Next level communicators pay attention to the big five.
Next level communicators pay attention to the big five.
Communication expert, Dr. Bryan Chapell, outlines the five things in a talk listeners are most likely to remember. In order, they are:
Unusual delivery
Illustrations (the last, the first, then others)
Applications strongly disagreed with/Applications strongly agreed with.
Striking or strange ideas within the talk
The general theme or thrust of the message (Taken from his book, Christ-centered Preaching, pages 125-126).
This is really helpful information, a sort of cheat code, we should use whenever we put a talk together. So let’s spend a few moments unpacking each of these concepts, along with practical ways we can use them to take our presentations to the next level.
Unusual Delivery:
This can cover a wide variety of things, like a really bad talk that just bombed, to a very good one, or one which possessed an unusual feature like an accent. Jon Tyson is one of the best communicators in the world, and while his content and delivery are rich, the fact he speaks with an Australian accent is helpful as well. Where does that leave the rest of us, who communicate with culturally normal accents? Is there anything we can do to be unusual? Yes. Using a visual aid to imprint a point you wish to make in the minds of your audience fits this category. Speaking with appropriate passion to an audience who is not used to passion qualifies as unusual. I have friends of mine who speak sometimes in a first person narrative, even dressing the part of the character they are portraying. Think Joseph, the husband of Mary, in the nativity scene. Feel free to be creative, but as you know, this can go really well or really bad, which, well, the more I think about it will make it unusual, but not always for the right reasons. Seriously, consult respected peers and mentors before you dive in.
Illustrations:
We have talked extensively about the neuroscience connecting stories with retention in previous posts; so you know how passionate I am about a great illustration. But did you notice how Dr. Chapell ranks the order of illustrations when it comes to retention. People are most likely to first remember your last illustration, then your opening one and then the rest. What this tells me is it’s important to finish with a strong illustration which will inspire your audience to action.
Applications strongly disagreed/agreed with:
I do want to caution us. Let’s not be contentious for the sake of retention. However, the Greeks said people left the presence of a great speaker always feeling as if they learned something new (logos). Your presentation should challenge people’s biases and preferences. When you make applications which cut against the grain of their presuppositions, they will leave turning your ideas over and over and over again, in their minds. Remember, your applications must be true, but maybe we need to put the work in to phrase them a bit differently. Also, some of the best applications move from strongly disagree, to agree. What seems wrong at first, only to become, “Ah, that’s right,” is real gold for the communicator. Here’s a few examples:
I am not saved by my performance: Hell will be filled with many virgins, and heaven will be filled with many former prostitutes.
“God does not love you to the degree that you are like Christ. Rather, he loves you to the degree that you are in Christ, and that’s one hundred percent”- Rankin Wilbourne.
The church does not need old people. The church needs patriarchs and matriarchs; there’s a difference.
Striking or strange ideas within the talk:
When people come to hear you, they are making a serious investment of time, which means they do not need to be told what they already know. Your presentation should offer something new to many in your audience. Jesus did this. All of his messages centered around a new thing called the kingdom of heaven. Steve Jobs was a revolutionary communicator not because of his gifts of oratory, but because of his new, counter-cultural ideas and products. Yes, Martin Luther King, Jr., was a world class communicator, but let’s not forget the substance behind his style was this novel American ideology of nonviolence. If you are a preacher, the message we carry is an ancient one, so no need to come up with something new. However, remember the good news will be new to at least a few in our audience. Also keep in mind, that even though the message may be old, there are innovative ways we can frame the message which challenge the ideals of our context. For example, if you are preaching in the south, framing the gospel as opposed to religion will be both true and new to many who are in your audience.
The general theme or thrust of the message:
Sometimes it’s more than our ideas within a message which is new, but the whole premise of the message is new. If you are giving a talk on artificial intelligence, you’ve got a head start on the likelihood of your audience retaining the information because your message is shaped around a relatively new technology. If you are an educator giving a talk on the harm social media can present to students, your very subject is going to make the audience lean in. However, what are we to do as preachers whose subject is several millennia old? Set your sights on the felt need of your sermon, and let that be the new driving application and show how the gospel speaks to that. Scripture does speak to artificial intelligence and social media and technology. It’s in there, I promise. For example, Christians should wrestle with questions like, “Will AI harm the services industry, and what does the biblical worldview say to that?” See how you can take the bible and make the whole message an innovative one, just by addressing a new concept?
If you’re interested in one on one coaching to take your communication to the next level, you can find out more information here.
What I’m Reading:
The Mercy King, by Scott Sauls.
