Bubbles

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Bubbles are a beautiful thing to watch. Their color and graceful elasticity enthralls us. No matter how small our how elongated they become, the visual story they tell captivates us.

A writer’s/speaker’s attempt to copy the bubble by stretching and gingerly moving his story along, without popping the interest of the audience, is a challenge met by those who truly know how to drive home the importance of a subject. And how is that done? Rather than rigidly relaying facts, incorporate illustrations, contrasts, intrigue. Speak to the audience in a friendly, calm, and happy manner.

(Regarding adding "intrigue": Certain reality medical and police programs on TV employ a technique of setting up the situation in the introduction so that the audience is curious. They will typically ask a number of questions that "just make" the audience want to stay tuned and find the answers to. This technique of setting up the audience's curiosity can and should be used to keep the interest of our audience. One small way of doing this is, before reading a scripture you plan on sharing, pose two different answers and ask which the audience thinks the Bible would give. For example: "Some people believe that when a person dies, they actually go off into another life-form, whether that be reincarnation or "going to heaven." But what does the Bible say about this?" Then read the scripture for the answer. Also, you could use a method Satan used by asking your audience, "Is it really so that...." But unlike Satan, our goal is not to mislead but rather direct people to the truth of God's word.)

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Campfire Experiences

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Have you ever been around a campfire with a group of friends? Each takes turns excitedly recounting their activities throughout the day. What happens if someone forgets what they were about to say or makes a mistake about some detail? Usually it is handled in good-natured fun and everyone laughs, even the person relating their experience—it may not even phase them. Even if it does, they quickly gets over it and continue.

In contrast, what happens when you are in front of the congregation giving a speech (talk, discourse)? When you stumble over your words, do you get embarrassed, apologetic, maybe even freeze?

Why should the second scenario be any different than the first? Maybe you are the only one placing such formal importance on the second scenario. The congregation surely is not reacting so critically. You are surrounded by friends that care.

That is the message/lesson I’d like you to take away from this. Dismiss the perceived formality from you mind when you are speaking publically. Instead, view it as friends around a campfire and everyone enjoying the interaction. This is actually one of the secrets of great speakers. Although they may have butterflies the same as the next person, they know that the more at ease they present themselves, the more at ease the audience will be. So yes, view your speeches in the congregation as if you are in a campfire setting, enthusiastically relating the information to friends that love your company. One way to carry this out is to turn your speeches into story-telling sessions by using appropriate illustrations that help your audience to visualize the information.

Longer article here

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