Media Outreach

7. People need their ears turned into eyes when a presentation is made.

Just like there are unique styles to cover our physical bodies, there are unique styles of communication to clothe our thoughts. You cannot send your ideas out naked—they will refuse to go if they have any shred of modesty about them, and people will refuse to welcome them into good society if they make their approach in such an unseemly way.

Our message is delivered through the means of the “verbal,” “vocal,” and “visual.” Many ministers of the gospel spend most of their time thinking about what they are going to say to the audience, yet studies have concluded that the decision-making process of people is determined first by visual cues (55 percent), second by vocal (sounds and tones account for 38 percent), and third by verbal (actual words of the presentation account for only 7 percent). This data proves the average person is persuaded more by feelings than by facts. The visual cues the speaker gives to the audience are positively or negatively persuasive. These project the overal presence of the presenter:

• mannerisms
• gestures
• head movements
• facial expressions
• platform movement
• eye contact
• clothing

The vocal effectiveness of the presenter is determined by quality, intonation, pauses, and fillers.

• The voice should project the different “landscapes” of the sermon.
• There should be changes in volume, speed, and tone according to the content of the message.
• Pauses help the preacher and the audience to catch up with the message.
• Fillers should be avoided at all cost as they are distracting to the congregation.

The verbal persuasion of the sermonizer will be greatly determined by the choice of words and phrases.

• Emotive words drive the theme of the message home.
• The communicator must be enthusiastic about the message.
• Since only 7 percent of the impact in the decision-making process is made up of actual words, every word and phrase of the itinerant should be chosen carefully for maximum impact.
• We must always remember we are not called merely to impress people but to influence their decision-making for Christ.
• If the preacher is saying one thing but the voice is saying another, confusion will be the result in the minds of the audience.
• The audience rejects what it does not understand or believes.

By: Dr. James O. Davis, Founder of Cutting Edge International and Second Billion Network

This series on the laws of communication will be continued next month. Check out the next issue of the faithHighway Ezine or check back next month for the next seven laws!