Delivery

Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking

/ Peter Mead / 8 Comments

Michelle just submitted this comment to the site, a plea for help!

I just joined a preaching/homelietics course at my church and we are using Robinson’s Biblical Preaching book. On the first day I learned that we will be giving a fifteen minute sermon at the end of the course. The course is seven wks. long. I’m terrified. I had no idea that I’d be speaking in front of our pastor and the other ladies in the class. I’m so tempted to drop out but it was open to a selected few. I joined because I am a leader for bible study fellowship and we use homiletics. I thought this would be a great way to better myself at the skill of homiletics.
I want to be able to prepare and deliver passages just not in a preaching setting, more of a small group. I have made up my mind to finish the course but I was wondering if there were any resources you could recommend that would help me get over my GREAT fear of speaking in front of large groups.

Anything would help!
Thank You,
Michele

So let’s see if we can help.  Feel free to add your comments to the post and supplement my few thoughts.

Fear of Public Speaking is Normal – You’ve probably heard that manipulated statistic that tells us that more people fear speaking in public than death itself.  The fear is normal.  Over time and with practice the fear subsides and you are left with some level of gentle nervousness.  In this case, Michele, you have to get through one event in order to take this class that will benefit your ministry in Bible Study Fellowship (a very strategic ministry from what I’ve heard!)

People Don’t Think What You Think They Will Think – The fear often relates to what others think in some respect.  It helps to realize that in a preaching class, everyone is in the same boat.  Consequently everyone respects everyone else for going through with it.  Even the pastor was once a first-timer, sitting nervously in a seminary classroom trying to remember his opening few lines as he awaited his turn.  A class like this is typically like a New Preacher’s Anonymous group, and once you speak, everyone is really welcoming and appreciative!

Re-Orient the Group to Your Goal – Since you are taking the class to help you improve your skills for the BSF setting, your pastor may allow you to take a few brief moments at the start to set up the context for your “message.”  People with a context in which to apply what they learn are usually better learners anyway, so why not?  Simply describe the setting as it would be at BSF and then present using what you’ve learned in the course, but in a way appropriate to that setting (so if you normally sit, then sit, for example).  I teach essentially the Haddon Robinson approach and have had people turn the end of course preaching into a youth group lesson, a Sunday School lesson, etc.  It can be done, people will “play along” and it puts listeners mentally “on your turf.”  For nerves, this can help a lot.  (Talk to the leader first and follow whatever restrictions to this advice that they suggest.)

Someone will probably quote the standard “tool” for overcoming fear, that of imagining your audience naked.  I won’t mention that though, because I think it doesn’t quite fit with the more serious realities of preaching!  Ultimately fear that pushes you up against God has to be a good thing.  The course should be a real help for the great ministry at BSF.  Furthermore, you’ve probably already done the main thing – committing to going through with it despite the fear.  You won’t regret it!

I’ve gone on way too long, other tips?

The Smaller Hats Worn in the Pulpit

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

This site is dedicated to stimulating biblical preaching.  The main hat the preacher wears is that of the biblical and relevant communicator.  There are lots of angles on that main role, and they are explored post by post on this site and others.  But I would like to mention some smaller hats worn in the pulpit.  These are typically not your main role in preaching (although in a particular sermon they may be), but these are roles to be aware of.  Areas of strategic influence for the preacher:

Materialism Underminer – Throughout the week the people in our congregation are bombarded by messages of materialism.  It’s everywhere they look – billboards, TV, radio commercials, shop windows, magazine racks, etc.  A constant stream of a very powerful big idea.  When we preach, whatever the text and message might be, we break into that stream of information and give a few moments of spiritual reality again.  Perhaps in passing comments or illustrations we even undermine the message of materialism too!  (The same could be said of society and media obsessions with independence, evolution, humanism, etc.)

Family Support Officer – Many people come from, live in or have come out of broken homes.  The enemy is attacking the family unit at every level.  Yet for those minutes on a Sunday morning, people are allowed to look through the windows into your life.  I’m not saying you should air your private laundry, or show-off your family or children (be sensitive to those who don’t have what you have).  However, glimpses into a healthy home can be powerful antidotes to the stream of failure society parades before us.  I still remember the illustrations given from the home life of one of my profs at seminary.  Bruce Fong is now president at Michigan, but in his Multnomah days the Fong family functioned as an inspiration to single me and others.

Missions Mobilizer – We’re living in a world of desperate needs, yet none as desperate as the 9 people dying every 5 seconds, most of whom step into a lost eternity.  The greatest need in world missions today is still people, followed by finance and other resources.  The only source of people who could go and make a difference is the local church.  That puts us as preachers in a key role.  Let’s be aware of the opportunity and inspire our people to be genuine global Christians!

That’s three more hats to ponder.  Any others that come to mind?

Landing the Conclusion

/ Peter Mead / 4 Comments

It has been said that you can recover from a poor introduction, but not from a poor conclusion.  That is true, although we shouldn’t think that introductions aren’t important.  They are.  But conclusions are too.  There have been previous posts touching on conclusions, but I’d like to give this important sermon element some specific focus.  I know this is one of the weaker areas of my own preaching.  So here are some thoughts that may be helpful to you and to me!

