Public Speaking Tips - So you 'wanna' Communicate Effectively?

Depending on your line of work, you may well be public speaking. As a Salvation Army Minister, I am constantly speaking publicly, whether it is preaching a sermon, leading a commemorative service, being the MC of a fundraiser or sharing the vision to a bunch of leaders. Effective communication is vital in every instance.

If you value the importance of good outcomes when you are speaking, then you value learning to communicate more effectively.

Here are some tips of public speaking.

Begin Confidently

I remember reading Dale Carnegie mentioning this in his book on public speaking. If you have lacked preparation or are feeling nervous, try not to stand up and say, ‘Ahh, umm... I haven’t had much sleep trying to put my thoughts together...’ What does this achieve anyway? People literally slump back in their chairs and begin to consider whether they will even listen to the next part of what you have to say. You may not feel confident, but act yourself into feeling!

Finish Strong and Actually Finish

An old preacher in front of a congregation used to use the phrase, ‘And now in conclusion...’ The problem was, it was not a conclusion! It was another point! He would then ramble for another 5 minutes! Land the plane I tell you!!

If it is appropriate sum up the points you have made and sit down. Sometimes, mirroring the first couple of sentences you began with, to conclude with, is a popular technique. Plan beforehand to finish strong, and then... finish!

Know your Audience/Demographic

Whether you are a Christian or not, you must hand it to Jesus Christ of Nazareth, for his capacity to inspire a crowd, whether small or large, with content that challenged his listeners. He would use agricultural language to communicate to farmers, fishing lingo to speak to fishermen. He would inspire scores of people through his capacity to engage with his listeners.

You must know your audience. You speak differently to a group of teenagers than to a group of business executives. You speak differently to Baby Boomers than you do to Generation X.

Understand the demographic, and know a little of your audience before public speaking.

Understand the Event

Are you called to motivate and inspire or teach and inform? Are you meant to be reflective and contemplative or are you called to rouse the crowd? See, a funeral is different to a wedding. Being the MC of a large Christmas event is different to trying to convince a bunch of investors to lay down the money.

The reason I mention this, is because some people do not get it. Maybe you do, and that’s great. I have seen too many people speak at weddings as if they’re at a funeral. You know what I am saying, right? Understand the event, and speak accordingly.

 If the event or moment calls for you to inspire people, then INSPIRE people! Get them excited! Help them believe in the cause you are communicating about! Speak with conviction and passion about the topic!

Stop Fiddling or Repeating Words Unnecessarily

If you are unsure whether you fidget while public speaking, the best options are to either have someone give you positive, yet honest feedback, or film yourself and watch it back.

I have been known to repeat words like, ‘You know?’ My wife is known to fidget with the music stand (which is holding her notes). Maybe you are exempt from this category, but many are not. You actually need to do two things. Firstly understand whether you fit this category or not, and pinpoint what you need to work on. Then secondly, which is the most difficult, is you need to become aware of it WHILE you are speaking the next time. Then while you are considering what to say next in your speech/message, you need to make a concerted effort to stop doing what you just realized you were doing! Try not to be too frazzled at this point, but simply become AWARE of your fidgeting or your repetitious words WHILE you are speaking.

For more tips of effective public speaking, here are two of my popular posts on public speaking:

• Public Speaking without using notes
• Conquering Public Speaking when you're nervous

For posts on everything leadership - Click here!

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Top 10 Leadership Tips for Creating Healthy Organizational Culture

STOP! You find yourself here because organizational culture can at times be frustrating and draining and you're looking for a solution. Many businesses are looking to improve workplace culture. Well I will outline some leadership tips for you that, I believe, will help and equip you in improving the culture of your organization (or at least assist you in understanding what parts of your organizational culture needs work). I write this, not as some hopeful blogger, that wishes to splat more useless information over the already overloaded internet. I write this as someone who serves God as an Officer in The Salvation Army (in the northern parts of Australia), and has managed employees, and empowered volunteers to reach for their best. I completed a Bachelor of Business, and have read a myraid of books related to empowering people and organizational culture, creating excellence and change management. This hopefully offers some context for the following blog and some credentials to allow you as the reader to read on, and embrace the elements in this list.  

Creating a healthy culture in an organization is vital, if an organization is going to be effective in the long term. We know stories of businesses that have crumbled because of a lack of integrity by the CEO, or a church that has closed because the senior pastor didn't know how to inspire a great culture within their church. How many morning tea times are full of gossip and frustrated employees who wish their business had a better culture? How many emails are sent daily complaining about the ins and outs of the workplace, all because leaders have not developed a great culture in their workplace? How many secret facebook messages do business people send to their friends, during work times, that relate to issues of culture?

Think about it: Bad culture, fosters bad results - especially over the long term.

Well, never fear, because I have the top 10 leadership tips for creating a healthy culture in an organization! Actually, its not a definitive list. Neither should you trust anyone that says they have the secret formula for organizational success! (Unless it's maybe Aung San Suu Kyi, Stephen Covey, Nelson Mandela or Jack Welch!) Leadership praxis is always up for debate. There may be tips on this list you think should be added, or you may reword or rework. That being said, I believe in this list. I see it in reality, that to create a vibrant, high performing culture within the workplace, the church, the school, the political realm, the entertainment industry and so on, the organisation/group/team needs to embrace these values.

Also have a look at the TOP 100 Leadership Tips here.

Ok, strap yourself in - here is the list:

Top 10 Leadership Tips for Creating a Healthy Culture in an Organization

1. Culture of Planning - Ever heard, without a plan you plan to fail? Too many businesses go about everyday business without planning. Two questions need to be asked: Firstly, where is our intended destination and secondly, how are we going to get there? The first question is a vision question, the second is a planning question.
   
