Thoughts on Sermons and Messages

My Assumption: "Public communicators must continually remain students of the art and science of public speaking."

On The Power of the Spoken Word:

Something can be learned by spending time on www.TED.com and watching its major presentations. Each presenter is given exactly 19 minutes for a presentation of the most innovative and world-changing ideas of the Day. If these innovators and communicators can limit their presentations, one wonders why more pastors have not learned to give their messages in a shorter, disciplined time frame.

Insights I've Gleaned Over the Years:

"Better to have people leave wanting more than to have them leave overwhelmed and over-stuffed. They will remember more and are likely to come back for more."

"Repetition can be good. However, too much repetition makes the listerner feel that the speaker is not ready to say what he or she is presently saying (i.e. The cake is not ready to serve"). The listen can feel like the speaker feels he or she is an uneducated fool (or worse, a mere child)."

"Everything that is interesting to me as a speaker is not necessarily interesting to others."

"Restraint in speaking often demonstrates humility." It says, "My words are not the complete answer to your need."

Ecclesiastes says, "When words are many... It is meaningless."

The Sarah Palin Effect: "If I just keep talking, they'll eventually forget their question." Unfortunately, they will also feel I have something to avoid or realize I don't know what I'm talking about.

Our Cultural Assumption (which is unlike many cultures in Africa and Central America): "Timeliness conveys respect for the other person."

"An economy of words can show that a matter is well-understood and that words themselves have value to the speaker. The more you speak, the less you deliver." Words can be like romantic kisses- if we give them away too freely to anyone, eventually they come mean nothing to our beloved.

"More lives are changed by a private word lovingly placed, than a public word."

Dr. Haddon Robinson- The  Key Question for Every Preacher: "What's the 'Big Idea' here? How can I articulate what I am aiming to say in one powerful, memorable sentence?"

On Human Physical Realities:

"The mind can only absord what the butt can take." This is truth is highly cultural. The educated are busier people and are often less forgiving because they are not seeing you as a crowd attraction and the day's novelty to break the routine of boredom. They are thinking: "Ok. Let's see what you have to say. You have twenty minutes of my full attention unless I feel this is irrelevant to my life or you are dull." Remember, Jesus was never dull, wordy or irrelevant. He always read his audience as a Master Communicator and delivered his message to their needs.


For more:


http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/whats-wrong-with-the-sermon-its-too-long

The Mechanics of Planning Your Preaching