Prepare the landing before take-off – Somehow the whole sermon as an aeroplane journey metaphor seems to work particularly well here.  You wouldn’t want a pilot to take off and then try to figure out how to land.  Before preaching the sermon give some dedicated focus to how, when and where you will land the sermon.

Land once – There are few things as uncomfortable as coming in to land and then lurching up again for another try.  Yet preachers so often put people through that experience.  It seems to be close to the end, then suddenly you’re in the air again, making another attempt.  Maybe it is a better attempt, but the discomfort felt while grabbing for the paper bag usually outweighs any special view created by the extra landing attempt.

Land early – Listeners may complain politely if you finish early, typically along the lines of, “You should have gone on longer, I could listen to you all day!”  (Or some other nicety you shouldn’t test or really believe.)  But if you go long, then distractions mount exponentially and complaints will be of a different nature.  Sometimes the accepted time can be ignored, but typically it is better to finish within the time constraints (remember the nursery volunteers with screaming children who are not experiencing the spiritual moment with the congregation!)  Haddon Robinson suggests finishing two sentences before people expect you to.  Leaving people wanting more is not about your own ego, it is about leaving the heart and brain engaged and affected, rather than turned off and inwardly rushing for “normal life.”

Conclusions are important, let’s give them more thought.  Any more plane analogy ideas for landing?  Or just plain old input on conclusions?

Carefully Communicate Compelling Characters

/ Peter Mead / 4 Comments

As preachers we always run the risk of preaching in black and white. We read a biblical text, compile the facts and preach them. Biblical writers wrote in a time where detail concerning characters in the narrative was sparse to say the least. We don’t read physical descriptions very often, other details are usually lacking and a character’s character is often only hinted at. Yet today we preach in a world where character detail and description are much more prominent (in advertising images, commercials, dramas, movies, etc.)

Warning! – The danger here is that we preach from the biblical lack of detail in a manner that resembles an abstract or colorless lecture. We can easily preach messages that people don’t relate to, can’t connect with and probably won’t be touched by.

Possibility! – The text often does give us more than we may at first notice. So with a little extra work and care, perhaps we can preach narrative texts in a more compelling and gripping way.

Definitely! – First we must be sure to make the most of whatever the text does give us. Don’t skim over a physical description, or the meaning of a name, or dialogue from their lips, or any other statement regarding the person.

Carefully! – Typically the text will not give enough information to build a full profile of a character. But carefully proceed to build more of a profile if you can. Consider all pertinent biblical, historical and cultural information. In areas where there is no possible certainty, perhaps suggest possibility without being definite. “Perhaps he felt . . . or was . . . or wanted . . .”

Remember that your goal is to preach the idea of the text with relevance to your listeners. Don’t get sidetracked into endless character profiling like an obsessive detective in a crime drama. Of course, facts are critically important. However, remember that lectures can be boring, but characters in dramas are compelling.

Peter has responded to a comment on this post.

The Full Meal Deal

/ Peter Mead / 9 Comments

I still remember the first pulpit advice I received.  I was a teenager and had been asked to lead a meeting.  I wasn’t preaching, but I was chairing the meeting, introducing songs, speaker, doing the reading, praying, etc.  Afterwards my youth leader came to me and encouraged me that I’d done well.  Then he offered this advice; “Don’t ever apologize for what you’re doing.  It doesn’t matter who asked you, or how incapable you may feel, God has allowed you to be there so don’t apologize.”

The ingredients to a pulpit introductory apology tend to include feelings of inadequacy, any lack of preparation, feelings of humility, a desire to appear humble, a lack of planning for opening comments, nervousness, etc.  The ingredients are understandable, but the result is not helpful.  Don’t apologize.  It grossly undermines credibility and can easily transfer your anxiety to your listeners.

If you are humble, it will show.  But if you are nervous, unprepared, unqualified, incapable, etc., people don’t need that pointed out to them.  They may notice, and they will usually be very gracious.  Or more often than you realize, they will not notice at all.  The first time I taught a lecture at seminary I mentioned that time was running low so I had to skip some material.  My prof followed up on that, “Don’t tell them you are cutting stuff out, let them think they’re getting the full meal deal!”

What was the first helpful pulpit advice you received?

High-Calibre Listener, Beware!

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

True expository preacher is not just about convictions regarding the Bible. It also involves convictions in relation to the congregation, the listeners. As a preacher you are committed to bringing God’s message from God’s Word to the people God has prepared and brought together for a particular service. Giving attention to both sides of the bridge, to use the metaphor Stott popularized, means awareness of the listeners as well as the text.

