Many things contribute to effective delivery. Eye contact is one of them. Have you ever spoken with someone who cannot look you in the eyes? I just want to grab that person by the shirtfront and hold his head steady for a minute. I want to make him look at me or else know what he is hiding!
"I Ain't No English Major"
Being articulate is also important. Many people think it is cool to use a lot of colloquialisms and slang when, in fact, that will only undermine their credibility. People respect you when you are able to say what you want to say. And being articulate is nothing more than the result of a little awareness and a little practice.
Someone said to me once, "Well, I'm not an English major." That is not important. Focus on the importance of being articulate, being direct, using proper English, and being concise. Then you will have a lot more credibility in people's minds than you would otherwise.
Be Clear, Repetitive, And Congruent
Make your messages clear by being specific. A lot of people simply like to hear themselves talk. They give you so much information that you don't really know what their point is. They lose the impact of what they were saying. So be specific.
Secondly, be repetitive. Jesus was very redundant. He always got His message across at least twice. He would tell a parable and then He would explain the parable.
To send clear messages, we have to be specific and repetitive. And to keep the message from being confused, we have to be sure our verbal and our nonverbal communication is congruent. If I have a "don't mess with me" look on my face and say, "I love you," I have completely undermined the message I am sending.
Body language and personal hygiene can affect your communication as well. Have you ever talked to people who get right up in your face? They get into your personal space, and your walls go up—especially if they have bad breath. I can't even listen to what they are saying.
Every now and then you run into people who are standing in faith for something, and they will say, "I love you, brother," yet you know they hate your guts. What you do nonverbally has to be congruent with the verbal message you are sending.
Speaking The Truth In Love
One thing that must be foremost in our minds when we think of effective communication is how to speak the truth in love. (Eph. 4:15). This concept more than anything else defines godly communication. It is on this basis of loving truth that a right relationship is established, and God can then use you to bring ministry and blessing to the body of Christ.
Speaking the truth in love is God's definition of effective communication.
Let's review: to deliver your message effectively, you should:
- Maintain eye contact with your audience.
- Be articulate
- Be direct
- Use proper English
- Be concise
- Be clear (specific!)
- Be repetitive
- Make sure your verbal & nonverbal communication are congruent
- Watch your body language
- Maintain good personal hygiene
- Always speak the truth in love!
Excerpt permission granted by Mac Hammond Ministries
Mac Hammond is the senior pastor of Living Word, a large and growing church in Brooklyn Park (a suburb of Minneapolis), Minnesota. He is the host of the Winner’s Minute, which is seen locally in the Minneapolis area on KMSP Channel 9 at 6:44 a.m. and 11:11 a.m. He is also the host of the Winner's Way broadcast and author of several internationally distributed books. Mac is broadly acclaimed for his ability to apply the principles of the Bible to practical situations and the challenges of daily living.