   You can't climb Mount Everest without a plan, nor should you cruise through your workday without planning how you will achieve what you are hoping to achieve. While the implications of bad planning (or no planning) for the Everest Climber is death, for an organization, bad or no planning might mean a loss of income, loss of personnel, or a missed deadline. A culture of planning, is a culture of strategic thinking. It is about looking at the mission, vision and values of the organization, and saying, 'How are we going to achieve this?' 'What is our strategy?' 'What is our plan?' High performing organizations execute plans well, and adapt them as circumstances change. They create a culture within their organization of strategic thinking and planning.
   
   "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed" - Proverbs 16:3
2. Culture of Execution - This is the mantra that says, 'If you say you're going to do it, then do it'. This builds trust amongst the people of an organization. It's about following through with agenda items, and implementing the ideas into concrete realities. Within a business, a culture of execution might look like the announcement of a new product range - an idea that could transform the business! A healthy culture of execution gets the job done! The idea doesn't just sit on the desk, or in the heart of the leader, it is communicated, thought through, researched and if appropriate, is actioned. A culture of execution inspires people to move from ideas and abstract concepts to implemented tangible practices.
   
   Within a church, a culture of execution is needed, because so many visions and dreams sit on the leader's desk, or even in the minds of the people. There needs to be encouragement to follow through and make it happen, with God's help, so the dream is not just some pie-in-the-sky concept. I have sat in that camp. I have reflected upon dreams and wondered whether I should follow through. I am learning, that to motivate the troops, then having a culture of getting the job done is vital! Vision without action is merely wishful thinking.
   
3. Culture of a Big Vision - Without vision the people wander aimlessly says an old proverb. Without vision it is very easy to cruise through life, and to step back a year later and say, 'Have I actually gone anywhere?' 'Have I actually achieved anything that is purposeful?' While vision in itself is not enough to arrive at a place of effectiveness; vision helps inspire you, your team, your family, your co-workers, to reach for new heights.
   
   If you aim at nothing you'll hit it every time. Vision is important to me, because if I aim at nothing, I'll reach it! Though, if I aim at cloud number seven, and only reach cloud number three, I've still gone farther than if I have aimed at nothing! So vision, personally, provides an injection of passion and direction, that when aligned with strategy and intentionality can produce great results.
   
   A big vision in an organization helps produce a healthy culture, primarily because employees, from the cleaners to HR professionals to managers stop talking about what brand of coffee they are drinking, and start talking about the possibilities of the organization in which they work. It lifts their eyes from the mediocrity of mundane day-to-day work, to consider adapting their work choices, in order that the vision can be accomplished.
4. Culture of Referent Power and Expert Power - French and Raven in 1959 highlighted 5 different forms of power that leaders utilize. Those forms of power are coercive power, reward power, legitimate power, referent power and expert power. Click here for more on French and Raven. Firstly, coercive power is that autocratic, micro manager of a boss who is always bellowing out requests for you to fulfill. The predominant use of coercive power will hinder the creating of a healthy culture! In fact it will hinder it, and healthy organizational culture will suffer.
   
   Secondly, reward power, is the power that is perceived to come from the giving of rewards, for example a Christmas Bonus or an 'Employee of the Month' certificate. While this kind of power can create a healthy organization, relying on solely reward power, will have a detrimental effect on organizational morale over time, as people rely on gifts/rewards for their motivation.
   
   Thirdly, legitimate power, is the power that derives itself from a person's position. So, a CEO has legitimate power (positional power), and so he can expect something from board members because of his position. Legitimate power only goes so far. If the person loses their position, would they still have power/influence with others? Legitimate power, or rather leading from a place of position is limited. Creating a healthy culture in an organization, calls for the other two 'power sources' to come into play.
   
   Referent power is the influence/power that someone has over you that you allow based on your perceived positive qualities of that leader. When someone has a great past history because of what they have done for the organization, others will follow her. Organizations thrive on leaders who lead with referent power. They choose not to lean on their position (legitimate power), they choose not to coerce people into fulfilling tasks (coercive power) and they choose not to base their leadership solely on rewards (reward power).  They rather, choose to base their influence on the respect they have earned, and their capacity to do the job and inspire others in the process!
   
   Lastly, the use of expert power, is a leader who has influence based on being an expert within their field of expertise. Having a leader call the shots in an organization who knows 'her stuff', and who understands the ins and outs of the process is more likely to inspire others than having a lack of business knowledge.
   
   Appointing leaders who use referent power and expert power will help in boosting the morale of an organization. If you're wondering how you possibly create high morale in the workplace, maybe start with yourself, and consider whether you use coercive power, reward power, legitimate power, referent power or expert power. I suggest, the later two will help boost morale the most!
5. Culture of Passion - Daniel Goleman writes in Emotional Intelligence that emotions are contagious. 'Most emotional contagion is....subtle, part of a tacit exchange that happens in every encounter. We transmit and catch moods from each other in what amounts to a subterranean economy of the psyche in which some encounters are toxic, some nourishing' (: 114). How does this relate to creating positive organizational culture? The fact is, negative emotions, negative talk and gossip will catch on and spread through any business like wildfire. It takes some proactive, positive people to go against this grain and create a positive environment. Let your positive attitude (what a friend of mine calls PMA - positive mental attitude) dominate your response to each situation.
   
