This post on the algorithms around us is written by Leslie Mack. Leslie is a creative director, singer-songwriter, and communicator from Atlanta, Georgia. I recently interviewed her for ChurchPulse Weekly on how to leverage this crisis to reach the next generation. You can listen to the interview here. 

By Leslie Mack

You and your team just hit “post” on your latest magnum opus of content and with bated breath, wait for the likes to start pouring in.

You’d never say it out loud, but this could be the post that goes viral and brings your organization the visibility it deserves.

You check back in 15 minutes…2 hours… 2 days. Where are all the likes, views, reshares, and comments?! You have 500 followers but only 12 likes. You have 3,000 subscribers, but only 78 views.

Alas, we shake our fists to the heavens and lavish our unspeakable cures on the only one to blame here… The Algorithm.

Why do we hate “The Algorithm”?

Algorithm, a word that – if you’re bad at math like me- sounds like it’s spelled with numbers.

Between high school math equations, the binary zero and ones code the matrix showed us, and our leach-like dependance on a technology we barely understand, no wonder we feel defeated and helpless toward the invisible machine that seems to swallow our best work into the oversaturated oblivion known as the internet.

But what if you could sweet talk an algorithm?

What if you could sweet talk an algorithm? – Leslie Mack

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Algorithms have feelings too

What if we embraced the idea that algorithms have feelings too? That, like humans, algorithms are trained to pick up on behaviors, and adapt to social norms (or “abnorms”). What if we viewed the algorithm as highly emotionally intelligent and not just mathematically intelligent?

By the time you feed the algorithm several opportunities to practice reading your audience, provide the algorithm several opportunities to hone this skill, it becomes highly skilled at predicting the behavioral responses of your audience.

Don’t believe me, just google “Cloud AI”.

It’s not that the algorithm doesn’t want the world to see your content. The algorithm is more like a big brother (no pun intended) who doesn’t want you to “leave the house like that”. i.e. Put out bad content to your audience.

What if it were possible to partner with – dare I say befriend – the algorithm. You can begin to implement strategies to make the algorithm appreciate your best content by avoiding what the algorithm hates.

1. The Algorithm hates when you sucker punch your audience

The algorithm’s job is to keep people watching, scrolling, and attention-giving as long as possible. It will refuse to feed your audience something it has no history of ever liking.

Based on the previous content you posted, the algorithm collected enough data to tell what your audience likes to click on. So when you come out of left field with a new style of content, abandoning your truest tone of voice, the algorithm tries to protect your audience from the sucker punch you’re delivering. It ups it’s loyalty to the platform you’re posting on by not pushing your content.

Instead of a drastic change from say fixing motorcycles to make up tutorials, consider having a familiar face give a familiarly toned- intro to set up the change.

You might even consider cushioning either side of your “new” content with content that features a familiar face, topic and tone to your channel and audience.

The algorithm’s job is to keep people watching, scrolling, and attention-giving as long as possible. It will refuse to feed your audience something it has no history of ever liking. – Leslie Mack

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2. The Algorithm hates when you seem like a liar

If we agree the algorithm can feel things, the one feeling it hates most would be deception. And it’s pretty impatient when deciding whether or not it believes you’ll deliver on your promise.

Early on during the pandemic, I posted a video to YouTube called “You, Kanye, and Hangry Jesus” – teaching on the parable of the cursed fig tree. Originally, the thumbnail featured images of cut-outs of fruit, my face, and Kanye’s face. Clickbait-y? The algorithm definitely thought so. I didn’t mention Kanye until 9 minutes into the video!

In the first few minutes of the video being live, the metrics predicted that the video would perform below average for our channel. We changed the title of the video to “New Pandemic, Old Me: are Instagram Lives Making Us Better People” and changed the thumbnail to just feature my face with a confused expression holding fruit.

We were able to restore the performance of the video back to being on target for our channels average.

Now, we both know that you’d never intentionally set out to flat out lie to your audience. We just tend to like a sermon that ends with a good ah-ha moment.

However, if in the first few seconds of your content it doesn’t seem like you’re going to deliver on the promises made in the title, the thumbnail text, and the thumbnail art, well the algorithm would much rather suggest a video that will.

That’s why a large amount of the successful videos you watch on YouTube start off with “In today’s video I will…” followed by a list of buzz words and phrases that align with the title, tags, thumbnail text.

Try using a Search Engine Optimization tool along with a tool to help craft strong titles, to see what words people are searching for and align your content – from the title and thumbnail to the very last sentence- to meet an existing need.

If in the first few seconds of your content it doesn’t seem like you’re going to deliver on the promises made in the title, the algorithm would much rather suggest a video that will. – Leslie Mack

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3. The Algorithm Hates When You Thoughtlessly “Re-gift” Content

Grandma may always give you socks for Christmas and money on your birthday. At least she recognizes there’s a difference between the holidays (and doesn’t re-bless you with socks for both).

It’s tempting to put all your energy into making one piece of amazing content and just repost it, as is, across all platforms. But, the reason why your great aunt is on Facebook, your brother is on reddit, and your niece is on Tik Tok can be chalked up to two words: pace and preference.

Not tailoring your video to the platform it will live on means you’re guaranteed to be missing key components of what makes content succeed on different platforms.

It’s up to you to learn the pace and preferences, i.e. the native language, of the platform to which you post.

Where blogs speak the language of text with subtitles throughout, Tik Toks speak the language of short vids, overdubbed with jump cuts and text on screen.

Your audience (and therefore the algorithm) can spot “regifted” content from a mile away. Videos made for YouTube stand out like a sore thumb on Instagram- can the link you mentioned “in the description box below” actually found in your bio now?

Your church websites’ generic greeting video feels irrelevant to the audience on YouTube. Is regifting content all bad? No, but making some minor edits that make your content native to the platform help up your chances of visibility and reach.

