• Tell the audience what you are going to tell them.
• Tell them.
• Then…tell them what you told them.

That’s true for everything from beginning speech class right on through to the ministry leader or the corporate CEO. What is amazing is how many leaders think they are communicating when they are not.

My friend Don McMinn recently wrote about this in a blog, and he pointed to a study that was done a few years ago.
In their book The Leader’s Voice, Clark and Clarkson wrote, “The biggest problem with leadership communication is the illusion that it has occurred. A 2002 survey of 1,104 business professionals showed that while 86% of their leaders feel that they are great communicators, only 17% believe their leaders are, indeed, effective communicators.”

In that study, the authors identified four assumptions that leaders make that hinder good communication:

1. Listeners understand what was communicated.
2. Listeners agree with what was communicated.
3. Listeners care about what was communicated.
4. Listeners will take appropriate action.

If number one doesn’t happen, the other points are…well…pointless. People need to know what you are saying and retain that in a memorable way. Maybe that’s why God told Joshua over and over, “Be strong and of good courage.” (Joshua 1 KJV) Maybe that’s why the Apostle Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4 KJV)

The other points mentioned above are valuable in order to be sure that what you say takes hold with those in your audience. The Bible talks about being doers of the Word, not just hearers. The listener needs to understand why they should care about what you are telling them. In other words, why it should matter to them. And for these points you may need appropriate feedback from the listener.
Many times, you can read your audience, seeing the intensity of their eyes as you speak, the nodding of their head, the note taking, and other body language tips.

To be very sure, it is a good idea to get direct feedback. Asking the listener a question can help you know if you got your point or points across. Asking them their opinion, what they think about what they heard, will tell you if they agree with you. And asking them what steps they think they should take as a result of what they heard will start them on the path to be more than a hearer, to be a doer!

Now that I think about this, I should probably have a form for you to fill out with these kinds of questions that you can send back to me. However, I’ll trust you take this to heart so you might be a better communicator and can lead more effectively to accomplish what the Lord has for you in ministry and life.