Public Speaking Archives - Passion for Planting

The 4 different communication styles and how each can improve

Sean Cronin — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 10:00:49 +0000

This is a post by Jeff Henderson. Jeff is a leading voice on how to create and grow momentum for organizations and leaders and is a member of my Speaking Team. You can book Jeff to consult with your team or speak at your next event here.

By Jeff Henderson

Have you ever heard a boring presentation?

Sometimes when I speak to business groups, I ask them to raise their hand if they’ve ever experienced one. Everyone laughs and raises their hands.

Then I ask how many of us think we might have been the reason someone else raised their hand.

Public speaking certainly can be daunting but it’s inevitable in any organization. This isn’t limited to speaking on a platform, though. I define public speaking as any form of communication where you are sharing an idea or information to another human being.

When people tell me they aren’t a public speaker, I ask if they ever speak in meetings. The answer is, of course, yes. Then I congratulate them. They have spoken in a public setting. They are now officially a public speaker.

This is especially true for leaders. Eventually, leadership comes with a microphone.

Eventually, leadership comes with a microphone.Click To Tweet

Literally or figuratively, when we communicate we are handed a microphone and asked to lead. It could be our family, a friendship, a company, a team, a homeowners association (God be with you), a school, a volunteer group, etc.

This is why as leaders we must be very intentional about becoming better communicators. There are several reasons why but this one might be the most important:

The better we communicate, the better we lead.

Eventually, leadership comes with a microphone.Click To Tweet

This is true whether we are in front of five people or 500. If we aren’t communicating clearly and effectively, we put a lid on the potential of the organization and our leadership.

The problem is that public speaking doesn’t come easily for many of us. In fact, it’s been said there are two great fears in life: death and public speaking.

I understand. And yet, the reality is that most great things in history (and bad) have happened when someone got up to speak and rallied people around their idea.

The 4 different presenter voices

For this to happen in your organization and mine, there are a few techniques we can use to help us improve as communicators and leaders. One of the most effective techniques is to discover what I call is your “dominant presenters voice.”

Over the last 20 years, I have coached business leaders, preachers and teachers on how to make their next presentation their best presentation. During this time, I’ve noticed there are four presenter voices and that we usually have one of these as a primary voice.

When we discover which one of these four voices is our dominant voice, it allows us to leverage the strength of that voice while avoiding the weakness. This helps in a variety of ways but most importantly it helps in our preparation process.

This is why discovering your presenter voice is so important. The better you prepare, the better you present.

The better you prepare, the better you present.Click To Tweet

One of the reasons many leaders struggle with their communication is due to the fact that they aren’t aware of their primary presenter voice. I have seen dozens of leaders improve their presentation skills almost overnight by simply understanding how to leverage their particular voice.

Too often, we spend way too much time on our keynote slides and not enough on how we are going to communicate what’s on those slides. How we communicate is just as important as what we communicate.

Knowing this, I want to briefly describe the voices outlining the strength and weakness of each one. I have listed an example of a great communicator to help with the description of each voice. Additionally, I’ll give you a few questions to ask yourself during the preparation process.

After you’ve read the description, the best next step is to take the Four Presenter Voices Test. It’s free and can be found at this link.

Before you take the test though, let’s describe the Four Presenter Voices of Leadership:

They are voice of the Teacher, the Motivator, the Storyteller and the Visionary.

How we communicate is just as important as what we communicate.Click To Tweet

1. The Teacher

The Voice of the Teacher is instructional with explanation as the goal. If you have the voice of a teacher, you have great content. One of your challenges is trying to fit all of your great content within the allotted time, right?

The Voice of the Teacher is instructional with explanation as the goal.Click To Tweet

The weakness of this voice can potentially be a lack of connection with the crowd. This is a hard truth for teachers to embrace. Teachers can assume that great content automatically makes for a great presentation. This is a dangerous assumption to make.

We all know teachers who knew their content very well but lost their audience in the first five minutes. This is why the first part of a presentation is vitally important for those who have this voice. They must work really hard to connect with their audience by giving them a reason or reasons to keep listening.

When you combine great content with a strong connection with the audience, you have the recipe for a great presentation. Content alone rarely works because it doesn’t necessarily give the audience a reason to listen.

Knowing this, here are a few questions the teacher must answer for their audience in the first five minutes of the presentation: “Why should I listen?” “What’s at stake if I don’t?” “What compelling problem will this solve in my life?”

The great news if you have this voice is that you have strong content. Leverage this strength and avoid the weakness by answering these questions in the preparation process. It’s how you’ll make your next presentation your best one yet.

Example: Coach John Wooden

When you combine great content with a strong connection with the audience, you have the recipe for a great presentation. Click To Tweet

2. The Motivator

The Voice of the Motivator is action-oriented with personal change as the goal. In many ways, the voices of the Teacher and Motivator are the complete opposite. For example, the first 5 – 10 minutes of a presentation for a Motivator is easy. They lean into their natural gifting as a communicator. They quickly engage the crowd and bring energy to the presentation.

However, if they aren’t careful, as the presentation moves along the energy and connection begins to wane. The reason for this is that those with the Motivator voice can lean more on inspiration and less on content and clarity.

When I coach leaders, I can usually tell whether a leader who has this voice has done the hard work of preparation by around the 10 – 15 minute mark. At this point, they are into the content portion and this is where the weakness of this voice begins to grow.

It’s why I ask leaders with the Motivator voice to work twice as hard on the middle section of their presentations. To do this, here are a few questions a motivator must answer in the preparation process: “What do I want the audience to do with this information?” “Are the action steps clear?” “Am I combining motivation with helpful content?”

Example: Oprah Winfrey

The Voice of the Motivator is action-oriented with personal change as the goal.Click To Tweet

3. The Storyteller

The Voice of the Storyteller is engaging, with emotional connection with the crowd as the goal. So many of history’s best communicators had the voice of the storyteller. As you well know, stories are often more memorable than content. In fact, Dan and Chip Heath in their book, Made to Stick, encourage presenters to focus primarily on stories.

The Voice of the Storyteller is engaging, with emotional connection with the crowd as the goal.Click To Tweet

If this voice is your strength, you have a huge advantage on the rest of us because you can easily draw your audience into your presentation.

However, like the other voices this one has a weakness to avoid.

The weakness of the Storyteller can often be a lack of direction and clarity regarding the purpose of the presentation. If you’re not careful, it can seem like you’re just sharing stories with no purpose.

This is why the Storyteller must have a clear destination and purpose for the talk. During the preparation process they must answer questions such as, “How does this story connect to my message?” “Where am I taking the audience?” “What is the message that these stories illuminate and illustrate?”

Example: Abraham Lincoln

The weakness of the Storyteller can often be a lack of direction and clarity regarding the purpose of the presentation.Click To Tweet

4. The Visionary

The Voice of the Visionary is inspiring with organizational/world change as the goal.

