Words To Live By

“…THE MAN THAT HEARS SPEAKS CONSTANTLY.”
(Proverbs 21:28b)

Have a blessed weekend!

10 TIPS FOR SPEAKING TO IMPACT LIVES – 4 of 4

Here is the concluding part of this series. Hope you find it useful. Let me have your views and things to add that I might have left out. Let’s go!

#9. BE BRIEF! MAKE IT SHORT AND MEMORABLE.
BREVITY is a key to impactful speeches and sermons. Check it out; the most memorable speeches in history have been known to be very short. I heard it said somewhere several years ago and I have found it to be true from experience: The mind cannot absorb more than the seat can endure! That is so much the truer for this generation that seem to be perpetually plagued by attention deficit disorder (ADD).

I have always believed that it does not take an everlasting sermon to make an everlasting impact. And I read it somewhere that speeches do not have to be long to be great. Short speeches do not have to be long to be important. Long sermons have been known to be short on impact! Great speakers keep it short and simple. It takes a masterful speaker to make complex issues simple. The fool makes simple things complex, all for the sake of being considered profound. Learn to be brief. You can be simple without being simplistic!

#10. NEVER EVER YOU SPEAK WITHOUT THE ANOINTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. (Acts 1:5, 8; 1 Cor. 2:1-5) Whatever you do, get the ANOINTING. That’s my greatest trade secret! All what I have mentioned earlier (brevity, humor, knowledge, inspiration, passion, integrity etc.) in this particular series will hold no water except you are anointed by the Holy Ghost. This means that above all, you have to get the anointing. An un-anointed preacher is like an unwashed soap salesman – he does not use his own product. He lacks believability. It is the anointing, not human eloquence or oratorical skills that changes people’s lives. It is the anointing that infuses your words with power causing it to impact people positively. So, with all your getting, get the unction! I wish you a blessed and impactful speaking experience. You will succeed!

You may see the previous three posts on this same subject here:
10 Tips for Speaking To Impact Lives (1 of 4)
10 Tips for Speaking To Impact Lives (2 of 4)
10 Tips for Speaking To Impact Lives (3 of 4)

10 TIPS FOR SPEAKING TO IMPACT LIVES – 3

Hi there! Let’s resume our talking points on speaking with impact. I hope you’ve been able to take something away from these posts. If you missed the first two posts in which I covered #1 through #5, you can get them here and here.

#6. NEVER TALK PEOPLE DOWN, LIFT THEM UP!
Whatever your subject, inspire them. The easiest message to preach is one of condemnation. You don’t have to try, to beat people down. They already are! But it takes a committed speaker, who is out to help people, to inspire and lift them up. I believe you can talk about hell without raising it, because I have done that before. And I must tell you, from experience, that it is not as easy or as simple as it looks to inspire people. You have to work at it. Inspiring people does not mean you have to sugarcoat or downplay the severity and seriousness of what you’re discussing. It only means that you approach your subject from a positive angle focused on helping people and not condemning them. INSPIRATION is an indispensable key if you want to impact people.

#7. FOR GOD’S SAKE, LOOSEN UP!
Don’t be too uptight. HUMOR is vital in public speaking. If you can get people to laugh, then you can get them to identify with what you’re saying. I’m not saying you have to become a stand-up comic. No! But you see, rare is the speaker who is able to connect with his/her audience without using humor. I can tell you that firsthand! You may not be the “funny type”, I know. But you sure can find a good joke to tell, all the better if the joke is on you. Just don’t think that because you’re discussing something serious, you have to take yourself too seriously. Catch my drift?

#8. NEVER SPEAK WITHOUT COPYING THE MOST IMPACTFUL SPEAKER OF ALL TIMES – JESUS. TELL STORIES.
Everyone loves a good story. People may forget your actual words from a speech but they may never forget the story you used to illustrate your point. That, my friend, is THE POWER OF STORY. Many people, I’m sure you too, and even non-church going people remember classic illustrations (we call them parables) of Jesus like; the Sower, the Good Samaritan, the lost sheep, the lost coin and the (lost) Prodigal Son, the Persistent Widow and the Unjust Judge etc. And once you can recollect the story, the essence of the message becomes clear and indelible to your mind. Ditto! I make it a point never to speak without telling stories. You don’t have to have an exceptional ability to craft stories, just real life illustrations relevant to the subject matter of your discourse will do. I will conclude this in my next post. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

10 TIPS FOR SPEAKING TO IMPACT LIVES – 2

Okay, thanks for staying with me. Did you get those first three tips I gave? If you missed that, you can check it here.

#4. Forget about yourself, your looks, your diction etc.

FOCUS ON YOUR AUDIENCE. I believe the dictum, “People see who you are before they hear what you have to say.” Therefore, I make every effort to look and dress my best for any speaking or preaching engagement. I invest hours in preparation of my material to the best of my ability. But see, once I take the podium or whatever it is, I forget about myself and put all of my focus on my listener and audience. At that point, I care less about how my tie is knotted, is my pocket-square in place, or whether my outfit is well-fitted on me, all that is before I take the podium, not once I’m there. All my focus now, is my listener, how to help them, how to benefit them.

#5. Never open your mouth to speak except you have immersed yourself in your subject matter.

Here I am talking about KNOWLEDGE. But don’t assume you alone know, be humble! You really do yourself and your audience a dis-service if you address them when you’re ill-prepared.

Knowledge gives you authority and confidence on the stage. That is why I always study well before I take the floor to address any group on any subject whatsoever. I bring to every speaking opportunity a minimum of fifteen hours of study. How have I been able to achieve that? I have made my life into one long-drawn out preparation. I am always gathering material for talks – reading books, clipping articles both electronically and from print issues, watching videos and listening to audio programs. Tedious, yes! But it has come to be fun, and much more it pays off. However do not forget point number three above, you don’t do this to impress people but to help them. People really don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care! TO BE CONTINUED

IMPROVE YOUR TALENT!

Today I want to draw your attention again to your gifts and talents. And this is the simple thing I have to say:

Improve your talent. Nobody pays you for raw talent, it is your skills (refined and improved talents) that you are paid for. “Observe people who are good at their work – skilled workers are always in demand and and admired; they don’t take a back seat to anyone.” (Proverbs 22:29 The Message)

Dewayne King said, “You cannot win without talent, but talent won’t win without discipline.” That discipline is of paying the price required to develop, fine-tune and improve your skills. Take the time, effort and discipline required to develop your gift into world-class status. It may be hard but it will pay off.

The room for improvement is the greatest room in the world. If you keep improving your unique gifting, the world will soon pay you for your expertise. YOU WILL SUCCEED!

You may also like these posts about talents:
Talent Is Overrated!
Lessons Life Has Taught Me
5 Observations