Powerful media!

My role as a part-time professor at Dallas Baptist University allows me to stay fresh with our media tools…radio, television, the internet…as I share with young adults. I get to draw on my 50 plus years of broadcasting experience, and on the good insight of some of today’s best communicators.

Valerie Geller is one of the foremost coaches for those in talk radio and news. She travels all over the world teaching how to use these tools in a way that makes a difference in the lives of the audience. And the principles go beyond radio to many of our other types of communication. Some of her ideas are quite simple, yet profound. From her list…

• Tell the truth.
• Make it matter.
• Never be boring.
• Start with your best material.
• Address the individual, use “You.” Talk to ONE person at a time.
• Execute engaging transitions.
• Be who you are.
• Take risks.
• Dare to be great.

In fact, the first three items above can make a radical difference in your presentation day after day. It may take extra effort, but it will be worth it. Tell the truth. Make it matter. Never be boring.

When it comes to talk formats, Valerie has some points that can take your discussion from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Always ask:

• What’s in it for me…your listener (or viewer)?
• Is it relevant?
• Does it matter?
• Do you care?
• Can you make the audience care?

Those last two points are critical. If you don’t care about what you are discussing, the audience won’t care. If you are passionate, they will pick up on that and listen more intently.

Although Valerie Geller doesn’t approach her ideas from a spiritual standpoint, she still sees the power of the media to make a difference in people’s lives. That sounds a lot like our goal in Christian media. We desire to see the Word of God impact the lives of those in our audience in a way that brings change. We hope to see the Christ-follower go deeper in their understanding of the Truth. And we definitely want non-believers to be impacted by the hope that only Jesus can bring in our increasingly troubled world.