Visionary leaders have a way of helping us see something that currently doesn’t exist. They turn good intention into reality. They help change the world and part of the way they do it is through communication and presentations.

The weakness of the Visionary voice is clearly articulating the how behind the why of the change. This is tricky because so often the how is unclear, which is understandable. However, if over time, there is no substantial way to help turn the intention into reality, the talk simply becomes rhetoric.

The question the visionary must ultimately answer is, “How are we going to accomplish this?” “What are we going to do to bring about these results?” “What is our plan of action?”

Example: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Now that you know the strengths and weaknesses of the Four Presenter Voices, the next step is to take the test. Once you have determined your voice, apply that to your next presentation. As you do, you will take a big step toward making that next presentation your best presentation.

The Voice of the Visionary is inspiring with organizational/world change as the goal.Click To Tweet

Want to take your communication to the next level?

If you are someone who communicates from the stage, what are you doing to constantly improve?

If you’re ready to start preaching better sermons and reaching the unchurched without selling out? Then it’s time to start using the right tips, lessons, and strategies for communicating better.

The Art of Better Preaching Course is a 12 session video training with a comprehensive, interactive workbook that will help you create, write, and deliver better sermons. The course contains the lessons Mark Clark (lead pastor of Village Church, a growing mega-church in post-Christian Vancouver) and I have learned, taught, and used over decades of being professional communicators.

This is the complete course you need to start preaching better sermons, including:

7 preaching myths it’s time to bust forever
The 5 keys to preaching sermons to unchurched people (that will keep them coming back)
How to discover the power in the text (and use it to drive your sermon)
The specific characteristics of sermons that reach people in today’s world
Why you need to ditch your sermon notes (and how to do it far more easily than you think.)
How to keep your heart and mind fresh over the long run

And far more! Plus you get an interactive workbook and some bonus resources that will help you write amazing messages week after week.

In the Art of Better Preaching, Mark and I share everything we’ve learned about communicating in a way that will help your church grow without compromising biblical integrity. We cover detailed training on everything from interacting with the biblical text to delivering a talk without using notes, to writing killer bottom lines that people will remember for years.

Don’t miss out! Check it out today and gain instant access.

Which type of communicator are you?

I’d love to hear where this shows up in your leadership.

CNLP 301: Albert Tate on How to Add Humour to Your Talks, Porn, Sex and Handling the Pressures of Leadership

Sean Cronin — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 10:00:11 +0000

by Carey Nieuwhof: Albert Tate is one of the funniest conference speakers and preachers around today. In this episode, Albert breaks down how he finds comedic moments and how to deliver them.

In addition, Albert talks candidly about his struggle with porn, deep accountability, sex and how to handle the pressures of leadership.

Welcome to Episode 301 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

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Albert Tate Ministries | Albert Tate Podcast

Episode Links

Are you interested in growing your church in 2020? Our partners, Pro Media Fire, have a special offer for listeners of The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast. They’re looking for 20 churches that are interested, in receiving a custom plan to help ignite growth with strategies that include Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, new church website, custom graphics, and videos. They’re accepting applications at ProMediaFire.com/2020. Check it out.

Remodel Health recognizes the intrinsic value of keeping healthcare costs sustainable without sacrificing the level of care to your faith-based organization. Learn more about their technology-based, innovative solutions by visiting this special link here, and download their church buyer’s guide today for FREE.

Global Leadership Summit 2019: Slow Jam

Global Leadership Summit 2015: Leading with Leftovers

Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller

Preaching Masterclass

3 Insights from Albert

1. Comedians see the elephant in the room, and they call it out

Want to be more funny when you give a sermon or speech? The first thing he tries to do is find the funny or awkward “elephant in the room” and point it out from the stage. When he conveys comedy through real situations, it builds another level of trust with the audience.

The reason Albert does this is because he knows that he has to win the audience over in the first 60 seconds of his speech, otherwise they won’t listen to him for the rest of his talk. Some people hook the audience with humor, some with storytelling, and some communicators will use other methods, but every great communicator finds a way to connect with their audience early on.

2. We have to bring application to our audience and get specific

Albert has noticed that many pastors do a great job of bringing the information about the text to our congregations in our sermons, but we don’t always bring the best application to our people. In general, he has noticed that many black preachers naturally bring application, and many white preachers don’t.

He traces his heavy emphasis on application back to how Jesus communicated his message to the people of his day. Jesus used a lot of farming illustrations because he was speaking to a lot of farmers, and people could visualize exactly what he was saying and apply it directly to their lives. Albert hopes to do the same with the students, parents, and professionals in his audiences.

3. Sometimes the enemy uses us to bolster an insecurities our spouse carries

When you look at the story of the fall in Genesis, there is a specific way that the snake speaks to the woman to get her to disobey God. Albert has noticed that sometimes we, as spouses, can speak in the same tone of voice as the snake to our significant other. Sometimes the enemy uses our actions and words to reinforce an insecurity he has already placed in us.

One common way that this happens is with pornography. If the enemy/snake has been sowing seeds of insecurity in your wife about her appearance or self-worth, it would make sense for him to use your pornography addiction to confirm what he has speaking to her. We have to learn to fight this as pastors and leaders.

Quotes from Episode 301

God uses the ministry of laughter to deepen the word in our souls. @alberttateClick To Tweet

A lot of communicators know how to read the paper, but they need to be trained on how to read the room. @alberttateClick To Tweet

The word of God is worthy of a great setup. @alberttateClick To Tweet

How can you do something so holy and beautiful and then still be so empty? @alberttateClick To Tweet

God isn’t cheap, he’s not quick, and he’s not a fix. @alberttateClick To Tweet

If you want to have authentic fun, you’ve got to have authentic freedom. @alberttateClick To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 301

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

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

Watch Back Episodes of The Podcast on YouTube

Select episodes of this podcast are now on YouTube. Our new YouTube Channel gives you a chance to watch some episodes, not just listen. We’ll add select episodes to YouTube as time goes on.

Didn’t See It Coming Will Help You Solve the Problems Most Leaders Miss

If you want practical help overcoming some of the biggest challenges leaders face, my new book Didn’t See It Coming: Overcoming the 7 Greatest Challenges That Nobody Expects and Everyone Experiences tackles the seven core issues that take people out: cynicism, compromise, disconnectedness, irrelevance, pride, burnout, and the emptiness of success and provides strategies on how to combat each.

I wrote the book because no 18 year old sets out to be cynical, jaded and disconnected by age 35. Yet it happens all the time.