Here are a few things to consider when customizing the content you intend to post on various platforms:

Your audience (and therefore the algorithm) can spot “regifted” content from a mile away. Videos made for YouTube stand out like a sore thumb on Instagram. – Leslie Mack

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1. Which platform supports the type of audience engagement you or your team is able to be responsive to?

If someone comments “I want to accept Christ” on your YouTube video you posted 3 months ago, do you have the right systems in place to respond in a thoughtful and timely manner?

If they reach out looking for your church’s address via Instagram DM, can you respond?

2. Are you thinking mobile-first?

The content we create is being consumed not on the massive computer screens we use to edit on, nor on a flatscreen TV, tablet, or jumbo stage projector in an auditorium.

By a landslide, mobile devices are the primary space for consuming digital content.

When you shrink your content down to the size of an index card, or even a 2’’ x 1’’ screen within a screen, are the graphics still legible? Does the orientation of the video allow your subject to be centered or cut off? Is important information in your headers or lower thirds being covered by in-platform graphics?

Does your call to action ask your audience to navigate through tricky multi-step processes that are hard to get to from the current platform? (Ask me about the nightmare of using Instagram Stories to ask 10,000 students to submit TikToks via FormStack that ultimately got complied into dropbox files for a DJ to mix into a video that would play on 40 ft projectors at an in-person event. The complexity!)

By a landslide, mobile devices are the primary space for consuming digital content. – Leslie Mack

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3. Are you using your title real estate effectively?

Is your title now cut off due to the character limit shown on this specific platform where the full title was clear over on YouTube?

Are you posting a series that all start with the same phrase and therefore limits your audience’s ability to engage with all the different parts of your content at a glance?

Is the text on your thumbnail redundant to title redundant to caption?

Maximize on grabbing attention by rephrasing or re-angling at each opportunity.

4. Does your content artwork break the promise your title makes to your audience?

Are you covering a sensitive topic but your artwork is your default, million-dollar smile headshot?

Is your message titled “peace during a pandemic” but your artwork feature an image of the pastor, scowling with passion as he makes his most poignant point?

Does your video title promise you’ll be hearing from students in this video but your thumbnail only show your face?

Treating the Algorithm as if it’s highly emotionally intelligent (even if that “emotional intelligence” is just a string of calculated predictions and mechanistic understanding) will help the algorithm begin to love some of your best content.

Treating the Algorithm as if it’s highly emotionally intelligent will help the algorithm begin to love some of your best content. – Leslie Mack

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So you’ve got people watching your church online. How do you turn them into engagers?nnnn

On October 8th, 2020, Carey Nieuwhof is hosting The Online Church Engagement Summit. It’s a free, 90-minute value-packed event where Levi Lusko, Nona Jones, and Bobby Gruenewald will give you their best practical strategies to turn viewers into engagers.nnnn

If you feel like you don’t even know where to begin, or if you’ve had success but want to reach and engage more people, this is for you and your team. nnnn

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The Online Church Engagement Summitnn

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So you’ve got people watching your church online. How do you turn them into engagers?nnnn

On October 8th, 2020, Carey Nieuwhof is hosting The Online Church Engagement Summit. It’s a free, 90-minute value-packed event where Levi Lusko, Nona Jones, and Bobby Gruenewald will give you their best practical strategies to turn viewers into engagers.nnnn

If you feel like you don’t even know where to begin, or if you’ve had success but want to reach and engage more people, this is for you and your team. nnnn

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What’s working for you? 

Have you had any posts go viral?

I’d love to hear about them in the comments below:

The post 3 Reasons “The Algorithm” Hates Some of Your Best Content appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 3 Reasons “The Algorithm” Hates Some of Your Best Content

The post 3 Reasons “The Algorithm” Hates Some of Your Best Content appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By: Discipleship.org

Kevin and his team spent a lot of time and money to host a large group leader training at the church. As the event started, he sat in the back and looked across a half-empty room and was disheartened by the light attendance. As the night finished, despite maximizing every minute of the event, there was still so much more he felt he needed to share to equip the leaders well. It was at this point that he looked to his team members and said, “There has got to be a better way.”

Can you relate? This scenario is all too real for church leaders today. On one hand, the busyness of life is causing the calendars of your small group leaders to become increasingly less available. On the other hand, your church’s vision requires greater training for your people than what you’re currently giving. Dissatisfied with the effectiveness of their leader training, but unsure on how to improve it, this tension paralyzes most church leaders. But what if there was a way to better train your leaders without everybody giving up all their free Saturdays?

The Problem

The traditional approach of training is to invite all your leaders to an event at your church where you cram as much vision and practical tips into a two-hour segment. Hosting stand-alone training events can be good, but this shouldn’t be your only training strategy as it is becoming less effective.

For most churches, training attendance is decreasing because our church families are busier than ever. Most of our people live busy work and family lives and the thought of attending another thing is overwhelming. And to be honest, I don’t blame them. I want to make disciples as much as the next guy, but after long days at work, the weeknights and weekends are cherished times with my family.

Instead of questioning our people’s calendar priorities, we ought to consider how we can minimize the amount of time they come to church events so they can be freed up to be with their families and make disciples. If we aren’t careful, we can fill our people’s calendars with so many events to prepare them for ministry, that they no longer have time to do ministry.

This blog is from our partner Replicate. Sign up here to get updates sent to your inbox about ministries like theirs so you can grow as a disciple maker.

The second problem with event training is that no matter how long the event is, there is always more equipping that our leaders need for them to thrive. I have never finished an event and said, “Yep, you are now fully prepared for whatever comes your way.” We are fooling ourselves if we think that we can gather leaders a few times a year and give them everything they need to lead.

This is the tension Kevin felt as he said, “There has to be a better way.” And there is…but you will need to flip the script on your training strategy.

A Better Way

As you evaluate your leader training strategy, you need to make two dramatic shifts that will completely change the way you do training.

