glance through this book and think Stanley is suggesting watering down the gospel in an effort to be pragmatic. This is not accurate. This is not a book about Biblical exegesis or scholarship. This style of preaching does not preclude in depth study. Study for sermon preparation simply is not what this book is all about. This is a book about delivery. About half of all younger Christians today attend the top 10% of churches. These churches have learned to communicate in ways that are simple and relational. We pastors need to speak in a language that people can understand. I went through this book and applied its communication principles to a "test" sermon. My preparation was no different than I might have done at any other time, except my delivery intentionally followed patterns laid down in this book. The results were electric. People were engaged. They didn't want to leave after the message, and conversation continued as people slowly left for home. These principles will not be comfortable for everyone, but they are still worth wrestling with. We pastors spend the largest portion of our lives preparing for or communicating publicly. We must constantly stretch and learn new methods. Buy the book. Read the book. If these principles do not fit your communication style, fine. But make sure you know why they don't fit and that you are correct. Don't refuse to consider them just because they are new and novel.

This book teaches us all the things we wish they had taught us in seminary! Once again, Andy shows us how to get more accomplished by doing less. I still don't know how he memorizes it all, but I am now using the me-we-God-you-we approach w/ great feedback.