The good news is, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here’s what top leaders are saying about Didn’t See It Coming:

“Seriously, this may be the most important book you read this year.” Jud Wilhite, Lead Pastor, Central Church

“Powerful, personal, and highly readable.” Brian Houston, Global Senior Pastor, Hillsong

“Whatever challenge you’re facing, whatever obstacle you’re hoping to overcome, whatever future you dream or imagine, there is something powerful for you here.” Andy Stanley, Founder, North Point Ministries

“Uncommonly perceptive and generous…You have to read this book.” Ann Voskamp, NYT bestselling author

“Masterful.” Reggie Joiner, CEO Orange

“Deep biblical insight, straightforward truth, and practical wisdom to help you grow.” Craig Groeschel, Pastor and NYT bestselling author

“This book is sure to help you.” Daniel H. Pink, NYT bestselling author

Over the years, one of the things I’ve enjoyed most about being a public speaker is having opportunities to hang out with Carey…It’s not a matter of if you’ll run into these challenges; it’s a matter of when. Be prepared by spending a little time with a leader who has already been there.” Jon Acuff, NYT bestselling author

“Nieuwhof’s book provides expert guidance…with an accuracy that pierces the heart.” Nancy Duarte, CEO, Duarte Inc.

“A refreshingly transparent guide for all leaders in a wide variety of industries.” Bryan Miles, Co-Founder and CEO, BELAY

You can learn more and get your copy of Didn’t See It Coming here.

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

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: Steve Green

What started in a garage almost 50 years ago has risen into a multi-billion dollar empire. Steve Green is the President of Hobby Lobby, and works along side his father, who founded the company. Steve discusses the reasons behind the remarkable rise of Hobby Lobby, how it almost all fell apart, their biggest challenges, bucking the trend, why his company pays entry level workers double the minimum wage, and why his family agreed to sign Warren Buffet and Bill Gate’s pledge to give at least half of their wealth away. Steve also talks about why he’s so passionate about funding what they’re funding.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 302.

The post CNLP 301: Albert Tate on How to Add Humour to Your Talks, Porn, Sex and Handling the Pressures of Leadership appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 301: Albert Tate on How to Add Humour to Your Talks, Porn, Sex and Handling the Pressures of Leadership

The post CNLP 301: Albert Tate on How to Add Humour to Your Talks, Porn, Sex and Handling the Pressures of Leadership appeared first on Passion for Planting.

5 Things Preachers Should Stop Doing!

Sean Cronin — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 09:00:00 +0000

Today’s post is written by Mark Clark. Mark is Senior Pastor of Village Church in Vancouver, a close friend, and co-creator of our course The Art of Better Preaching.

By Mark Clark

I have the great opportunity to not only communicate as part of my job – as a preacher, writer, conference speaker, etc., – but actually help train up preachers and communicators in different settings (church ministry, marketplace leaders, etc.,)

Here are five things I tell them to stop doing!

1. Stop pretending

Authenticity is the new currency of leadership.

So stop pretending. Stop using THAT voice.

You know the one – the preacher voice. False vulnerability. False concern. False ups and downs. Just be you.

Talk and proclaim to people as a real person. Use biblical language certainly but not heightened Christianese that nobody understands – or trusts – anymore.

Be a real person. A bruised reed. A leader with a limp. Not the hero of the story.

Be a real person. A bruised reed. A leader with a limp. Not the hero of the story. – @markaclark Click To Tweet

2. Stop being content-weak

Be theologically informed. Call people to think and feel on a deeper level.

There is a huge amount of stuff out there that is saying nothing. Don’t copy that if you are an up-and-comer.

It will scare you into thinking you can’t give people heavy ideas without losing them. It’s not true. You can hold people, but you have to work hard at it.

You know what you do now? The hours you put into writing, reading, and forming that message? You likely have to work even harder than that. And you’ll have to illustrate those heavy concepts in real life for them to land and stick.

3. Stop being boring

The scholars on the blog you read daily may care how many footnotes you have in your sermon or what a good ecclesiological hermeneutic is but most people are trying to pay the bills, hold on to their marriage and understand why God allowed fill in the blank.

Don’t bore them. Inspire them.

Ask why five thousand people followed Jesus out to the middle of nowhere and listened to his vision for their life, and ask whether you could get even a dozen to do the same. If not, why not?

Being theological accurate and yet boring is a kind of sin.

It abandons the reality of the gospel and its effect on our real lives.

Being theological accurate and yet boring is a kind of sin. – @markaclark Click To Tweet

4. Stop wasting precious time

How many times are you sitting there waiting for the preacher to SAY SOMETHING?

Greeting. Intro. Announcements. The passage. What I’m going to say. What I said. Get on with it.

You only have a few minutes every week and eternity is in the balance.

Hi, I’m so and so, open your bibles, here’s what that means! Jesus. Repent. See you next week. Repeat.

5. Stop not trusting the Gospel

I know it sounds like something I should be saying but it’s just true.

The message about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, not just a message about God generically, really is “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). The means by which God saves people. More so than your series brand, or marketing ideas.

You want to see people meet Jesus and be saved from sin, death and Hell. How?

He tells us. It isn’t by being forced through some legalistic burden – to read your sermon word for word like you’re giving a paper at a mining conference.

The letter of the law is dead, the spirit of the letter is what brings life.

Nor is it by jumping around, working people’s emotions, trying to control the energy in a room.

Such things create false disciples. Counterfeit conversions.

What’s more tragic than that?

Why bury the gospel under, well, everything else?

The gospel is where the power lies. To change lives. Every week. Without fail. Start doing that. I believe in you!

The gospel is where the power lies. To change lives. Every week. Without fail. – @markaclark Click To Tweet

Looking for Training?

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.

We’re so excited to help you become the best communicator you can be.

Sunday’s coming. Boost your ability to connect!

Get the Art of Better Preaching

What else should preachers stop doing?

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

Sean Cronin — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 09:00:51 +0000

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.

In the course, Mark and I cover:

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?

7 Ways To To Get Past the Funk Of Talking About Money At Church

Sean Cronin — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 09:00:16 +0000

by Carey Nieuwhof: So let me guess, every time you need to talk about money in church, you wince. And so does everybody else.

I know, because I’ve been there.

If you’re going to be effective in ministry, you have to become comfortable talking about money.

Yet few church leaders I know are.

Here’s why.

When you talk about money, it’s like you’re setting yourself up to be shot at. You almost always take bullets when you talk about money, even when you speak about it as earnestly, biblically and honestly as you know how.

As a result, many pastors avoid the subject and only talk about it if there’s a financial crisis looming for the church.

That’s the biggest mistake you can make. Only talking about money when you need money is the best way to set everyone up to lose.

Nobody wins in that scenario: not the church, not your people, and not you as a leader.

But you have to talk about it. Why? Because there’s so much at stake if you don’t.

Pastors who refuse to talk about money can ultimately leave both their churches and their people broke.

The message we continually hear from the culture around us leads people to overextension on things that matter little in the end and can also result in dissolving families (see below).

Only talking about money when you need money is the best way to set everyone up to lose.Click To Tweet

It’s Not Hopeless…Really

I know what it’s like to lead with very meager resources as well as what it’s like to lead with more.

When I began in ministry, three small churches called me to be their pastor.

The annual budget for one of the churches was $4,000. No, I’m not kidding. No, there are no missing zeros. Added together, the budget of all three churches was less than $50,000 for the year. The doors were almost closing.