   Be a passionate person, and watch others catch it! Too many of us mope around waiting for the manager to change their outlook, or for the employee to stop grizzling, while we can all the while be influencing the culture of the organization. Passion will breed passion. This isn't about being an extrovert as such, it's about being passionate and positive about your job. It's about allowing that inner drive and passion to spread throughout your realms of influence. So, leadership tip number five for healthy, vibrant organizational culture is to foster a culture of passion.
6. Have a Clear Organizational Value System - Robert W. Johnson founded a business called Johnson & Johnson back in 1886, and this business remains enduringly strong today. Their vision is clear, 'To alleviate pain and disease.' In 1943 Johnson & Johnson, through the writing of R. W. Johnson, Jr. introduced the Johnson & Johnson Credo. Without highlighting the entire Credo, here were the five main points:
   
   (1) First responsibility is to those who use J&J products
   (2) Second responsibility is to the employees of J&J
   (3) Third responsibility is to the management of J&J
   (4) Fourth responsibility is to the communities in which we live
   (5) Fifth and last responsibility is to our shareholders
   
   Talk about a revolutionary business model! Most businesses ensure their shareholders are sailing on cruise ships before they consider the surrounding environment and community.
   
   The point I wish to make about Johnson & Johnson is its capacity to create loyalty, purpose and health based on its clear value system. The healthy culture that is espoused is based on a clear understanding of the fundamental values of the organization. The values are in the open, there is no murkiness; people know what the organization believes and they know whether they want to be a part of it.
   
   For Johnson & Johnson the credo at times lost prominence in the busyness of organizational life. How often have you witnessed businesses, churches, organizations lose hold of the fundamental values that their organization first began with? For Johnson & Johnson in 1979 this was a reality. The then CEO, Jim Burke said:
   
   'People like my predecessors believed in the Credo with a passion, but the operating managers were not universally committed to it... So I called a meeting of some 20 key executives and challenged them. I said, "Here's the Credo. If we're not going to live by it, let's tear it off the wall... We either ought to commit to it or get rid of it."... By the end of the session, the managers had gained a great deal of understanding about and enthusiasm for the beliefs in the Credo. Subsequently, [we] met with small groups of J&J managers all over the world to challenge the Credo' (as cited in Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, Built to Last, p. 72).
   
   I believe that adherence to a clear, inspiring value system, helps with creating healthy organizational culture. Now on to tip seven for creating great workplaces! If you are in management, I hope you are absorbing this!
7. Culture of Honesty and Integrity - We all know character traits like honesty and integrity are integral to healthy organizations. Though, when you read of some of the egotistical and dishonest antics of some CEOs and managers, you understand the need to state the obvious. Great leaders have developed great character traits (or have had them all along), like selflessness, integrity, servanthood, truthfulness, compassion, etc. May I say that while quite often people may have elements of these qualities, we all are caused to consider how well we express these elements in organizational life. In a sense, the world can normalize egotism, telling the occasional lie and hard-heartedness, but I personally believe an organization with a healthy culture, minimises such attitudes. Creating a great workplace surely begins with honest leaders!
   
   How do you create honesty and integrity in your organization? Obviously you can start by leading by example. Nelson Mandela lead by example when it came to forgiveness. Jesus of Nazareth offered a radical relook at holy living and lead an ordinary bunch of disciples to create a movement that transformed the world. Mother Theresa lived out compassion and selflessness. We must lead by example.
   
   You can ensure you are employing new staff with good character. Some managers have said, it is much easier to teach someone skills, than it is to teach them character. Good character must surely be seen as important in all aspects of business life, no matter what the industry - mining, hospitality, tourism or the military!
8. Culture that Focuses on God - From a Christian perspective, an organization intent on honouring God, will have the blessing of God. I have seen, read and heard of organizations, that have come against great odds, not simply because of the tenacity of the leader or manager, the focus of the team, or 'good luck', but rather the empowerment from God. While some organizations founded on Christian principles have become increasingly secularised others have remained true to their founding visions and ideals. Jesus never seemed too concerned with communicating something that offended people (not that the message needed to be offensive to those hearing it). He remained true to being the son of God, sent from God to 'take away the sins of the world'. I firmly believe that organizations that remain focused on God, amonst the whirlwind of organizational life, will have the blessing of God.
9. Culture of Encouragement - The Bible says, '...encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you' (2 Cor 13:11). Also, 'Encourage one another and build each other up' (1 Thes 5:11). Whether you believe in the Christian faith, in a sense is irrelevant at this point, but rather we are focusing on the importance of encouragement. If you are wondering how to create a great workplace you can start with encouragement! Great workplaces have great levels of encouragement. Great workplaces have a culture of supporting one another, caring for one another, holding each other accountable and looking out for one another. While the encouragement mantra has been communicated to millions over thousands of years, we no less need it today; and it's a simple point, yet some many businesses do not up hold this important value.
   We know psychologically humans need encouragement. A baby needs love in order to even survive. The older we are, the need for encouragement is no less important. The problem with management focusing just on the bottom line, results, and organizational objectives, sometimes causes management to neglect simple aspects like showing appreciation to employees and meaningful encouragement. 
10. Understand Different Personalities and Gifitings - Myers-Briggs profiling categorises people into 16 different personality types. A quick glance at Myers-Briggs shows that people's personalities can be defined in the following way:
    * Extraverted or Intraverted
    * Sensing or Intuitive
    * Feeling or Thinking
    * Judging or Perceiving
    I don't intend to delve into Myers-Briggs personality types here, but this is a popular management tool to help understand differnt personalities. Some people are very pragmatic and practical and struggle to comprehend 3 year visions and organisational strategy. Some personalities love to think about the future! Some personalities love to connect over a coffee, in a warm environment and talk about personal struggles; others have objectives to fulfill and their conversations are less personal and more about the task at hand. The key to good management is to understand these different personalities.
    Another profiling technique is Belbin, which aims to 'identify people's behavioural strengths and weaknesses in the workplace'. There are nine different team roles within the Belbin model and they are:
    Shaper, Completer Finisher, Specialist, Implementer, Team Worker, Resource Investigator, Monitor Evaluator, Co-ordinator, Plant. Go to http://www.belbin.com/ for more.
    Whether management wish to make use of these (at times expensive) profiling techniques is a question worth asking. They can provide a deeper appreciation and understanding of others, and thus improve the culture of the organization.