First, you need to move your training from one-time to ongoing. Research has shown that weekly training is nearly twice as productive as even the best stand-alone events. Consider how much more bought in your leaders would be if they could hear your vision fifty-two times a year. Think about how better equipped your leaders would be if they could get practical training every week. But as we mentioned above, no one (including me) is attending a training event every Saturday. This is why the second shift is crucial.

The second shift you must make is to move from an event-based to a digital-based model. This doesn’t mean you abandon all events, but it does mean that your primary posture changes. You should move from an attitude of “you come to me” to “I come to you.” Start thinking about how you can get the information to group leaders where they currently are instead of asking them to come to the church.

There are a lot of ways that you can do these two shifts (video, email, etc.), but the method that we have seen the most effective has been podcasting. We chose this because it’s a resource that most people are already using. Everyone has thirty-minute chunks of time where they can listen to a podcast as they work out, drive to work, or clean the house. When we launched this strategy at my previous church, we saw over 50% of our group leaders engage on a weekly basis and after two years of recording, our leaders had 70+ episodes at their fingertips addressing small group FAQs. The result was group leaders who were more bought into our vision and equipped to make our dream a reality.

By Vick Green

Originally posted on Replicate’s blog here. Used by permission.

The post A Better Way To Train Your Group Leaders appeared first on Discipleship.org.

Source: A Better Way To Train Your Group Leaders

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by Carey Nieuwhof: As churches slowly reopen their physical doors, church leaders are all asking the same question: who will still be around?

It’s a great question.

And not an easy one to answer. A lot of church leaders are nervous, uncertain and longing to get things back to something certain.

With several months of online-only church, it can be hard to know how many new people have come on board, who’s still engaged, who’s left, and who may be drifting.

And even as buildings re-open, it’s hard to get a gauge because of social distancing, limited capacity and, in almost all cases, no kids ministry (leaving families for the most part still at home).

In this post, I’ll take a quick look at the numbers, offer some observations and some strategies that I hope will help your church not just maintain, but advance in the midst of all this uncertainty.

Church Goers Are…A Little Uncertain

As a church leader texted me recently, opening is so much harder than closing.

The Barna Group is doing weekly polling that, leading up to Easter, showed 49% and even 59% reported surging online attendance compared to their former in-person attendance.

Since Easter, that’s dropped.

Now, only 25% of churches are reporting an attendance surge above previous levels, and in talking to leaders every week, more are seeing their online numbers drop.

So what about reopening? Who will be streaming back as doors open again?

A recent related poll of thousands of church leaders facilitated by Gloo showed people have little consensus around when they feel ‘safe’ to gather again in public.

Asked which other type of activity BEST signals to you that it is time to open in-person worship at the church, the most common answer was a low community level of COVID cases (21.5%)

Other responses included when

Social distancing and stay home guidelines are lifted: 17%
Local businesses are open: 14%
Local restaurant seating areas are open 8%
Testing is widely available and utilized 6%
Schools are open 4%
Vaccine available 3%

But the following results also speak volumes:

15% said they would only return when all the conditions are met (low cases, business open, restrictions lifted, vaccine available).
10% admitted they just weren’t sure.

Essentially, 25% either aren’t sure or aren’t coming back for a long time.

An additional 30% of respondents said they’d rather worship at home and only return when they can be mask-free at church.

25% of church attenders aren’t sure when they’re coming back or aren’t coming back for a long time. An additional 30% of respondents said they’d rather worship at home and only return when they can be mask-free at church. Click To Tweet

I know, that’s not encouraging, but it’s both real and understandable.

If you’d like to poll your congregations on these questions (for free) and even add a few questions of your own, you can do that here.

So how do you put this all into perspective?

Here are four thoughts that I hope can help guide you as you make some very pivotal decisions.

After all, re-opening your church is so much more complex than closing it ever was.

Re-opening your church is so much more complex than closing it ever was.Click To Tweet

1. Become a Lot More Agile: Normal Isn’t Coming Back Any Time Soon

Church leaders who are waiting for things to get back to normal will be waiting a long time.

It’s hard to go back to normal when normal disappeared.

So much has changed, not just in terms of what’s legally allowed (or morally responsible) but, as the poll results suggest,  in terms of how people think.

And to make it more personal, consider how you think.

For example, even if you could, do you really want to get into a crowded restaurant right now? Would you want general admission floor tickets to hear your favorite band so you could crush in with everyone else?

Probably not. At least I wouldn’t.

The psychology of human behavior has an entirely new dynamic that leaders will have to deal with.

Before you over-spiritualize it, it’s not a question of faith over fear. It’s a sign that this is a deeply confusing, changing time.

People need to be led and cared for, they just need to be led and cared for differently.

Church leaders who are waiting for things to get back to normal will be waiting a long time. It’s hard to go back to normal when normal disappeared.Click To Tweet

Instead, pivot into a new normal.

Don’t be so focused on getting back to “normal” that you step back into the past when you step back into your facility.

To do that, you’ll have to become far more agile in the future than you have been in the past.

In a culture of constant change and uncertainty, agility is ability, and flexibility is a superpower.

If you’re curious as to how well-positioned you are to thrive in the new normal, I have a new, short Agility Quiz that can help you assess whether you’re likely to survive, thrive or struggle in the new normal.

It’s just 14 question and results will be sent to you immediately. Here’s the link.

The bottom line is this: the more agile you are heading into the future, the better you’ll be able to realize (and even advance) your mission.

In a culture of constant change and uncertainty, agility is ability, and flexibility is a superpower. Click To Tweet

2. Remember That You’ve Already Reached New People

The last few months haven’t been all loss. In fact, for many churches, that’s hardly the case.

You’ve likely reached new people online, including many you haven’t yet met.

The challenge with ministry online is a little like the challenge with new people who attend your church. It can be hard to get to know them.

Even with physical attendance, countless churches have new people who attend, sit in the back row and don’t connect with anyone.

Online just amplifies that, which is good and bad. You’re reaching new people…you just don’t know who.