But seeing resources freed up for ministry has made a big difference. More than 3,500 people now call our church home, and we see over 1,300 of them every weekend. Today our church is vibrant, healthy and alive (and I’m so thankful for that).

What’s even better, though, is how we’ve seen people who attend our church become financially healthy in their personal life. Far too many people were driving car payments, not cars, buying so much house there was no money left for anything else and no one seemed to be interested in casting a different vision. It’s been a joy to cast vision and help people live with margin and live on mission. And they’re so grateful for having margin in their life.

So how do you get over your innate fear of talking about money?

Here are 7 ways to get the funk out of talking about money at church.

1. Realize people talk about money every single day

Think about it. Do you know a person who doesn’t talk about money in some way every day?

There’s not a family in your church or community that doesn’t have some kind of daily dialogue about money.

People talk about it, argue about it, and try to make their plans around it.

Almost everyone in your church and community thinks about money daily and talks about it daily. They may even struggle with it daily. It’s just that few people step up to help them with it.

And because most church leaders are afraid to talk about, or only ever talk about giving, people talk about money in a theological vacuum because few church leaders will talk about it.

So start talking about it. And when it comes to money, don’t just talk about giving, talk about living. Normalize the conversation by talking about normal things.

When it comes to money, don’t just talk about giving, talk about living. Normalize the conversation by talking about normal things.Click To Tweet

2. View talking about money as pastoral care

Could it be that your reluctance to talk about money is costing people their marriages?

Reports continue to show that money issues are a top reason families break up.

In a culture of plenty burdened by massive personal debt and a lack of fulfillment around money, families are looking for hope and help.

If the church won’t help people figure out how to handle their personal finances, who will?

The scripture is packed with practical advice and missional claim on personal finances that can literally change people’s lives.

Why hold out on people? Who will bring them help or hope if you don’t?

If the church won’t help people figure out how to handle their personal finances, who will?Click To Tweet

3. Help people plan their financial future, not just yours

Addressing money in your church shouldn’t just be about your needs in ministry.

Too many leaders only think about their church’s need when it comes to money. Wise leaders think about their congregation’s needs when it comes to money.

If you help people plan their personal financial future, you’ll have a better future as a church.

The tagline we came up with a few years ago is that we want people to live with margin and live on mission.

I started telling people I wanted them to pay cash for their next vacation, to save for their children’s education, to save for retirement, to create an emergency fund and to live generously.

I think people were shocked that a preacher a) wanted them to take a vacation, b) wanted them to pay cash for it, c) offered a program to help them realize their financial goals and d) didn’t expect all their money to go to the church.

One of the best things we’ve done in the last 5 years has been taking hundreds of adults and students through the Financial Learning Experience. It’s a two-hour forum designed to help people master the basics of financial planning and realize their dreams. There are follow-up small groups and individual coaching you can also offer.

My joy as a leader is to see hundreds of people paying cash for their vacations, saving for their kids’ education, saving for retirement AND giving generously to the Kingdom.

But that only happens if you want something FOR people, not just something FROM them. So help people plan their financial future, not just yours or your church’s.

Church leaders, help people plan THEIR financial future, not just yours or your church’s.Click To Tweet

4. Understand you’re slaying a giant idol

If the world (and church) have an idol, money is a prime candidate.

So know up front you’re going to get push back when you address it. But if you help people with their finances as a ministry and steward the money that’s received appropriately, you will help break the power of an idol in our culture and church.

When you attack an idol, prepare for a counter-attack.

It’s easier not to fall victim to the criticism or internal battles that the attack brings when you realize the attack is coming.

But before you go too far down that road, remember the enemy is not just outside you, it’s within you. The idol you’re trying to get your congregation to slay might also be yours. Really question your motives when you talk about money.

Be honest about how you struggle with money and the love of it. If you don’t struggle with money, you’re probably not human.

Preachers, remember that the idol you’re trying to get your congregation to slay might also be yours.Click To Tweet

5. Tap into the desire most people have to be generous

It’s easy to think most people are stingy. I’m not sure that’s true.

Most people want to be generous. They just don’t know how.

When you can’t make your minimum credit card payments, even a $20 donation to the food bank seems out of reach.

When you help people get their finances in order, generosity can be unleashed. And more people want to be generous than you think. They just need help getting there.

Most people want to be generous. They just need help getting there.Click To Tweet

6. Your vision and stewardship must be worth the sacrifice people make

When people give, you receive a measure of trust from both people and from God.

You need to steward and manage the money well. Things like a third party independent annual audit (which is expensive, but worth it) should be the norm.

And your vision and mission should be compelling, up to the challenge and have life-changing results.

People may give once or twice, but over time, most people don’t give generously to uninspiring or poorly stewarded visions.

People don’t give generously to uninspiring or poorly stewarded visions. Click To Tweet

7. Unchurched people are more open to conversations about money than you realize

I saved the best for last. Of all the concerns I’ve heard about talking about money at our church over the years, the #1 objection is that unchurched people don’t like the church to talk about money.

And guess what? Most of our growth comes from unchurched people, so it’s a live tension.

Sure, sometimes, that’s true. But most of it’s not. Surprisingly, unchurched people love to talk about money when they realize you’re ready to help them.

If you doubt that people love to talk about money, just ask Dave Ramsey how, for a quarter-century, he’s helped millions of people (churches and unchurched) win with their money.

Ready for a truth bomb? In my experience, the people who object the most about talking about money are the people who give the least.

I can’t prove that statistically, but it resonates with my experience and intuition.

Don’t let the people who never give ruin your ministry to people who love to give and want to give.

The people who object the most to talking about money are the people who give the least.Click To Tweet

Want More?

WANT MORE?

Money is one thing, but it’s not the only topic when it comes to communication and preaching.

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.

In the course, Mark and I cover:

And much more.

We’re so excited to help you become the best communicator you can be.

Sunday’s coming. Boost your ability to connect!

The post 7 Ways To To Get Past the Funk Of Talking About Money At Church appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 7 Ways To To Get Past the Funk Of Talking About Money At Church

The post 7 Ways To To Get Past the Funk Of Talking About Money At Church appeared first on Passion for Planting.

7 tips to eliminate boring from your sermons (and avoid writer’s block)

Sean Cronin — Sat, 17 Aug 2019 09:00:32 +0000

by Carey Nieuwhof: Ever write a message or talk that even you suspected was boring?

That’s exactly where I found myself a while back.

I’d outlined my message for our current series weeks ago, but when I went back into it 6 days before delivery, I realized I’d written a basically boring sermon on a fundamentally exciting subject.

What’s worse, it moved me into one of the worst cases of writer’s block I’ve had in years.

I worked at the message day after day but I just couldn’t make it interesting, despite having a fascinating subject.

Don’t get me wrong. As a preacher and Christian, I’m the first to tell you God’s Word is never boring. But sometimes we preachers make it boring. That’s exactly where I was heading this Sunday.

