Weekly Thought Archives > Can You Hear Me Now (Part 2)

Can You Hear Me Now (Part 2)

This week’s thought is part 2 of Fred’s thinking about effective speaking. Judging from your emails, this is a helpful topic. Clear communication was a life-long study for Fred. In today’s world of mixed messages it is important to "Say what you mean and mean what you say." We feature the second 6 imperatives. Space required much editing ---- this entire piece is masterful.

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7) Be Human -- Demagogues and con men sound like Messiahs. They lack the integrity of reality. I question the speaker who bellows like a man voting the proxy of an absentee God. Respect others’ intellectual integrity by speaking person to person. I have a personal test for my speaking. "Does my family believe what I am saying? Am I glad to have them in the audience?"

8) Utilize basic presentation skills -- a) "fire in the voice:" Fire is contagious, easy to identify, and hard to describe. It is the proper combination of enthusiasm and conviction; b) rhythm : rhythm is cadence, highs and lows, peaks and valleys, changes in volume, words and tone; c) pace: both of words and ideas. The larger the crowd, the slower the pace. The heavier the idea, the slower the pace. d) clear enunciation is a must. e) gestures: use only natural gestures that agree with your words.

9) Communicate with purpose -- My speaking was greatly influenced by a drive across the farmlands of Indiana. It was spring and as I drove I watched a farmer plowing with his faithful mule in front and about 50 chickens behind. They were not following him to admire his plowing. They were following him because he was turning up worms. I said to myself, "Smith, turn up the worms and the chickens will follow." Chickens need a reason to follow, so do listeners.

10) Be empowered -- When we speak for God, we should communicate God’s message for His glory, not our own. This requires the presence of the Holy Spirit. We present --- the Spirits convinces. As communicators, we become the prism through which the light of God is focused into the hearts of our listeners. The clearer the prism, the more brightly the light shines.

11) Pray before speaking -- Prayer should be an ingredient of the preparation, not a sauce poured over it. If you have prayed adequately before speaking, you won’t need to ask the audience to pray for you. They should be listening. Prayer helps me exclude the extraneous -- those ego licks, those hidden agenda items, those subtle kicks at my enemies. When my heart is right, I am aware that God is listening along with the audience.

12) Discover the sacredness of brevity -- Leave them wanting more. On my wall, I keep a sign reading, "Lord, fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff, and nudge me when I’ve said enough." Don’t go beyond your allotted time. Don’t satisfy them so much they don’t want to hear you again.

I could say much more, but I am feeling to nudge to quit.

This week ponder: 1) How much time do I spend developing my skills? 2) What do I use to corral my ego? 3) Where is prayer most evident in my life?

Words of Wisdom: "Smith, turn up the worms and the chickens will follow."

Wisdom from the Word: 'And entrust what you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well. " (2Timothy 2:2 NET Bible)