Sorry to be blunt about this, but if you are a presenter of any kind…radio, television, public speaker, pastor…one of the worst things is to bore your audience so that they tune you out. If those listeners tune you out, you have almost no chance of sharing something important with them.

That’s probably why my friend and broadcast consultant Valerie Geller includes that point in her top three things to keep in mind. Her focus is radio, but the application goes beyond that medium. Here are her top rules for presenters:

  1. Tell the truth.
  2. Make it matter.
  3. Never be boring.

Pretty simple. But powerful. Let me explain.

Tell the truth. If listeners think you are not truthful in any area, they can lose confidence in the rest of your presentation. Solomon took telling the truth to an even higher level:

The Lord detests lying lips,
but he delights in those who tell the truth.

Proverbs 12:22 NLT

The Apostle Paul was very direct in his instructions to the Ephesian believers:

So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.

Ephesians 4:25 NLT

Make it matter. If what you are saying doesn’t matter to you, it probably won’t matter to your listener. Why is this “truth” important to the listener? What impact will it have on their life and the lives of their friends and family? The prophet Isaiah knew the value of godly and edifying speech:

The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,
so that I know how to comfort the weary….

Isaiah 50:4 NLT

Finally, Never be boring. As stated earlier, if you bore your audience, you lose your audience. More than that, it shows that you aren’t impacted by the truth you share. Valerie Geller says there are no boring stories, only boring storytellers. Look for what excites you and pass that on to your audience. Being boring usually means a person hasn’t put in the effort to present the truth in an engaging and compelling way. Again, the Apostle Paul urged his friends to use maximum effort in serving the Lord Jesus:

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men…

Colossians 3:23 NASB

Simple reminders. Powerful impact.

  • Tell the truth.
  • Make it matter.
  • Never be boring.

God’s best,