I kept tweaking the message for a few days with little success. I still found it…boring. And preachers, if you’re bored by your message, it’s a guarantee your audience will be as well.

How did I get through it? Well, I dug out everything I know about beating writer’s block and solving the problem of boring writing.

It worked…I think. You only ever really find out on Sunday. But I’m no longer bored by my message. In fact, I was excited to preach it.

Almost every communicator I know has been there…so I thought I’d share my 7 best tips on beating writer’s block and eliminating boring sermons.

Preachers, if you’re bored by your message, it’s a virtual guarantee your audience will be as well.Click To Tweet

1. Find the tension

If a sermon or piece of writing comes off as boring, it’s often because it lacks tension.

As much as we all dislike tension personally, without the tension, there is no story.

Think of the universal plot line for every story/book/movie you’ve ever loved.

It’s NOT this:

Good thing happens.

Another good thing happens.

Then lots of good things happen forever.

As much as we wish our lives were tension-free, there’s actually no story in that. You’d never watch a movie without tension.

Instead, the universal plot line people come back to again and again is:

Things are good.

Something bad happens (enter death, illness, a villain, a problem).

There’s a struggle between good and evil.

A hero enters.

Good wins.

Hopefully, people live happily ever after.

If there’s no tension in a story, there’s no story.

So what’s the tension point in your message?

If you can find that, you’ve created a plot line the audience will follow and identify with. Because everyone has tension in their lives.

For my message, the focal point was that heaven is a beautiful place…beautiful beyond words. The tension points in the message became the fact that most of us don’t realize how beautiful it is, and that we experience both beauty and tragedy in this life. Once I pickd up on those points, the message became both more relevant and interesting.

As much as we all dislike tension personally, without tension, there is no story.Click To Tweet

2. Identify, build and solve an actual problem

Most people showing up at your church, at your blog or who open the first pages of your book face problems they don’t know how to solve: marriage problems, money problems, hope problems, forgiveness problems.

When you identify a problem and lead people to a solution (or potential solution), your message immediately becomes relevant.

What I had to do in my message was identify a problem that most people would want to see solved.

In my message, I zone in on why people instinctively hate the idea that there’s a hell or separation in eternity, but I also explain how that resolves some of the tension people find impossible to resolve in their lives right now.

Ironically, your writer’s block problem often gets solved if you can identify and solve someone else’s problem.

Your writer’s block problem often gets solved if you can solve someone else’s problem.Click To Tweet

3. Find the Why

You can find tension and find a problem to solve but still not have a fascinating message.

Why?

Because you haven’t yet identified why any of it matters.

In any kind of communication, the why is the most important question you can answer for someone.

Why establishes relevance. When you establish the why – a money problem suddenly matters to your listener; when you explain why forgiveness is an issue, or why the existence of hell or the beauty of heaven matter, interest in a subject piques.

The problem with far too many sermons and far too much Christian writing is that they focus on the What and the How and they completely miss the Why.

In this post, I outline the 5 questions I use to evaluate every message as I write it (I got them from Andy Stanley). My two most favourite questions are the questions of why the audience needs to know what they need to know and why they need to do what they need to do.

When you’re stuck, keep asking yourself “Why does any of this matter?” When you can answer that, you’ve got an interesting message.

If you can’t answer why your message matters, your message won’t matter.

If you can’t answer why your message matters, your message won’t matter. Click To Tweet

4. Look for surprises

Even in an age of declining biblical literacy, familiarity is a problem with preaching from the Bible.

It’s a problem because people assume they know what a text means. And even people with little Christian background assume they know what Christians would say about an issue.

Even as a preacher, you might read a text and miss the shock and surprise of the original text.

To get over this, I try to pretend I’m reading the text for the first time. My text this week was from Revelation 21-22. Here are some surprise angles that could make a sermon on Revelation 21: 1-3 (and this just scratches the surface on three short verses):

John is in exile on the Island of Patmos and he sees this? Why? What would that have meant to him?

Wait…there’s a new earth, not just a new heaven? What????

And why a new heaven? What’s wrong with the old one?

Wait…heaven’s a city? What about the endless golf game in the sky that people imagine?

What’s this bride and groom language all about and why is it so intimate?

Hey, in Greek, the word for ‘dwell’ is ‘tabernacle’…does this go back to the Old Testament and John 1 and then the Holy Spirit dwelling in us (actually, yes it does) and what on earth does this mean?

See…that’s just three verses.

Approach the Bible as a stranger or a child and it pops to life.

Bored reading the Bible? Approach it like a stranger or a child and it pops to life. Click To Tweet

5. Talk to someone another writer about your problem

Honestly, when you go to a non-preacher or non-communicator for advice, their advice often isn’t that helpful.

Why?

Because writing problems are usually best understood by other writers.

So sure, you can ask questions of your neighbour or someone else who doesn’t write for a living.

But keep in mind that a quick consult with another writer or preacher can zero in on the problem faster than you might think.

6. Imagine you’re being pulled off the stage…

I don’t know how I developed this trick, but it’s tremendously helpful.

Years ago when I felt stuck in the writing process, I started imagining myself being pulled off the stage in the middle of my message (almost by a cane…like in the comics) and getting 30 seconds to shout out my last line before the message was over.

If I didn’t have anything to shout in that last line, I knew I hadn’t found the main point of my message.

If I could say it, I’d found the tension and the main point of my message.

Last week, the single line was “You should have a better plan for eternity than you do for your next vacation.”

Try this exercise… it works.

7. Come back to it another day

If you find that you’re striking out, again and again, pack it in and come back to it fresh in the morning. I find so many breakthroughs happen this way.

Of course, that doesn’t work if you’re starting your message Saturday morning for Sunday delivery.

But if you work ahead like I do, time becomes your friend as much as deadlines do.

So work ahead. And come back to it fresh after a good night’s sleep.

Want More?

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.

In the course, Mark and I cover:

And much more.

We’re so excited to help you become the best communicator you can be.

Sunday’s coming, so be one of the first in!

What About You?

What helps you overcome writer’s block and boring messages?

Scroll down and leave a comment!

The post 7 tips to eliminate boring from your sermons (and avoid writer’s block) appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 7 tips to eliminate boring from your sermons (and avoid writer’s block)

The post 7 tips to eliminate boring from your sermons (and avoid writer’s block) appeared first on Passion for Planting.

CNLP 276: Chris Norton on Beating the Odds in Life and Leadership, Walking Again after Being Completely Paralyzed and the Lessons That Flow From It

Sean Cronin — Mon, 15 Jul 2019 09:00:09 +0000

by Carey Nieuwhof: Little did Chris Norton know that making a routine football play would change his life forever. Paralyzed from the neck down, doctors told him he had a 3 percent chance of ever regaining sensation in his body.