The key is to move toward engagement, encouraging online attenders to:

Fill out an online welcome card or text their info in
Like, comment or follow so you can connect more personally
Take a step into an orientation group, small group or some kind of movement beyond attending service
Join your email list

Engagement is a sign of openness and a desire to connect.

Just because you can’t see an online attender doesn’t mean they aren’t real. So don’t give up on the progress you’ve made.

Just because you can’t see an online attender doesn’t mean they aren’t real.Click To Tweet

3. Realize Some Online Attenders Will Stay Online for a Long Time (and that has nothing to do with COVID)

As we’ve already seen, even as your buildings reopen, not everyone will rush into church. Some of that is COVID related, but it’s actually much deeper than that.

For years now, the trend has been for new people to watch online for weeks, months or even a year before they venture into a church’s physical building.

That trend will not only continue, it will accelerate.

Digital is the new default for our culture, and the current crisis only accelerated that.

Digital is the new default for our culture, and the current crisis only accelerated that. Click To Tweet

Church leaders who take all the resources they have been spending and investing in online church and move them back into physical ministry locations risk losing any online traction they’ve picked up as well as the audience that’s still watching.

In the future, churches that have the largest impact will think of themselves as digital organizations with physical expressions rather than physical organizations with digital presences.

So don’t let your foot off the digital pedal.

In the future, churches that have the largest impact will think of themselves as digital organizations with physical expressions rather than physical organizations with digital presences. Click To Tweet

4. Resist the Urge to Make Online Attenders or Non-Attenders Second-class Citizens

The church has enough dividing lines and judgmentalism already. We don’t need any more, and we should actively eliminate what we have.

But it’s not that hard to imagine that both church leaders and church members would start to divide themselves into two categories

The truly faithful, risk-taking, trusting, in-person attenders who are loyal and deeply Christian

Everybody else

That’s not just sinful, it’s stupid (as well as unstrategic).

Church leaders, if you stand there with a scowl on your face every Sunday angry about empty seats, why would anyone want to sit in one?

When you devalue people—curious people, frightened people, anxious people, cautious people, new people, hurt people—you sabotage the very mission you’re trying to accomplish.

People can smell judgment a mile away. So, church leaders, stop judging.

People can smell judgment a mile away. So, church leaders, stop judging.Click To Tweet

This is a very critical moment for the church moving forward.

Church leaders who embrace infrequent attenders, online attenders and non-attenders will eventually have more attenders.

Those who don’t, won’t.

Church leaders who embrace infrequent attenders, online attenders and non-attenders will eventually have more attenders.Click To Tweet

5. Be Less Controlling: Being Controlling and Being Effective are Usually Mutually Exclusive

I know this sounds axiomatic, but the truth is God is still in control.

Every leader is struggling with a loss of control. I am.

The truth is you can’t control:

The economy
Whether people return to church
When people return to church
Your numbers
Human behaviour
The future

And that’s massively frightening for a lot of leaders.

You had a system that worked…and now, it’s gone.

But that’s okay. God is still in control. You aren’t. You never were.

So what do you do?

For starters, focus on what you can control, not on what you can’t.

You and I can’t manipulate events or people, but you can respond to what’s happening and try to help people in the midst of it.

Second, look for the opportunity instead of the obstacle. My favorite question to ask during the crisis is the simple question “What does this make possible?”

The church has always been at its best when it’s under pressure.

It’s one thing to preach that God is doing a new thing. It’s another thing to embrace it.

I imagine that God is reforming and reshaping the church for the future. You resist that, or you can embrace it.

Here’s a principle I’m reminding myself of these days: Being highly controlling and highly effective are mutually exclusive.

In your desire to control things and get back to ‘normal,’ are you squeezing out new things God may want to do in you and through you?

I don’t know the answer to that question, but I sense the question is important. I’m asking it personally.

Being highly controlling and highly effective are mutually exclusive.Click To Tweet

You Don’t Have to Guess How Your Church Feels. Poll Your Church For Free

For sure there are ways to track where your church is at.

The easiest way to get real-time information on your church reopening is to poll your congregation directly.

I’ve partnered with Gloo, a US-based platform and technology firm, to give leaders access to the Returning to Church Check-In, a way to directly survey your congregation on how they are feeling about a return to church.

There are about a dozen standard questions that will help you benchmark your congregation’s responses against national averages and the check-in allows you to ask your own questions as well, so you don’t have to guess.

You can access the Returning to Church Check-In for free here.

Data-informed decisions are simply better decisions.

Data-informed decisions are simply better decisions. Click To Tweet

The Future is Uncertain. How Agile Are You? Take The Agility Quiz.

Some organizations will thrive in the new normal. Others won’t.

Over 70% of the 700+ leaders who took a recent survey predict that the future for their organization is going to look very different than before the global crisis.

While the future is uncertain, there are clear indicators and characteristics of which organizations will fail which ones will thrive in the new normal.

So, let’s see how you and your organization are positioned.

Take the free, 14 question assessment and have results sent to you immediately.

Take the quiz now.

What Do You See?

What issues are you grappling with as your church reopens or considers reopening?

Scroll down and leave a comment.

The post When Your Church ReOpens, What Will Be Left and Who Will Still Come? Some Thoughts. appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: When Your Church ReOpens, What Will Be Left and Who Will Still Come? Some Thoughts.

The post When Your Church ReOpens, What Will Be Left and Who Will Still Come? Some Thoughts. appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By Dillon Smith. Dillon is content manager for Carey Nieuwhof Communications and is a member of the Speaking Team. You can book Dillon to speak at your next event here.

By Dillon Smith

Raising up new communicators can feel like navigating a minefield.

There is a tension that anyone trying to invest in the next generation of communicators feels. On one hand, you want them to get as many reps and opportunities to practice as possible. But on the other hand, you know that giving inexperienced communicators big opportunities can lead to catastrophic results.

Since there is a massive difference between messing up in front of a small group of 15 people and messing up on a major stage, you want to give new communicators as many small opportunities as you can.

But how do you know when a new communicator is ready to take on a major stage?

