Next level communicators use “cheat codes” in every presentation.
Next level communicators use “cheat codes” in every presentation.
Note: If you are unable to see the colors visit this link here
In last week’s post we talked about how public speaking is one of the most unnatural things we can do. There’s so much distracting us from our authentic selves, but the best communicators work really hard to make it look easy. Today, I want to share with you a cheat code I use in every message which helps to unleash my authentic self.
You’re looking at my message notes from a recent talk I gave at our church. I know it’s a lot to take in with all of the different colors, underlinings, and personal notes. While I don’t share this with you in the hopes that you mimic my system, I do want to walk you through my system so you can see how this frees me to be my most true and best self on stage.
What’s up with all the colors?
The opening text is the passage of Scripture I’m teaching on.
Below the text you will see my personal notes.
In the text of Scripture you see the colors red, blue and green.
Red is my cue that this is the first verse that comes up in my presentation. I choose red first because when I think of America’s colors it’s always red, white and blue, with red being first. Green is always the second verse or verses which appear in my presentation. And blue is the last verse or verses which are in my talk.
These colors are important because when it’s time for me to go to my notes, I don’t have to search for where I am in the text. The color’s leap out at me and help to simplify things.
In my notes you will see a lot of yellow. So what does this mean? When something is in yellow it’s a reminder to me that the same exact text will be on the screen for the audience to see. This is a really important cheat code I’ve had to learn the hard way to incorporate: Never wait on the production people to put your message notes on the screen. You could be waiting a long time. Have them with you. Also, when something is in yellow, it’s a reminder for me to say, “Look with me on the screen.”
There’s a few places in my notes where you will see regular, unhighlighted text after the yellow. What’s up with that? It is a reminder for what comes immediately after what’s on the screen in my presentation. This just helps to jog the memory.
Any text that’s bold, underlined and highlighted yellow reminds me that those are the major points in my outline.
The regular bold and underlined in the text represent verses I need to reference, but aren’t really a major part of the presentation.
I know it’s a lot to take in, and may not make much sense to you, but that’s kind of the point, right? Utilize a system which works for you, so that you can be as comfortable as possible on stage.
The Lord said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. 3 No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.” 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. 5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. 9 And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.” [1]
YOUR GOD IS TOO SMALL: GILLIAN LYNNE IN THE 1930S (Royal Ballet, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cats/Phantom of the Opera).
GOD’S NAME. WHAT WE NAME GOD.
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us”- A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy. Here’s my argument for our time in God’s Word today: When we think better about God, we will live better for God. Text all about God’s name…why they are on the mount:
“The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD”- Exodus 34:5. And what exactly is His name? Look at the next two verses: “The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation”- Exodus 34:6-7. THE CONTEXT- ISRAEL BREAKING COVENANT.
WHAT’S GOD’S NAME? COMPASSIONATE- EXODUS 34:6.
- ISRAEL’S SIN- GOD/MOSES GONE FOR WEEKS. UNCARING.
- “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”- Psalm 8:4.
- “But Zion said, ‘The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.’ Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands”- Isaiah 49:14-16.
- “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”- Matthew 9:34. OCBF: MYLES GETTING BLOOD DRAWN!!!
WHAT’S GOD’S NAME? STEADFAST LOVE- EXODUS 34:6-7.
- ALI- “When we die if we’ve got more good marks than bad, we go to Paradise. If we’ve got more bad marks, we go to Hell. I’ve done a lot of bad things. Gotta keep doing good now. I wanna go to Paradise”- Muhammad Ali. HESSED
- HESED: “When the person whom I have the right to expect nothing from gives me everything”- Michael Card, Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness. WOMAN WHO CHEATED…
- I CAN’T NOT LOVE YOU…
WHAT’S GOD’S NAME? PATIENT AND PARDONING- EXODUS 34:7-8.
CONCLUSION- VERSE 8. OUR RESPONSE TO BEING FORGIVEN..
- IF I BABYSIT YOUR KIDS ONE NIGHT FOR FREE, YOU’D THANK ME.
- IF I PAID OFF YOUR CREDIT CARD, YOU’D WRITE ME A THANK YOU NOTE AND GIVE ME A GIFT.
- BUT IF I PAID OFF YOUR MORTGAGE AND ALL YOUR DEBTS, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? YOU’D NEVER STOP THANKING ME, AND THERE’S NOT MUCH YOU WOULDN’T DO FOR ME IN RESPONSE.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016. Print.