Last year, Chris walked down the aisle with his bride at his wedding. His story has been covered by The Today Show, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, FOX & Friends, and PEOPLE Magazine. Chris talks about the journey, what he’s learned and shares leadership lessons and even public speaking tips on how to motivate unmotivated crowds when you speak.

Welcome to Episode 276 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

Chris Norton | The Seven Longest Yards

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

Text 7yards or sevenyards to 44222 to receive the first two chapters of The Seven Longest Yards for free.

USA Today – Chris Norton Had The Best Memorial Day Weekend

People Magazine –Groom Paralyzed Playing Football Walks Down The Aisle: ‘The Accident Brought Me To Her’

Chris Norton Foundation Wheelchair Camp

Episode Links

Pro Media Fire has the media solution that’s right for your church at promediafire.com/carey. Podcast listeners receive 10% off for life.

Empower and equip your leaders with church management software from Church Community Builder. Podcast listeners receive 20% off now.

Caring Bridge

3 Insights from Chris

1. Sometimes God has a better plan for you than the plan you had for yourself

Chris’s injury was in no way a part of his plan. His plan was to become an all-star athlete, marry the girl of his dreams, and have a lakehouse. Getting paralyzed from the neck down at the age of 18 put a massive roadblock in the way of his dream life. He had to find a way to move forward in spite of that discouragement.

Today, Chris says that God’s plan for his life after his injury is better than any life he could have dreamed of before the injury. He would encourage you that if you are going through tragedy, God can take the mess you are living and make it his message, and he can take your pain and turn it into a bigger purpose.

2. Your future will take care of itself if you take care of today

After his injury, Chris had a lot of reasons to be worried about his future. For weeks after the accident he was hardly able to sleep. He would sit in bed and just continue to think about all of the “what-ifs” of his life. He had many more questions and concerns about his future than he had answers.

When asked how he got through those times, he said that he continued to focus on whatever he could do that day. He has grown up knowing that if he can take care of the problems of today, the future will take care of itself. If you are facing a hard future, start with whatever little things you can do to help yourself today.

3. When public speaking, you have to work to control all the little factors of communication

One minor tweak that makes a world of a difference for Chris while speaking is telling stories in the present tense. When he makes that shift, it makes the story more immediate and real in the moment. Chris also looks at all of the little factors that influence an audience. Before he goes on stage, he looks at the lighting, the audio-video, the previous speakers and how far into the conference he is speaking and he adapts to overcome those obstacles.

Another thing Chris has learned is that your energy as a speaker shouldn’t be dependent on the energy the audience is bringing. Chris wants to still speak with high-energy and passion even when the audience is half asleep. To do this, he records every talk he gives and closely inspects how his energy was throughout it.

Quotes from Episode 276

Your future will take care of itself when you take care of today. @chrisanorton16Click To Tweet

Sometimes God has a better plan for you than the plan you had for yourself. @chrisanorton16Click To Tweet

It took years and years and lots of hard work to be sitting in a wheelchair and feel that my life is better than what it was before I was hurt. @chrisanorton16Click To Tweet

As we were going through these hard times, the very thing that we should have gone towards is the very thing that we pushed to the side. @chrisanorton16Click To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 276

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

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

Watch the Podcast on YouTube

Select episodes of this podcast are now on YouTube. Our new YouTube Channel gives you a chance to watch some episodes, not just listen. We’ll add select episodes to YouTube as time goes on.

Get Your Life Back

Do you want to unlock more of your potential in life and leadership without sacrificing time with your family and your health?

Sounds crazy, but it’s not. I know because I’ve lived it. A few years back, I seriously crashed and burned because the demands on my time and life were bigger than the time I had to accomplish them. I promised myself that wouldn’t happen again.

Today, I still have bigger goals than ever before, but I’ve made fundamental changes that have led to a healthier, happier lifestyle without sacrificing my family and vastly increasing my productivity at work. I’ve taken what I’ve learned during this journey and put it into the High Impact Leader course.

You can complete the three-hour course at your own pace. It’s the most comprehensive content I’ve ever created for leaders to help you reclaim HOURS every day so you can become more effective at work and more present at home. When your time, energy, and priorities are all working together for you, it’ll impact everything you do.

You become a better leader, because you’re doing what you do best when you’re at your best
You become a better spouse, because you’re focused at home
You become a better parent, neighbor, and friend, because you actually have time off to relax and engage

These principles will free you to thrive in every area of your life.

You can learn more and gain instant access today.

Subscribed Yet?

Subscribe using your favorite podcast app via

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: Sam Collier

Five years ago, Sam Collier had almost no platform. Today, he’s a well-known podcaster, speaker, host and influencer who speaks on some of today’s largest stages. Sam talks about how he got started, how as an African-American he processed feedback and coaching from many white and minority leaders to learn to speak to a whole new audience, growing his platform to what it is today.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 277.

The post CNLP 276: Chris Norton on Beating the Odds in Life and Leadership, Walking Again after Being Completely Paralyzed and the Lessons That Flow From It appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 276: Chris Norton on Beating the Odds in Life and Leadership, Walking Again after Being Completely Paralyzed and the Lessons That Flow From It

The post CNLP 276: Chris Norton on Beating the Odds in Life and Leadership, Walking Again after Being Completely Paralyzed and the Lessons That Flow From It appeared first on Passion for Planting.

CNLP 270: Jenni Catron On How to Become a Good Public Speaker When You Never Planned To Become One, Pro Tips for Every Communicator, Why Communication Matters Even If You Never Give a Formal Talk

Sean Cronin — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 09:00:06 +0000

by Carey Nieuwhof: How do you become a sought-after public speaker when you never planned on becoming one? That’s a question Jenni Catron, who’s now a full time consultant and public speaker, had to figure out. She started at age 20 at a record label and soon discovered pitching to people much older than her was part of her job. Promoted quickly, Jenni eventually went on to become the Executive Pastor of two well known mega-churches where, again, she discovered that communicating well was a key to success.

In her latest incarnation, Jenni has become a full time consultant, writer and public speaker. Carey and Jenni share pro tips about what makes for a great talk and introduce something brand new: the Nieuwhof Speaking Team, a curated group of leadership experts and fresh voices that will help you make your next event a success.

Welcome to Episode 270 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

Jenni Catron | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | The 4Sight Group

The Four Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership

Clout: Discover and Unleash Your God-Given Influence

Three Keys for Developing a Thriving Team – Free workbook

CNLP 025: The Changes You Need to Make as Your Church Grows – an Interview with Jenni Catron

CNLP 071: Jenni Catron on Becoming an Extraordinary Leader

Episode Links

Introducing the Nieuwhof Speaking Team comprised of top leaders to bring dynamic insight, clarity and wisdom to your next gathering.

For years, Carey has spoken to leaders around the world about leadership, change and personal growth. Today, we’re introducing a team of communicators who can bring just what you need to help your next event or conference be a complete success.

The Nieuwhof Speaking Team line up is:

Took learn more or book a speaking team member for your event, click here.