As I look back on my own development and the development of others, there are pivotal moments when simple lessons went a long way.

Click To Tweet

Here are 4 responses to my early sermons that I needed to hear before taking a major stage:

1. “You need to learn the rules before you can break the rules”

A mistake many young communicators make is trying to preach with style before they preach with discipline.

I have done this numerous times.

Early on in my preaching career, I thought that as long as my preaching style was great, the audience would love it.

Do you want to know what happened? No matter how many times I tried to preach with intensity, the audience never responded the way I expected.

It confused me.

I never understood how I could be so excited about a message and the audience could look so lost at the same time.

This happened because I didn’t know the rules for effective public speaking and as a result, my “style” broke all the wrong rules at all the wrong times.

I saw what other great communicators did and copied it, but I didn’t understand the “why” behind it.

If you see what great communicators do, you can imitate it. But if you understand the “why” behind their “what,” you can begin to innovate with your own communication style.

If you see what great communicators do, you can imitate it. But if you understand the “why” behind their “what,” you can begin to innovate with your own communication style. Click To Tweet

The only way I began understanding the “why” was a mentor making me apply discipline before I applied style.

How did he do this?

He created a list of things that a communicator needs to think about every time they speak.

Then, he made write and deliver multiple sermons to him or a very small audience. After that, he would meticulously grade me on every single thing on that list.

If you are looking to teach your young leaders (or yourself) to be a better communicator, try working on your speaking disciplines, not style.

Here is a sample of the list I had to follow for every talk I gave:

Define the purpose of every talk, and every point within the talk.
Every talk needs to be between 2 and 5 points that are pointing towards one main purpose.
Write ALL of your main points before your sub-points, ALL of your sub-points before your sub-sub-point, etc…
Hook the ENTIRE audience with every opening line.
Build credibility with your audience every time you speak.
Every point, sub-point, and sub-sub-point must be exactly one sentence. No more, no less.
Have a specific purpose behind every story/illustration.
End every sermon with fireworks. [This is usually metaphorical. ;)]

The list was longer, but I wanted to give you an idea of just how strict your standards should be while training.

As I did this for multiple talks, I began to understand how each rule works together, and when and why it’s appropriate to break the general rules of public speaking. I began innovating.

Today, every single one of those disciplines has a clear, logical explanation of why I am or am not doing it for every talk I give.

Young speakers need to learn the rules to break the rules, and someone has to teach them.

If a young speaker doesn’t understand the rules of public speaking, they are not ready to take a major stage.

Young speakers need to learn the rules to break the rules, and someone has to teach them. Click To Tweet

2. “Your ability to think needs to exceed your ability to speak”

The person on stage needs to have a deep understanding of whatever they are going to talk about. If they aren’t, why should anyone listen to them?

So how do you know if a young leader has a deep understanding of what he is expected to talk about?

A general rule I follow is this:

If someone can’t converse about a topic at a high level, they won’t be able to speak about a topic at a high level.

If someone can’t converse about a topic at a high level, they won’t be able to speak about a topic at a high level. Click To Tweet

So if you can’t have a serious, engaging conversation about the topic with them, they aren’t ready to preach on that topic.

So how do you fix this?

You have deep conversations about the topic with them months before they are set to preach on it.

Give them books to read, podcasts to listen to, and experts in the field to learn from.

After they have done their research, sit down, ask hard questions, and wait for them to come up with good answers.

These will be some of the most formative conversations a young leader can go through. You are teaching them how to learn, think, and articulate their thoughts clearly.

This will take a lot of time, but the young leader that comes out on the other side will be worth the effort.

When you can have deep, engaging conversations about the topic with that leader, they are ready to take a major stage.

3. “That was rough, but you’re just beginning”

That sounds harsh, and maybe it is, but here’s the reality:

Everyone who speaks from stage will deliver a terrible talk. The real tragedy is that not everyone will learn from those terrible talks.

Everyone who speaks from a stage will deliver a terrible talk. The real tragedy is that not everyone will learn from those terrible talks.Click To Tweet

The best thing an influential leader in the audience can do is pull that communicator aside a couple of days later and say:

“Hey, I think you have a ton of potential as a communicator, but I think you could have done better. How do you think you can improve?”

This conversation is key.

Applied honest feedback is what separates the mediocre communicators from great communicators.

Applied honest feedback is what separates the mediocre communicators from great communicators. Click To Tweet

This conversation will be painful, but in the long run, that pain is good.

When young leaders feel the pain of failing on stage, we become motivated to do everything they can to never fail like that again.

You have to let us learn from failure on a small platform, so we don’t fail on a major platform.

When young leaders feel the pain of failing on stage, they become motivated to do everything they can to never fail like that again.Click To Tweet

4. “Do you think you could be called to this?”

The journey to becoming a public speaker can be pretty discouraging.

Not only are you signing up to do something that most people are more afraid of than dying, but almost nobody is good at public speaking the first few times they speak.

So young communicators are:

Terrified out of their minds.
Have a long way to grow.
Able to choose to do anything else in the world besides public speaking.

So why do they stick around?

Usually, there is someone in their corner cheering them on and mentioning that they might be called to be a preacher or motivational speaker.

Someone sees potential in them and asks, “Do you think you could be called to this?”

So how do you know if you need to have this conversation?

I see 2 major indicators:

Passion – Do they deeply care about what they speak on?
Character – Are they someone worth following?

Notice what isn’t on the list:

Competency – Are they already good at public speaking?

Just because a young leader isn’t good at communicating now, doesn’t mean they never will be.

Just because a young leader isn’t good at communicating now, doesn’t mean they never will be. Click To Tweet

Early on, natural gifting to communicate is a “nice to have” but not a “need to have” for potential public speakers.

But they’ll never learn to speak if nobody ever encourages them to try.

The most important asset a young communicator has is a leader cheering them on.

If you are an older leader and see a young leader who is passionate and has good character, consider challenging them to be a voice for what they are passionate about. Their voice is needed.