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I hope you have enjoyed the top 10 leadership tips for creating healthy organizational culture.

Also have a look at the TOP 100 Leadership Tips here.

Please go to www.facebook.com/petebrookshaw to read more on leadership, spirituality and how God can make all the difference in your life.

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More Leadership Posts here:

Leadership Tips on Communication: 

• Communicating Effectively.
• Public Speaking without Notes
• Public Speaking while Nervous
• Speak Simply - Communicate God's Word so people understand!
• Preaching tips from George Muller
• Teaching Unteachable People

Emotional Leadership

• Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Leadership - Daniel Goleman
• Five Sources of Power - French and Raven

'The laborer's appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on.' - Proverbs 16:26

Conquering Public Speaking When You Are Nervous!

Seinfeld once said, the greatest fear people have is public speaking. The second greatest fear people have is death. That means you'd rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy...!

It's time to break some new ground, and learn how to do public speaking when you are nervous. Let me first point out, that this post is not, 'How to do Public Speaking without nerves'. The reality is, that more often than not, the nerves don't go away. I'd rather learn, how to communicate effectively while I have nerves, but learn how to keep them in check. While ultimately learning how do to make presentations without nerves is the grand goal, more often than not, we are communicating while we are nervous.

Trust me, I've been there. Twelve years ago I nervously stepped out at Church and preached my first sermon. Even after hundreds of sermons, and speaking at many community functions, like weddings, Rotary Clubs, Remembrance Days, Schools and Business Meetings, I still get the nerves! I have to put into practice what I'm about to share with you every time I communicate, so that I don't let the fear of public speaking and the nerves get the better of me.

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Firstly, let me tell you a couple of stories. I was in grade 4 as a youngster, and the ultimate talent quest was on. So I got together with some of the girls from my class, and we decided to sing a song together as our performance. All was good. The hands were a bit sweaty. Though I knew the words of the song. I had sung in front of a crowd before. We launched into our groovy rendition of an old rock n roll hit, and then it hit me. No, it was not a tomato from the back row, but it was a tsunami of nerves consuming my body. What was I going to do? I couldn't sing any longer. The nerves had taken over. I needed an exit strategy. So I put my hand on my tummy and pretended I was about to be sick, and I ran out the side exit. What an entertaining performance! The nerves had consumed me.

After many years of preaching up a storm at church, and after many meetings, oral presentations, school meetings and the like, I had another 'the nerves consumed me' moment. This time, it was at a business gathering of about 400 people. I was asked to attend because I would be one among about a dozen of people who would be receiving $1,000 for their respective non-for-profit organization. I felt honoured to be there, and to receive this money for the work of The Salvation Army. Then it happened. The unthinkable. The public speaker or host up the front asked that each recipient of the gift 'say a few words.' A slow motion, deep, deep voice played over in my mind... 'Saaaaayyyy... a fewwwww wooooorrrrrdddsss..'

My mind was blank. I mean, absolutely blank. The nerves compounded. What made matters worse, was that everyone receiving the cheques were epitomising the art of public speaking. They were making people laugh and wowing people with their sophisticated examples of how far they would somehow stretch their thousand dollars.

Then my name was called. My mind was still blank, and the nerves had now taken a hold of my self-confidence! I looked calm on the outside, but within I was a mess. I then got up and shared what I thought was an absolute clincher of an opening sentence. I said, 'Thanks Wayne.... I'll try not to speak as long as my sermons...'

Dead silence...

Well that line didn't work, I thought to myself. That next 3 minutes, was the most difficult 3 minutes in my public speaking life! I mumbled my way through some sort of thank you speech, and went and sat down. People clapped, but I felt like my face was turning brighter than a stop sign. I sat down, and sipped a glass of water. Nerves got the better of my public speaking!

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Fear of public speaking is commonplace. Hence this article. So, how do you do public speaking when you are nervous?

When you Fail at Public Speaking, Try Again

Let me begin this section by saying, that even if nerves do get the better of you, you should choose to try again next time. Do not give up trying to beat the nerves. I could have easily given up singing after that embarrassing moment in Primary School. I could have easily made excuses about public speaking following my heart-pounding three minutes in front of 400 business leaders. Though I chose to try again. 

Take a Deep Breath

Now, before you skip to the next point, hear me out on this one. The nerves that we experience in any situation relate to a part of our brain called the 'amygdala'. The amygdala is the part of the brain responsible for our emotions. This section of the brain looks like two small almond shaped pieces. Whenever we feel angry, resentful, fearful, nervous or joyful and content, the amygdala is at work. 

Now, it is known, that the section of the brain that is rational kicks in after the brain has processed the situation via the amygdala. The pre-frontal cortex (the front forehead part of the brain), is where the rational thinking occurs. Let me explain. When someone says something rude to us, the amygdala is quick to respond to the situation with a flood of emotions. We may be feeling anger, hurt, sadness and whatever else our emotional circuitry is producing. The amygdala then sends the processing of the situation to the pre-frontal cortex, where we think through the situation rationally. This happens literally a split second later. 