And…what are you doing about social media, video and graphics for your online presence?

Pro Media Fire has the media solution that’s right for your church at promediafire.com/carey. Podcast listeners receive 10% off for life.

3 Insights from Jenni

1. Leaders have the opportunity to offer the gift of belief

Leaders notice the talents that are hiding in the people around them and that insight, that belief, offers quite a gift. The gift of belief sees the potential in others and calls them out by finding opportunities for those people to grow (sometimes even before they’ve even been able to prove themselves worthy of the task). And the best part? The gift of belief can light a fire inside someone and completely change the trajectory of a career.

2. People don’t hear your bullet points until they connect with you

Connecting to an audience, large or small, is crucial to getting a message to stick, but often speakers focus more on content over connection when preparing a talk.

Don’t be so concerned about getting all the bullet points checked off your list. Instead, move that energy toward figuring out how you can connect with the people in the room, because that is what opens up the door to sharing your content and being heard.

3. Create a dwelling space in your talks

Great communicators never seem like they’re in a hurry. They posses a sense of pacing that seems to work effortlessly. But for most speakers, even the naturally gifted speakers, that approach is usually intentional, planned and practiced routinely.

As you’re preparing and writing out your talks, leave time for that space. Offering time for listeners to dwell or linger on the story or the concept you have to tell opens up a place for them to make a better connection with what you have to say.

Quotes from Episode 270

Wherever you’re communicating, you’re leading and leadership is influence…You have the power to change or affect the lives of the people sitting in that room. @jennicatronClick To Tweet

One of my mantras is to slow down to see people, because in everything I do I can just move too fast. @jennicatronClick To Tweet

Imitation kills innovation. Be careful, because you’re only able to innovate when you really live within the gifting, the framework, the personality that God has given you. @cnieuwhofClick To Tweet

My greatest fear in speaking is that I’m not going to have enough content to fill the time, but the reality is if you’re done early, there’s not a single person in the world who’s upset that you finished early. @cnieuwhofClick To Tweet

If leaders see somebody’s potential and call that out, that gift of belief will cause them to rise to the occasion. @jennicatronClick To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 270

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

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

Watch the Podcast on YouTube

Select episodes of this podcast are now on YouTube. Our new YouTube Channel gives you a chance to watch some episodes, not just listen. We’ll add select episodes to YouTube as time goes on.

Want to become a better communicator?

Ready to start preaching better sermons and reach the unchurched without selling out? Then it’s time to start using the right tips, lessons, and strategies to communicating better.

This is the complete course you need to start preaching better sermons, including:

And far more! Plus you get an interactive workbook and some bonus resources that will help you write amazing messages week after week.

Check it out today and gain instant access.

Subscribed Yet?

Subscribe using your favorite podcast app via

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: Ken Coleman

Ken Coleman has interviewed world-class leaders in politics, sports, business and leadership for years. He deconstructs his approach and shares how to get the very best out of people, how to get people to share at a deep level and how to network and build your career without becoming a social climber.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 271.

The post CNLP 270: Jenni Catron On How to Become a Good Public Speaker When You Never Planned To Become One, Pro Tips for Every Communicator, Why Communication Matters Even If You Never Give a Formal Talk appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 270: Jenni Catron On How to Become a Good Public Speaker When You Never Planned To Become One, Pro Tips for Every Communicator, Why Communication Matters Even If You Never Give a Formal Talk

CNLP 268: Luis Palau on His Friendship With Billy Graham, How Evangelism Has Changed, And How to Be More Alive at Age 84 than Most 24 year olds

Sean Cronin — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 09:00:33 +0000

by Carey Nieuwhof: Luis Palau has been leading crusades for over 53 years. In this powerful interview, he talks about his friendship with Billy Graham, why crusades were so effective a generation ago, and how he and his team changed the methods to keep the mission alive.

Luis is now 84 and has stage 4 cancer, but you’d never know it. He has more energy and passion than most 24 year olds, and shares how he has kept his vitality so strong over eight decades.

Welcome to Episode 268 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

Luis Palau | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Palau: A Life on Fire

Episode Links

Check out the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on YouTube! Yep. We’ve added a YouTube Channel for our visual listeners. Are all 268 episodes there? Nope. But it’s a start and we’ll continue to make that available to you whenever we can. Enjoy!

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

Did you miss the launch of Church Growth Masterclass? That’s okay because it’s still available for you. Take a look today and move past the barriers that are keeping you from growing.

BillyGraham.org

Revival in Our Time – Billy Graham

CNLP 109: Chuck Swindoll on How He Interprets the Scripture and Stays Fresh in Leadership

CNLP 152: Eugene Peterson on Why He Wrote The Message, the Rhythms of a Reflective Life + Mark Batterson and Adam Weber on Peterson’s Legacy

CNLP 263: Horst Schulze with Lessons from the Ritz-Carlton on Coaching the Best from a Team when You Can’t Pay Top Wages, What Guests Really Want, How to Satisfy a Customer and What to do with Customer Complaints

3 Insights from Luis

1. When preaching the Gospel, stay politically neutral

The Kingdom of God is above the kingdoms of this world. We are not here to promote one party. Luis has learned that if you a take side, you close off the other side. We evangelists and pastors don’t know who we have in our audiences on Sunday morning. There’s bound to be democrats, republicans and all sorts of other descriptions of individuals. We are supposed to be above all that.

When we are speaking for the Lord, we cannot be taking sides. As ambassadors of the Gospel, we want all people, left, right and center, whatever else, to be brought into the Kingdom of God. We need to be very careful, in the days when the political heat is heavy, that we don’t allow ourselves to be buttonholed as this or that side. If we want to change the political landscape, we must start by winning people to Christ.

2. Even though the methods have changed, the message never does

Evangelistic crusades in stadiums and arenas were a huge part of Luis’ ministry in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Now he has shifted to a more festival style approach. When explaining why he does this, Luis stated – We must not confuse methods with message… To get non-believers into a stadium is getting harder and harder. Whereas if you’re on the street, or the beach, or a park, it’s a place everybody shows up.

To continue to preach the message to more and more unbelievers, Luis’ method of delivery had to change. This is why he shifted to the festival approach. As the church, this same insight can be applied to how we are reaching our cities with the Gospel. Our methods should always be changing, but our message never should.

3. Prayer is not a button to be pushed, but a relationship to be pursued

Growing up, Luis’ mother was a critical part of his learning to pray. She lead their family in deep prayer when they had very little and were relying on God for provision daily, In looking back on that time, he sees that he learned how to pray by praying.

Luis has had that insight for many years. Since his cancer diagnosis, he has also learned that you learn to pray with understanding, not only with your spirit as Paul says, but with your understanding. As you pray and delight yourself in the Lord your understanding becomes more like God’s understanding, and then, you are praying in alignment with His will.

