The connection between preacher and listener is a multi-faceted and complex thing. We’ve scratched the surface of the preacher’s personal life, their pastoral ministry and their content. Now let’s ponder some suggestions for improving your delivery to increase the preacher-listener connection.

14.    Manuscript in preparation but use less notes when preaching. To put it simply every moment you are looking at your notes you are not connecting with your listeners.  In an ideal world I would like to fully manuscript each message and always preach without notes. The manuscripting allows for careful and prayerful consideration of exact wording. Preaching without notes increases connection exponentially. I do not always follow this ideal, but I know that as much as I move away from that, I move away from connection.

15.    Watch yourself on video to check your visual presentation. Watching yourself on video will help you see what others see. Do you convey warmth? Is your energy contagious? Do you smile? Are your gestures appropriate? That is, are they big enough for the audience and venue? Are references to time or progression moving from left to right from the perspective of the listener? Do the gestures appear natural or forced? Do you seem comfortable?

16.    Listen to yourself on audio to check your voice.  Does your voice convey enthusiasm and warmth, or nervousness and tension? Do you sound natural or, to be blunt, do you sound weird? People are experts in reading both visual and vocal signals, and they do so to determine whether there is a connection or not. They do it all day every day. So they are still doing it when you preach.

17.    Interpersonal connection’s golden ticket? Make eye contact!  Whatever you can do to increase eye contact is worth doing. Less notes, change of position, adjustment of lighting, more run throughs, better sleep . . . pray about what you can do to improve meaningful eye contact with your listeners.

Lots more could be said about delivery, but it does matter. Tomorrow we will finish the series with one more important category.