The most important asset a young communicator has is a leader cheering them on. Click To Tweet

Want A Complete Guide to Preaching and Speaking?

When it comes to communication and preaching, there are a lot of ways to go wrong that you usually don’t expect.

Ever wish someone could come alongside you to walk you through the finer points of the art of better preaching?

That’s exactly what my good friend Mark Clark and I do in our course, The Art of Better Preaching. We’ve even got a full unit on how to leave your notes behind the next time you give a talk.

Every week, Mark and I preach to thousands of churched and unchurched people, Mark at Village Church in Vancouver BC, and me at Connexus Church north of Toronto. We have very different styles, which means this course is not a preach-just-like-me approach to preaching.

You can customize it to help you preach better messages, and it draws from the rich tradition of different approaches that actually connect with unchurched people. Plus, we share our best secrets on how to craft the best messages we know how to create.

In the course, Mark and I cover:

The Why and How of Preaching
How to Preach to the Unchurched
How to Give a Talk Without Using Notes
How to Craft a Killer Bottom Line So People Remember Your Talk Years Later
How to Stay Fresh over the Long Haul

And much more.

The price of the course is going up soon.

You can get access here!

How Do You Develop Communicators?

What methods/practices do you use to develop leaders in your organization?

Leave a comment below!

The post 4 Lessons New Communicators Need To Learn Before Taking a Major Stage appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 4 Lessons New Communicators Need To Learn Before Taking a Major Stage

The post 4 Lessons New Communicators Need To Learn Before Taking a Major Stage appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: Sean Cannell started at almost nothing on YouTube a few years ago. Today his channel has over 750 thousand subscribers and his videos have been viewed over 40 million times.

Sean shares his YouTube secrets, talks about how to get started on YouTube even if you don’t have money or staff, and why the future online has to include video.

Welcome to Episode 264 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

Guest Links

Sean Cannell | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

 YouTube Secrets | YouTube for Churches

Think Media | Video Influencers | Sean Thinks

Episode Links

94% of churches today are either not growing or not growing at the same rate as their community. Head over to churchgrowthmasterclass.com today and discover why. Whether your church isn’t growing or your seeing growth, but hitting barriers, this new course can help. Take advantage of introductory pricing before it’s too late.

Get your volunteers ready to serve with simple online training. Try TrainedUp free for 14 days at servehq.church.

Prairie College

Clear Vision Media

Amazon Associates

Pro Church Tools

Financial Peace University

Trey Van Camp – YouTube

Smartcuts: The Breakthrough Power of Lateral Thinking by Shane Snow

That Christian Vlogger

Think International – YouTube

Will Smith – YouTube

Leadershift by John Maxwell

3 Insights from Sean

1. If you want to succeed in the long term, you must be willing to fail in the short term

People often ask Sean how he got to be so successful on YouTube. Sean’s answer is that he has failed more times than he has succeeded. He has just learned from those failures and become better as a result. He has six YouTube channels, but only 2 of them are successful.

Failure can be an invaluable teacher. Sean says that “the master has failed more times than the amateur has even tried.” If you want to have a successful company, church, or organization, you have to be willing to push through the failures to get to the successes that you dream about.

2. There is massive growth and outreach potential in video

One of the beautiful parts of video content is that it is another way that we can get the message out to our people. It allows us to give our people options for how they consume our content. We may already be producing a mid-week email or podcast. Adding video might allow us to reach a whole other audience that would have never found your church or business in those other formats.

We need to give our people options because we can not try and predetermine what our audience wants (which is what we do when we give out our content in only one format.) Our online presence is a chance to “become all things to all people.” It’s meeting people where they are, dressed in the format that they would prefer. We can’t miss video.

3. There are 5 major aspects of getting noticed online

Leverage – YouTube is a search engine. As a content producer, you can leverage the people already on YouTube by having quality titles and descriptions of your videos.

Collaborations – Working with already existing platforms to get the word out about your content is an effective way to get noticed by more people.

Current Social Media or Email Lists – Using your present influence on other social media platforms or an existing email list is a way to get the word out about your content.

Paid Traffic – Paid traffic online is now the most effective way to get the word out about your product or service to massive amounts of people. A note of warning; paid traffic only works if you are directing people to quality content. Paid ads are like gasoline for a fire that’s already going.

Shareability- Is your content high enough quality and created in a way where it can be easily shared?

Quotes from Episode 264

The master has failed more times than the amateur has even tried. @seancannellClick To Tweet

Success is moving from failure, to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Winston ChurchillClick To Tweet

If a picture speaks a thousand words, a video can communicate a million. @seancannellClick To Tweet

Begin with the end in mind. Stephen Covey via @seancannellClick To Tweet

You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. -Zig ZiglarClick To Tweet

Paid ads are like gasoline for a fire that’s already going. @seancannellClick To Tweet

Great marketing makes a bad product fail faster. -David OgilvyClick To Tweet

If you stop at a place where your needs are met, you’re being selfish. @seancannellClick To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 264

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.

Get Your Church Growing

Did you know that 9 out of 10 churches don’t grow? Are you one of them?

You likely didn’t get into ministry to watch your church plateau or, worse yet, decline. You wanted God to use you to reach new people with the good news. You wanted to see your church grow. You wanted to make an impact on your community that would outlast you.

But the odds are, it’s not happening. And the thing is, you’re not alone. We live in an era where 94% of churches aren’t growing or aren’t growing as fast as their communities. Barely 1 out of 20 churches are effectively reaching their neighbors for Jesus. Despite how desperately our communities need to hear and engage with the good news about Jesus, many churches are lost when it comes to reaching a postmodern culture.

That’s why I put together the Church Growth Masterclass. It’s everything I wish I knew about church growth when I got into ministry more than 20 years ago.

I can’t make a church grow. You can’t make a church grow. Only God can do that. But I believe you can position your church to grow. You can knock down the barriers that keep you from growing. You can eliminate the things that keep your church from growing and implement some strategies that will help you reach far more people. That’s what I’d love to help you do in the Church Growth Masterclass.