So, what's the point? Our emotions are scientifically proven to arouse in us a response before our rational thinking does. That is why some men punch out their neighbour when they say something about their wife - their emotions have kicked in, before they have thought rationally about the circumstance. Can you think of a situation where you think afterwards, 'Why did I just do that?' You reacted via your emotions before you thought rationally about the situation.

What's this got to do with public speaking?

If you take a deep breath, you are allowing time for your brain to go from your emotional circuitry to your rational circuitry. Taking three BIG deep breaths before public speaking, helps you to calm the nerves, because your brain is not merely relying on its emotions, but also its rational thinking. The rational thinking is what quite often will say to us, 'It's not such a big deal. It will be ok. Just relax. Don't over-exaggerate your emotions. Relax.'

When you are nervous at public speaking, take a deep breath. It's scientifically proven to work!

Know your Content Well

This seems to be a sure fire way to increase confidence and to calm the nerves when public speaking. The more you know the content, the less you are concerned about structuring intellectually sound sentences, because you have already done the ground work. I mention this point often in relation to how to communicate effectively. 

Personally, over the years, as I continue to study and learn, I find the times I am speaking publicly with a well researched and understood topic the more confidence I have. The reason I was so nervous in front of the 400 business leaders, was partly because I had not had the opportunity to think through my three minutes on stage. I did not have time to formulate my thoughts on the topic. A year later, my wife spoke at the same event, and because of prior planning, she nailed an inspiring, short monologue of the local work of The Salvation Army. She knew her content well!

Practice your Opening Remarks

Getting off to a confident start when public speaking can help boost the confidence! So practice the opening remarks. Obviously adapt your content based on the context of the situation, but it may be a warm welcome, an introduction to special guests, a provocative opening statement, a funny anecdote, an interesting story, a captivating thought, or an hook that draws people in, for example, 'I want to tell you about someone that really gets up my nose...' (This is the beginning of a sermon on Romans 5, about Adam and his sinfulness). Practice your opening remarks, so as to get off to a confident start that creates a platform for the rest of your message.

Land the Plane

When you are nervous, it is easy to not land the plane. You know the situation in public speaking, "In closing tonight, I would like to say... " Five minutes later, "And just one more thought..." LAND THE PLANE! Don't get so nervous you cannot bring your thoughts to some sort of cohesive ending. It may be helpful to have a closing line written out so as to finish strong. This leads me to my next point.

Stay on Topic

If you are speaking with notes, then this is not an issue. Though, if you are ad-libbing and you are nervous, this can become disastrous! We all know the setting. A nervous speaker begins rattling on, and then continues to rattle on, and the nerves continue and they keep rattling on. If you are prone to do this, then speak with notes. Otherwise, stay on topic and do not let the fear and nerves allow you to wander off course.

Be Aware of Your Body Language while Public Speaking

If you are nervous you may be unaware of bad or distracting body language while speaking. We all know full well when we are nervous, we fidget with our fingers, feet, with the podium and we say 'Umm' every 64 seconds to just name a few. Try and relax, and lower the shoulders and stop fidgeting. If you are unaware of possible bad body language while public speaking, then try filming yourself and watching it over. You could also try the 'speaking in front of the mirror' trick, or allow someone who you trust to give you reliable, honest feedback. Those ideas can be helpful. Watching the video of your own public speaking (which I've done before), helps you to become aware of your own little idiosyncrasies when you're communicating in public. You become aware of habits you possibly never realised. Personally, I noticed that sometimes I simply wander back and forth across the front stage, which is fine at times, but I realised that it was becoming a sign of nerves! 

Request a Super Natural Ability to Communicate

Remember Moses? He was a stutterer, that God famously used to end the regime of slavery for the Israelite people in Egypt. God requested Moses to go and speak to Pharaoh of Egypt (the Political leader of the day) and ask him to let the people go from oppression. Moses complained and made excuses, but finally went and spoke boldly to the political heavyweight. God promised Moses that he would be with him (Exodus 3:12). In fact, with his brother Aaron's help, Moses changed the course of history, by his acts of public speaking!

What about Gideon? Gideon was nervous. Gideon was a coward (See Judges 6). God requested of Gideon to rise up as a mighty warrior and to go and lead an army to fight against the Midianites. I would have loved to have watch the arousing speech of a nervous Gideon, speaking to his Israelite army. Though with the conviction of God in his heart, and the empowerment from God, he spoke to his people. 

When you are speaking words of truth and grace, God by his mercy will desire to fill you with a greater measure of the Holy Spirit in order to communicate effectively. Ask Jesus to empower you to speak. If you have never prayed that before, pray with me right now, 'God, I pray that as I speak, I will speak with boldness and confidence and that lives will be challenged and inspired by what they hear, as you speak through me. Empower me by the presence of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus name!' If you are a follower of Jesus, I would pray that; whether you are preaching a sermon, speaking at a local school, or saying grace at Christmas time.

God can give you a super natural ability to communicate publicly.

Public Speaking - How to Speak Without Notes

Public speaking is a scary concept for many people, though many have learnt the art of public speaking. I am still learning this art, but after 12 years of preaching, speaking in front of Rotary Clubs, school classrooms, etc, I have learnt some tips on communicating along the way!

This post is about speaking without notes. Now, to clarify, if you are a nervous public speaker, then this may seem like a huge jump for you, and speaking without notes may seem like too big a jump. If so, go have a coffee, and read a different post. Check out this one on tips on communicating effectively. Though, if you're willing to take a dive into this style of communication, then read on.