Quotes from Episode 268

Billy Graham showed me that you can speak to the world boldly and respectfully, but not be one of them. @LuisPalauLiveClick To Tweet

When you’re speaking for the Lord, you’re not taking sides. @LuisPalauLiveClick To Tweet

We must not confuse methods with message. @LuisPalauLiveClick To Tweet

You learn to pray by praying. @LuisPalauLiveClick To Tweet

Whoever is faithful in little is faithful also in much. Whoever is faithless in very little is faithless in much. @LuisPalauLiveClick To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 268

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

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

Get Your Church Growing (Again…or for the First Time)

Getting a stuck church growing, or helping a church that’s reaching new people grow even further can seem daunting.

It doesn’t have to be.

Whether you’re a church that isn’t growing, has plateaued, or whether you wish your church was growing faster than it is, I’d love to help you break through. That’s why I created the Church Growth Masterclass.

The Church Growth Masterclass is everything I wish I knew about church growth when I got into ministry more than 20 years ago.

Naturally, 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 5 keys to your church better impacting millennials.
What to do when a church wants to grow … but not change
5 essentials for church growth
5 disruptive church trends to watch—and how to respond
How to increase church attendance by increasing engagement.

The Church Growth Masterclass includes a complete set of videos that you can play with your team, board or staff, PDF workbooks that will help you tackle the issues you’re facing, and bonus materials that will help you navigate the most pressing issues facing churches that want to reach their cities today.

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

Subscribed Yet?

Subscribe using your favorite podcast app via

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: Dave & Ann Wilson

Dave and Ann Wilson fell in love and were married young. 9 months later, they were fighting every day. Their struggles continued on and off for years and at one point Dave told Ann he’d rather be dead than married to her. All through this, they were leading in ministry and even planting what would go on to become a large and influential church. 39 years into it, they are very much in love and learned how to get healthy. In this interview, they share the truth about love, sex, conflict and marriage.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 269.

The post CNLP 268: Luis Palau on His Friendship With Billy Graham, How Evangelism Has Changed, And How to Be More Alive at Age 84 than Most 24 year olds appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 268: Luis Palau on His Friendship With Billy Graham, How Evangelism Has Changed, And How to Be More Alive at Age 84 than Most 24 year olds

The post CNLP 268: Luis Palau on His Friendship With Billy Graham, How Evangelism Has Changed, And How to Be More Alive at Age 84 than Most 24 year olds appeared first on Passion for Planting.

CNLP 259: Andrew Stanley on Making the Move from a Career in Finance to Full Time Stand-Up Comedy, Why and How Comedy Works, and on Being Andy Stanley’s Son and Charles Stanley’s Grandson

Sean Cronin — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 09:00:26 +0000

by Carey Nieuwhof: He never even thought about doing comedy until his final year in college. Less than four years later, Andrew Stanley quit his day job and went on the road full time as a comic whose career has really taken off.

Andrew shares how he learned to write jokes, what makes for a good bit and bad one, how to deliver lines to engage an audience, and what it was like growing up as Andy Stanley’s son and Charles Stanley’s grandson.

Welcome to Episode 259 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

Andrew Stanley | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Episode Links

Join me and May 22-23, 2019 in Dallas, TX at the Pushpay Summit. You’ll hear from some incredible leaders as we help you solve your ministry’s hardest problems. Take advantage of early-bird registration now through April 30th and save almost 50% off by using the coupon code: CAREYN.

If you’re struggling with staffing, BELAY can help. Check out belaysolutions.com/Carey to see how hiring a virtual staff can get you where you want to be.

Schooloflaughs.com

Birbigs.com

Garygulman.com

3 Insights from Andrew

1. Order matters when writing comedy

The order of a speech or performance can make or break how well your audience receives your material. Sometimes a show can go really well when you order your points 1-2-3-4-5, but can crash and burn when you order it 5-2-4-1-3. Andrew has learned that the earlier the audience can learn about him and his background, the more they will be able to understand and laugh at his jokes later on in the set.

Another note Andrew makes is that when you write a joke, the punchline has to come at the end. If you mix this up your audience will be left confused about when to laugh. This does not help you or your audience move forward.

2. When communicating, forgetting what to say next is never as tragic as you think it is

It is extremely common for a communicator to lose his place while giving a performance. For preachers, we can often just go off on a tangent or re-route to a different point. But for comedians, the stakes are a bit higher. Comedians can get away with one slip-up where and say, “You know what, I totally just forgot what I was about to say. Let me go back.” Admitting that humanizes the situation and gives credibility with the audience – but you son’t want to make the same mistake twice from stage.

Andrew has learned that when he’s having that panic attack of forgetting where to go next, it’s always much less noticeable to the audience than it feels like in the moment. Surprisingly, it is easy to play off those pauses as a completely normal part of a set. A few ways he does this is by laughing at the previous joke, taking a pause to breathe, or even beginning to engage with the audience.

3. Leverage an online presence to keep your distant audiences engaged

One thing that Andrew has noticed is that successful comedians have found a way to keep their audience engaged even when they haven’t seen them live in a while. Whether it’s a podcast or Insta-stories, giving fans regular chances to see and hear from them online is important.

This has massive implications for the church as people are attending Sunday services less and less often. Using the internet to engage people who rarely come to church can greatly impact and influence those lives. The key is to find whatever platform works best to reach people and own it.

Quotes from Episode 259

People are the funniest when they write most true to themselves. @AndrewWStanleyClick To Tweet

If you want to be an excellent communicator, preparation is not optional. @AndrewWStanleyClick To Tweet

At the end of the day, I think we need to be able to laugh at ourselves. @AndrewWStanleyClick To Tweet

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 259

Looking for a key quote? More of a reader?

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

Help Your Church Grow Without Compromising Biblical Integrity

Ready to start preaching better sermons and reach the unchurched without selling out? Then it’s time to start using the right tips, lessons, and strategies to communicating better.

This is the complete course you need to start preaching better sermons, including:

And far more! Plus you get an interactive workbook and some bonus resources that will help you write amazing messages week after week.

Check it out today and gain instant access.

Subscribed Yet?

Subscribe using your favorite podcast app via

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: Ruth Haley Barton

It’s so easy to run non-stop as a leader in the church and business world, and it’s killing us. Ruth Haley Barton is an incredibly driven leader, but she found herself pushing burnout at 30 as a young mom with a rising platform in ministry. In an effort to recover her soul and her life, she embraced Sabbath, rest and retreat. Ruth talks about how to begin taking a Sabbath (even if you think you don’t have the time) and offers beginner tips and some profound insights on connecting with your soul so you can thrive in the long run.

Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 260.

The post CNLP 259: Andrew Stanley on Making the Move from a Career in Finance to Full Time Stand-Up Comedy, Why and How Comedy Works, and on Being Andy Stanley’s Son and Charles Stanley’s Grandson appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: CNLP 259: Andrew Stanley on Making the Move from a Career in Finance to Full Time Stand-Up Comedy, Why and How Comedy Works, and on Being Andy Stanley’s Son and Charles Stanley’s Grandson