In the Church Growth Masterclass I’ll show you:

The 10 reasons your church isn’t growing
Why even committed church-goers aren’t attending as often as before
How to tell if your church leaders are getting burned out
The five keys to your church better impacting millennials.
What to do when a church wants to grow … but not change

You can learn more and gain instant access to the course today.

Subscribed Yet? 

Subscribe for free and never miss out on wisdom from world-class leaders like Brian Houston, Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Nancy Duarte, Henry Cloud, Patrick Lencioni, Francis Chan, Ann Voskamp, Erwin McManus and many others.

Subscribe using your favorite podcast app via

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google Play

Stitcher

TuneIn

Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review

Hopefully, this episode has helped you lead like never before. That’s my goal. If you appreciated it, could you share the love?

The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave us a brief review! You can do the same on Stitcher and on TuneIn as well.

Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

Thank you for being so awesome.

Next Episode: Les McKeown

Les McKeown is back on the podcast, this time talking about the difference between growing organizations and organizations that are ready for scale. The two often get confused, and just because you’re growing doesn’t mean you’re ready to scale. Les shares the keys to scale, which, coincidentally, also reduce the stress the senior leader and entire team feel. Getting bigger doesn’t mean getting more frenzied. Often, it’s the opposite.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 265.

The post CNLP 264: Sean Cannell Shares YouTube Secrets, Why The Future Online is Video, and How to Get Started on YouTube (Even From Scratch) appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 264: Sean Cannell Shares YouTube Secrets, Why The Future Online is Video, and How to Get Started on YouTube (Even From Scratch)

The post CNLP 264: Sean Cannell Shares YouTube Secrets, Why The Future Online is Video, and How to Get Started on YouTube (Even From Scratch) appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Facebook’s Nona Jones shares about what most leaders are missing when it comes to getting people to engage on social media.

Nona is also pioneering a way for churches to go beyond social media and dive deeper into social ministry. Plus she shares a host of tips and insights on best and worst practices on social media and where social is heading in the future.

Welcome to Episode 262 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

Guest Links

Nona Jones | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

Episode Links

Discover what’s stopping your church from growing. Gain instant access to my free Church Growth Masterclass Assessment at churchgrowthmasterclass.com today.

Get your volunteers ready to serve with simple online training. Try TrainedUp free for 30 days at servehq.church.

Want to reach more people online? Find the media solution that’s right for your church at promediafire.com/carey. Podcast listeners receive 10% off for life.

Life.Church Facebook Groups

Elevation Church eFam

The Official First Baptist Church of Glenarden (FBCG) Facebook Community

Relentless Church Facebook Groups

Facebook Newsroom

Facebook Business

TechCrunch.com

3 Insights from Nona

1. To truly build the church online, Groups trump Pages

Facebook has the potential to allow us to return to what Nona considers to be a Christ-like model of ministry, which is to meet people where they are and deliver the good news of Jesus where they are. Facebook groups offer this exact opportunity as you can connect with other people about their needs every hour of every day of the week.

A Facebook group allows you to create a “living room” for your church online. It’s the place that you can invite people inside of your ministry. You can get to know them, they can get to know you, and most importantly, they can get to know each other.

One point of caution is to be strategic when choosing a leader of your online group or campus. If you wouldn’t appoint that person to launch a new physical location or if you wouldn’t be comfortable with that person leading a Bible study or a ministry in your church, they’re probably not the best person to lead your Facebook campus.

2. Facebook is no longer a place for “broadcast media”

The primary method of media in the world used to be “broadcast media.” This is where an organization throws a message out to the wind and hopes it gets received by the intended audience. This approach is uni-directional and doesn’t allow for very much conversation or dialogue.

The new method of media that is being pioneered by companies like Facebook is “social media”. This is where advertising is no longer a monologue from a provider to a purchaser, but a dialogue between all the involved parties. If you want to successfully market on Facebook, this is your new best strategy.

3. When building an online presence, focus on building the kingdom not a platform

Most of the conversations Nona has with leaders is about how to build their personal platform. She thinks that often times we forget that our purpose is to build the kingdom of God not our own platform. We as the Church have to remember that we’re just conduit of the gospel.

Our purpose should be to create an online community where people can encounter more and more of Jesus, his message, and his people. Our focus should not be to get more people to come and be a part of our program or platform. If that becomes our primary focus, people will leave disappointed because they came looking for God but they ended up finding you.

Quotes from Episode 262

If a community is filled with real people then it’s real, whether it’s online or offline. -Nona JonesClick To Tweet

We can get so wrapped up in this idea of building our platform and brand that we lose sight of the fact that we’re building God’s kingdom. -Nona JonesClick To Tweet

I’ve learned that God meets our faith at our level of obedience. -Nona JonesClick To Tweet

Facebook allows us to return to a Christ-like model of ministry, to meet people where they are and deliver the good news of Jesus. -Nona JonesClick To Tweet

Build what you do on the land that you own, not on rented space. @cnieuwhofClick To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 262

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.

Ready to Grow Beyond 200?

Would you like to see your church grow to more than 200 in weekly attendance?

You’re certainly not alone. The vast majority of churches in North America never break this growth barrier. I’ve worked with hundreds of pastors during the last 20 years to better understand why churches hit plateaus—and how to break past them.

Just “working harder” won’t cut it either. In Breaking 200, I’ll share with you a few key changes your church can make to become the church God has called you to be.

In this eight-lesson video course, you’ll learn:

How to structure your church to grow
How to scale your pastoral care so you can help more people without burning out
How to find the right leaders to take your church to the next level
& much more!

Each session includes an interactive workbook with exercises to help you and your team apply what you’re learning to your ministry context right away.

You can learn more and gain instant access today.

Subscribed Yet? 

Subscribe for free and never miss out on wisdom from world-class leaders like Brian Houston, Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Nancy Duarte, Henry Cloud, Patrick Lencioni, Francis Chan, Ann Voskamp, Erwin McManus and many others.