Communicating to a crowd without notes can have many benefits. Before I offer some tips on how to arrive at the point of ditching the notes, let me explain the benefits of not using them:

• Your eyes are more likely to be focused towards the listening audience, and not the notes
• There is a certain level of freedom that you can feel
• People are not distracted as much by shuffling with notes and nervously holding on to a pulpit/podium
• The listening audience generally sense you are more knowledgeable about your topic and more confident.
• The listening audience are more engaged. (I sense this to be generally true when you speak without notes, as you are 'eye-balling' the crowd more - you are not hiding behind the podium).

Generally speaking, the benefits then of public speaking is a more engaged crowd. A crowd that is actively listening. (Of course you can still communicate without notes and still be absolutely terrible!)

So how do you speak to a crowd with no notes?

Here are some tips I have personally found helpful to engage in public speaking without notes:

• Study your subject matter extensively. If it's preaching, then read up on the Scriptures, Biblical Commentaries, books by credible authors, etc. This takes time, but if you want to arrive at communicating with freedom, then you need to know your content!
• Not only study your subject matter, but learn it. There's a difference.
• Write out the presentation/sermon/talk in full. Some times people skip this step, and I have skipped this step at times. I find when I do skip the discipline of writing out what I want to communicate in full, I do not speak with as much clarity and depth if I then choose to use no notes.
• Once you have written out your message in full, break it down into points. You can keep a copy of the fully written piece and open a new document. You are now on the way to public speaking without notes! Make sure the points spark in your mind the content that is connected to that point.
• All you have to do now, is memorize the points and you can communicate without notes!

If you choose to engage in public speaking, for whatever reason (and for me, it's to preach about Christ and the hope he gives), then you need to honour your listeners with the best. Sometimes people speak with fully written notes and bore everyone to death, and sometimes people speak without notes and have not done the ground work, and so it lacks depth and focus.

This all being said, you can speak well and inspire the listeners with notes. 

Though, there have been times I have invested in learning the material, writing it out extensively, shortening the message into points and then memorizing the points, and I must say, I have sensed a little adrenaline rush and freedom in speaking without being tied to the pulpit.

Public speaking is a privilege. Listeners deserve our best. 

God help us learn the art of public speaking!

Speak Simply! Communicate God's Word so People Understand

Now, I know you are a complex human being, but please, speak simply!

In George Muller's autobiography, he writes:

Simplicity in expression is of utmost importance. The teacher should speak so that even children and people who cannot read may be able to understand him, as far as the natural mind can comprehend the things of God. Every congregation has people of various educational and social backgrounds. The expounder of the truth of God speaks for God and for eternity. It is unlikely that he will benefit the hearers unless he uses plain speech (p. 34).

Even back in the mid 1800s, George Muller had a passion to communicate the Word of God in a way that the masses understood. Though Muller was an intelligent man, who spent much time studying Hebrew, Greek, etc, he was passionate about people understanding what is written in the Bible.

No doubt the Bible contains deep truths, that even the brightest of theologians struggle to grasp, but the challenge is to take complex ideas and thoughts and communicate them with simplicity.

I am always amazed when I read social media sites, and read of Christians quoting the King James Version of the Bible. I am sure King James, if he were alive today, would be very proud. In fact, thus saith the Lord, he speaketh very much happiness of this. What irks me about this, is not the message of the KJV per se, but rather the unnecessary hurdles we put in front of people in order for them to respond to the message of Christ.

Here are some tips on communicating effectively.

Let's make the gospel of Christ accessible to the average person.

Jesus died for your sins. Ask him for forgiveness. Start living for him today.

The challenge we each have, is to take the Word of God, in all of its fullness and its complexity and communicate the nuggets of truth that we derive from our engagement with it.

Take complex thought and make it simple.      

Tips on How to Communicate Effectively - You don't speak German Cat to a Polish Mouse.

This is for all communicators. Politicians, preachers, teachers, business leaders, parents, corner shop owners, PHD recipients, mangers, and even for all the 14 year olds that are doing their first oral presentation!

I love to preach. Though most of all, I love to preach when people are listening. Further still, I love to preach, when people are listening, engaged and willing to respond to the message that is being shared. See one of my little pet hates, or frustrations, is when I communicate in a way that fails to evoke a response. I think to myself - why am I bothering? What is the point of communicating something that is not being heard?

Over the last 12 years I have spoken to various size crowds, and have learnt some things along the way. There are times I think to myself - 'YES! That was it! That really connected!' and of course there are other times I have said, 'WHY do I evennnn bother! Even I was falling asleep at one point!'

So, here are some tips on communication, or rather, tips on how to communicate effectively:

