If you are a leader one of the most (if not the most) important part of your job is communication. And while what you communicate is important all of it can be trumped if we do not know how. One of the keys to communication is being BRIEF and CLEAR. If people aren’t engaged or don’t understand what it is you want them to know or do, they won’t follow your lead. So where do we need to be BRIEF and CLEAR?
Ministry Job Description – The two reasons ministers will leave your ministry is because they:
- Have no clue what it is they are supposed to do.
- Do way too much and have no focus.
You should be able to walk up to any minister in your ministry and ask them, “What is it that you do here?” and they should immediately be able to respond in one sentence.
Program Description – Why doesn’t anyone come to your programs? It’s because they have no clue what it is you do and even if they do it doesn’t sound attractive. A description of your program should have:
- Why your ministry exists (Vision)
- And how you hope to get there (Mission)
You wouldn’t want to get on a bus with no destination, it’s a little crazy. Give people a purpose and a path, make it compelling and they’ll join you.
Message Development/Delivery – Why aren’t you seeing fruit from your message? Because you deliver a thousand points and you speak for hours in circles. I don’t think their is a perfect length for a message because it depends on the communicator. But, some people can deliver gold in 5 secs while others will have you hanging on the edge of your seat for 10 hours.
If you want people learning and growing keep each message focused to one point and give them one application. Being focused will help your message be memorable.
When it comes to ministry there is a lot of talking and if it isn’t clear or engaging it’s just confusing. If you want to motivate people, create movements and grow disciples you need to focused, clear and intentional about what you want them to do and what you want them to know.
In what other areas do we need brief and clear in our communicating?