Subscribe using your favorite podcast app via

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google Play

Stitcher

TuneIn

Spread the Word. Leave a Rating and Review

Hopefully, this episode has helped you lead like never before. That’s my goal. If you appreciated it, could you share the love?

The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave us a brief review! You can do the same on Stitcher and on TuneIn as well.

Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.

Thank you for being so awesome.

Next Episode: Horst Schulze

At age 14, Horst Schulze left home to start in the hotel industry in Germany.

What he learned there introduced true luxury to America. In this wide-ranging and candid interview, Horst talks about what customers really want, how to build a world class team with minimum wage employees, how to empower employees, how to reduce employee turnover and how to handle customer complaints.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 263.

The post CNLP 262: Nona Jones on What Most Organizations are Missing When It Comes to Facebook and Social Media Engagement and How to Use Facebook for Social Ministry, Not Just Social Media appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 262: Nona Jones on What Most Organizations are Missing When It Comes to Facebook and Social Media Engagement and How to Use Facebook for Social Ministry, Not Just Social Media

The post CNLP 262: Nona Jones on What Most Organizations are Missing When It Comes to Facebook and Social Media Engagement and How to Use Facebook for Social Ministry, Not Just Social Media appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: There’s no question we’re undergoing one of the biggest transformations in history, but the digital disruption that’s happening around us every day has caught most church and business leaders off guard.

Clay talks about how large and small organizations are missing out on one of the greatest opportunities there is, and some ideas on how to respond.

Welcome to Episode 193 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

Guest Links

Clay on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | ClayScroggins.com

How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge

CNLP 035: Leading Young At North Point – An Interview With Clay Scroggins

CNLP 153: Clay Scroggins On How To Lead When You’re Not In Charge

Free Downloads

Carey Nieuwhof Resource: Connexus Church Online Philosophy Document

Clay Scroggins Resource: 4 Big Moves

Links Mentioned

Join The Art of Better Preaching waitlist today! Don’t miss out on open enrollment coming summer 2018!

BelaySolutions.com/Carey

How to Do Crazy Good Turns – Frank Blake on The Tim Ferriss Show

CNLP 174: Jeff Henderson On The Dos And Don’ts Of Marketing Your Church Or Product And The Backstory To The #FOR Initiative

CNLP 173: Craig Groeschel Deconstructs His Approach To Preaching, Leadership, Success, The Future And More

CNLP 115: Sean Seay On Winning In Leadership While Failing At Home And How He Got Healthy

3 Insights from This Episode

1. Ignoring digital disruption is a bad idea

Many churches and businesses are staring at their declining numbers and scratching their heads; totally dismissing the digital explosion happening around them.

The largest car service in the world owns zero cars.

The largest hotel industry in the world owns zero rooms.

The largest retail store in the world owns zero inventory.

It’s unwise to ignore what’s going on in today’s culture. In order to reach more people, the church has to work through what it looks like to engage a digital world.

2. Live experiences matter, but today’s culture calls for a screen-first mentality

Live experiences are absolutely relevant and matter, but don’t be limited to the boundaries of a building. The needs of people can’t be left to be met only on Sunday mornings or weekdays from 9 to 5.

There are very few places anyone goes in life prior to first visiting them on a screen. A quick search online is the first impression that can lead to continued online and physical engagement. Buildings can host a lot of people, but websites can reach so many more.

3. It’s hard to leverage digital touches with an analog mindset

The digital world and analog world need each other, because they fuel each other’s growth. We Amazon Prime some things and drive to a store to purchase others. Online and in-store go hand-in-hand and the same is proving true in churches who keep track of their online attenders. The more people watch church online, the more people engage in the church community.

The definition of attend is changing. It’s hard to keep track of how many people are engaged in your services online, but digital attendance needs to count in some way. Every church has to figure out a strategy for what to do after someone clicks on your site. What’s the pathway in place for them? Start with what you want to measure and build a strategy around it.

Quotes from This Episode

Leverage the tools of the day to reach people with the message and hope of Jesus.” – @clayscrogginsClick To Tweet

Engagement is the new attendance.” – @cnieuwhofClick To Tweet

There are very few places we go in life that we don’t go to a screen first.” – @clayscrogginsClick To Tweet

The front door of the internet is way bigger than the backdoor.” – @cnieuwhofClick To Tweet

A building can’t create the boundaries of your ministry.” – @clayscrogginsClick To Tweet

The map will appear when the car is in motion.” – @clayscrogginsClick To Tweet

Join The Art of Better Preaching Waitlist Today

Carey teams up with Mark Clark in his next online course The Art of Better Preaching. Join the waitlist now to receive exclusive insider bonuses and secure your spot when enrollment opens summer 2018!

The podcast releases every Tuesday morning

Subscribe for free and never miss out on wisdom from world-class leaders like Brian Houston, Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Ravi Zacharias, Craig Groeschel, Sue Miller, Kara Powell, Chuck Swindoll, Greg McKeown, Jon Acuff and many others.

Subscribe via

iTunes

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Plus, I host a second podcast every month called the Canadian Church Leaders Podcast. If you’re Canadian, or just interested in ministry in a post-Christian culture, you can subscribe for free as well at:

iTunes

Google Play

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Next Episode: Jerry Hurley   

Jerry Hurley joined the staff at Life Church in 1998, when it was a single campus and running about 600 people. He’s been on the senior leadership team as it’s grown to over 80,000 attenders and 29 locations today. Jerry shares his top insights on scale, leaving the corporate world and recruiting staff and volunteers. Plus, he tells the story of how he challenged Craig Groeschel to make a change that Craig calls one of the most important in his early ministry.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 194.

The post CNLP 193: Clay Scroggins on How the Digital Disruption is Changing Everything For Churches and Businesses appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 193: Clay Scroggins on How the Digital Disruption is Changing Everything For Churches and Businesses

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Source: How to Use Social Media in Your Church

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