• Know your audience - I have shared stories of Youth Groups with old people that fall on deaf ears, and I have spoken deep theological truths to young people who sit there and say, 'Huh?' The method of communication should change depending on your audience. What is interesting is that currently where I preach/communicate (Palmerston Salvation Army, NT, Australia), I am speaking to 0-90 year olds, with all the age ranges in between. I have learnt that it IS possible to engage everyone from the 7 year olds, to the youth, to the young adults, to the baby boomers, to the 80 year olds. It can be done!
• Inspire your audience - Surely this is dead simple? I wish every communicator knew how to inspire their listeners! Sadly, many don't know! I don't always get it right, but let me add some thoughts to the mix. Whatever you are communicating, it should inspire; it is irrelevant at this point what the content of the message is, but what you are saying should positively grab the listeners ear and hook them in. On an aside note, one of the main reasons Australians are very despondent now about politics, is because every public speaker is dead boring!! Folks, you CAN make governmental policy exciting, if you think it through a little more, and attempt to engage the audience with the message.
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• Be creative! Recently I spoke about the book of Philippians (from the Bible), and to intro the book, I had two people up the front to guess the answer to some questions. Now two of the questions were: "Who wrote the book of Philippians?" (Answer: Paul) "To what place was the book of Philippians written?" (Answer: Philippi) To help with the answers to the questions I had some products up the front to provide clues. The first clue, was a 'PAUL'S iced coffee' (A Northern Territory Australia thing). The second set of clues were a packet of Philidelphia Cheese and a Meat Pie (Phili - pie...). Anyway, the play on words was interactive, all age appropriate, and simply a creative way to engage people with what otherwise may have been a boring beginning to a series of a book of the Bible. Be creative! Don't send the listeners to sleep! "Good morning, today I am going to speak to you about the book of Philippians. This book was written by... zzzzzzzz...." I do want to add something here. Some think that being creative dilutes the importance and/or depth of the message being spoken, and I believe this to be a false paradigm. Creativity need not dilute the message, and can and usely does in fact strengthen the message, and strengthen the intellectual engagement with the content of what is spoken.
• Ebb and Flow on Depth - This is something I have learnt about communication over the last few years, and this is most appropriate when you have a wide range of age groups present. Let me explain. In the context I am in, I have people in my congregation who are wanting to know the epistemological underpinnings of God's salvific purposes and others who are just there to hang out with their girlfriend. You understand the dilemma this poses for a communicator? Well, I think you need to tell a story and engage the crowd, then maybe go deeper for a minute, then come back out again and lighten the mood, then you might flow back into a deeper thought, and then you come back up for some lighter air. Do you understand what I mean? The depth of what you are communicating ebbs and flows. This is of course related to your context. If you are receiving a prestigous award for Physics, you may just go for a dive into the depth of scientific knowledge, and stay there for a while. BUT, I would say, that even with key note addresses like those, the audience is always appreciative of the occasional joke, or light-hearted remark. So I say again, ebb and flow on depth.
• Understand the context - I have briefly mentioned this idea, and it is very important. I love to use humour to engage the crowd, as it lightens the mood and seems to engage the listeners. Humour is greatly effective, but is not always the best communication tool in the toolkit! Take for example, I have found it a nice challenge and a privelege when I am able to lead the ANZAC Day services in my region, where 700 people gather for a Dawn Service to pay their respects to defence force personnel, both past and present... Humour generally does NOT work in this context!! Understand the context, and use humour, stories, charts, graphs, YouTube, reports, flip charts, handouts, Powerpoint AS it is appropriate for your context. Can I say, the occasional short YouTube clip in a business meeting, can help break the ice and save everyone from business nausea.
• Know your Content - It is much easier to communicate well, when you know your material. If you are preaching a sermon; know your Scripture back to front. If you are politician; know your policy back to front. A businessman? Know your core business back to front. An entrepreneur? Know your product back to front. A teacher? Know your curriculum back to front. You get the point. You should be spending time connecting your audience with your content, not spending your time playing brain games attempting to remember your content.
• Speak to evoke a Response - If what you have to communicate is worthwhile, then surely you are hoping to create a response from those listening? Is it harsh to say that too many people communicate with no expectation of a response? Whether you are selling your business to investors, or preaching a sermon to a congregation, the ability to evoke a response is vital. Now, how do you do that? You speak stories/narratives that delve into the deepest parts of the human heart. If you are speaking to a crowd about vacuums it may be that the vacuum makes cleaning more efficient and thus allows you to spend more time with the family (the later being what creates an emotional response). Learning to communicate so as to evoke a positive response to the message being spoken, is something I want to learn more and more of in the future!

Thanks for letting me share some tips on communication. I will no doubt learn many more tips along the way and you may have some thoughts you want to post on to the site. 

Law No. 5 - The Law of E. F. Hutton - John C. Maxwell's The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

Law No. 5 - The Law of E. F. Hutton - 'When the real leader speaks, people listen' (John C. Maxwell)

John C. Maxwell names this leadership principle after a brokerage firm called E. F. Hutton & Co. that was founded in 1904 and became a well known, well respected financial firm in the United States. In the 70s and 80s they ran an advertising campaign that used the catchcry, 'When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen.' Maxwell alters the catchcry and says, 'When the real leader speaks, people listen'.

I've seen this leadership principle at work in many situations. You're sitting around the board room, and little Johnny presents his idea to the leadership team. A few people offer some quick, insightful comments. The introverts sit back and ponder the possible changes. Some small talk ensues, until eventually someone who everyone respects and admires offers their opinion. The small talk ceases, and people find themselves listening intently to what this leader has to say. It seems true, that when the real leader speaks in a given circumstance, people listen.

I recall a time when Salvation Army leaders, employees and volunteers gathered together to talk about the future work of The Salvation Army. About 80 people were present at the open forum, and people were periodically standing up, offering a comment, question or a passionate political statement. Chatter occurred following many questions and different people offered their answers. I remember the moment. The chattering was soft and consistent, after someone had offered a comment that was particularly controversial. A retired General of The Salvation Army stood to make a comment (Rtd. General Eva Burrows), and within seconds there was silence. I mean, absolute silence. She spoke with boldness and conviction, and offered her point of view. It dawned on me very quickly, the leadership principle we are discussing; that when the real leader speaks, people listen.

The fact is, people want to hear the opinions of people with influence. That is why we stay up late and watch the current affair's shows, with their interviews of leaders like politicians and CEO's. That's why we are glued to the television when a chat show is on with someone we admire. We wonder what their opinion will be; we wonder whether they will offer an insightful comment that is worth adding to our leadership bag.

As my wife and I, along with a handful of others sat to discuss John Maxwell's laws of leadership (back in 2001), we came to this law. The law of E. F. Hutton. It was interesting, because I was rattling off some leadership content, and no-one was paying close attention, until my wife spoke. She said something profound, and then we all thought about what had just happened. When the real leader spoke, the people listened! We just sat there laughing, as I felt a little kick in the guts, but was happy that we were all connecting with the leadership material.

We develop opportunities to be listened to, as a leader, in many different ways. Some of the ways we are further blessed with the ability to communicate to others is through:
* Our character - Being someone who has integrity, someone people trust, and someone with a strong sense of morality.
* Our experience - People gain respect for leaders who have 'been through' events, and have the experience to back up what they're saying. Think through leaders who share about a social justice project AFTER they have just been overseas to witness it first hand, and have also given a sum of money to support the cause.
* Our knowledge - When we have a deeper knowledge of the organisation/circumstances in which we are communicating, people tune in. They want to hear our opinions, because they trust that we know what we are talking about.

Our aim is to be a better leader and a better communicator. Why? Not because of reasons the world throw at us; for some self-aggrandizement, but because we wish to create change in the world, and communicate injustice and truth to the world around us.

"When the real leader speaks - people listen." Do you hear what I'm saying??

The 'I like it on ....' Facebook phenomenon

If you are confused as to what 'campaign' Pete was discussing in yesterday's blog. Here is all the inside info as to what the "I like it on ..." Facebook game is all about. This is the only information available from the source of this campaign, it is not linked with any official Breast Cancer Awareness Organisation, nor is there any indication as to whose 'brainchild' it was.

"Remember the game last year about what color bra you were wearing at the moment? The purpose was to increase awareness of October Breast Cancer Awareness month. It was a tremendous success and we had men wondering for days what was with the colors and it made it to the news. This year's game has to do with your handbag/purse, where we put our handbag the moment we get home for example "I like it on the couch", "I like it on the kitchen counter", "I like it on the dresser" well u get the idea. Just put your answer as your status with nothing more than that and cut n paste this message and forward to all your FB female friends to their inbox. The bra game made it to the news. Let's see how powerful we women really are!!!

REMEMBER - DO NOT PUT YOUR ANSWER AS A REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE- PUT IT IN YOUR STATUS!!! PASS THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW"

Breast Cancer awareness/support/cure are very important issues to promote. I have huge respect for organisations that are committed to these causes and seek to support them any way I can. I have my own family connection to breast cancer which has caused me to have huge respect for those who have to cope with the horrible effects of this and other cancers.

I have one question, if the one reference to Breast Cancer was removed, what would you think about this message?

Preaching - Tips on Communicating God's Word Today

I find myself thinking again about communication, and effective ways to communicate truth to a crowd in a way that creates change in the listener. I never want to preach to a crowd that doesn't listen, or preach to a crowd that doesn't respond. Over the last 10 years I have already had the chance to preach many times, and share the message of Jesus to many different crowds/congregations and in many different settings and environments. So what could I offer in this blog that hasn't already been said about preaching? What could Pete possibly say about communication that will inspire me? Maybe these tips on preaching and communication are just reminders, or encouragements for you, but here are some thoughts nonetheless. (Feel free to add some more below).

It is important, when preaching the Word of God, to narrow things down to ONE clear point. People won't remember the rest! Here's a test, remember these numbers: 76, 34, 53, 32, 14... Ok without looking can you remember any of the numbers? Now what about: 18, 18, 18, 18. What's the number? You remembered! If you can preach with one thought and draw all your stories, anecdotes, analysis and scripture to draw out this ONE point, people will remember! Haddon Robinson "Bibilical Preaching" calls it 'The Big Idea'. Andy Stanley in "Communicating for a Change" says to 'pick a point'. If you've got too many points to carve into one sermon then preach a series.

I stood there one morning with a piece of laminated card on my forehead. String around my head held the card up to the congregation. Some of my friends still remember the 'L' shaped letter with its bright green colour and its element of stupidity. They remember too, that morning as I spoke on the importance of leadership in the local church (I still remember touching on integrity, passion and purpose). My tip? Think about the creative factor. My wife, Jo, stole the show away when she spoke on Hosea one morning (last year), wearing a wedding dress and speaking on infidelity and sinfulness. Absolute classic!

I'm aware of the statement that says, that we don't come with wise and persuasive words, but with the Spirit's power, and I agree with that. Without God's Spirit opening up the Scriptures to us in the first place and without the Spirit revealing truth to the listeners it is just like a nice political campaign speech, 'Hi, my name's Pete, and I'm here to offer nothing of substance into your life as you listen to this...' There's a quote rolling around in my head that says, 'pray as if it all depends on God and work as if it all depends on you' (correct me if I'm wrong!). What about, 'Prepare and pray like it all depends on God, and when you preach still give it all you got!' It is naive to be ill-prepared in the, 'I'm just going to let the Spirit move this morning' kind of talks. Maybe there's a time for them; but every week?! Hey, time to do some bible study!

Communicating biblical exegesis without good hermeneutics is like being stuck in the desert without a bottle of water; you don't know where you are, where you're meant to go, and you feel dry and empty inside. The Word of God MUST speak into our everyday lives. The fact that Paul writes about peace while he's in prison, says something about the level of peace we can experience in life. When Jesus feeds the five thousand, says something of the fact that God can provide for our every need. When Elijah lifts a prayer to God and the rain comes, shows us that God answers prayer today and can use you to transform the stratosphere! If there is merely biblical insight and teaching based on what happened in Palestine, or what happened in Egypt with Moses (Biblical exegesis) and we never find an application to OUR everyday life (hermeneutics), then most of our congregations will be left wandering. It may be ok for biblical scholars and up and coming theologians, and University students, but everyday people need an everyday Bible that affects their everyday life.

For those that find themselves preaching to a crowd and communicating the message of the Kingdom of God; God Bless!

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