Typically a good awareness of the listeners will help you to preach relevantly. But beware of one type of listener – those you perceive to be “high-calibre.” I don’t like that term and only use it in the absence of a better alternative. What I mean is anyone whose presence tempts you to either feel intimidated or to show-off. Perhaps a well-known guest, or a seminary professor, or a published theologian. There are others too that could be listed. One of the blessings of studying preaching at Gordon-Conwell is to have to preach with Haddon Robinson in the room . . . and you’d better believe that feels intimidating at first!

In these situations everything in our flesh may cry out to try to impress them. Perhaps more erudite language, or complex thought patterns, or the old favorite – name dropping. Don’t. Intimidation or temptation to show-off is distraction from the purpose of preaching. Attempts to impress will usually fail. These kinds of people actually want real ministry, not posing. More than that, these kinds of people need real ministry. It doesn’t matter whether someone has a PhD in theology or flunked out of school early. What matters is that you are preaching before the God of the universe, and before people who need Him. Be aware of the listeners, but beware of any listeners who might tempt you to lose sight of your Audience of One, and the fact that everyone there needs to hear from Him.

The Path to Preaching With Passion?

/ Peter Mead / 5 Comments

It is easy to fake pulpit passion. All you have to do is raise the voice, pound the fists, point the finger, grimace a little and before you know it, you have fake pulpit passion. But what does it take to have genuine passion? And why would you want it?

Why? Because genuine passion marks deeply. Genuine passion is contagious, people catch it. It is commanding, people aren’t easily distracted from it. It is convicting, people have hearts changed by it. It is challenging, people see their apathy wilt under it. Genuine passion marks people deeply. (Just in case you’re tempted to fake it, remember that fake passion is off-putting, embarrassing, ineffectual and counter-productive.)

How? Genuine passion is a spiritual dynamic. It all seems to come down to, and flow from, the heart. A heart captivated by a passionate God. A heart filled with the Word of God. A heart walking in step with, beating in time with, the Spirit of God. A heart moved with compassion for the people to whom it will preach. Gripped by God, saturated in the Word, filled with the Spirit, and crystal clear on the urgency of the task of preaching that particular text to those particular people at that particular time. A genuinely passionate preacher is truly a potent tool in God’s hands.

All this is not to say that relaxed or carefully casual delivery is wrong. I often use both and see others doing so effectively. But there is also a time for allowing the passion to show. May God give us the wisdom to know when.

Top Trumps: Genuineness

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

My post on the 12th, Do They Know That You Know?, received a helpful comment. I wrote that “The preacher must build confidence in the listeners; confidence that the preacher knows the message, knows how it will progress and knows when it will end.” The comment in response included this statement, “A good balance of the two would be great, but if I had to choose, I would be more receptive to someone who is genuine than confident.”

I heartily agree. Confidence is a matter of presentation and I would encourage a quiet confidence that relaxes the listeners. But genuineness is a matter of integrity. Integrity is not a help for preaching, it is a fundamental for preaching. All the technique and skill and training and gifting and experience in the world is undermined instantly by a loss of integrity, or even the perceived lack of genuineness.

Preaching is not like the game of top trumps. As a child I had a set of fire engine top trumps. More water tank capacity, more speed, more versatility, more crew . . . more likely to trump the card of your opponent. If preaching were top trumps then you would be a fool to sacrifice genuineness for most other “preacher’s features.” Since preaching is not top trumps, we have the privilege of seeking to develop all aspects of personal life, spiritual gifting, ministry skill and so forth.

Genuineness is one of those things that undergirds all we do. And over-confidence is not helpful. So perhaps we should be deliberately under-confident? No. When it comes to genuineness, it would be wrong to try and fake it!

Do They Know That You Know?

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

The preacher must build confidence in the listeners; confidence that the preacher knows the message, knows how it will progress and knows when it will end.

Structure of Message – If the message is deductive, then the main idea is stated early. Confidence can be built by an effective preview of the message. Even something as simple as, “So we will see four things in this text that prove this is true.” If people know there are four “things” to get through, they won’t worry if the first point takes a while and covers only the first verse of a fifteen verse text. The more you preview, the harder you have to work to create tension and desire to listen, but don’t think you’re adding great tension by omitting a preview. You’re only undermining confidence in you. With an inductive message you also need to preview, only you cannot give away as much. But no preview will feel like a wander in the woods blindfolded, and most people don’t prefer that experience. Make sure they know that you know where you are going!

Transitions in the Message – It is hard to put too much work into the transitions. These key moments in the message allow opportunity for reorientation to the main idea or the subject of the message, review of terrain already traveled and a reminder of how far there is left to go. Well worked transitions do wonders for attentiveness, understanding and listener confidence.

Style of Delivery – Confidence is somewhat intangible. I’m not saying you should come across as arrogant or over-confident. However, there is a lot to be said for quiet confidence, for a calm assurance that you know what you are doing. Seek to overcome nervous habits, twitches, mannerisms, and so on. Avoid apologizing, even in jest, during the introduction. Make and maintain meangingful eye contact. If you have to use notes, use them well, but also consider not using them at all.

The preacher must build confidence in the listeners; confidence that the preacher knows the message, knows how it will progress and knows when it will end.

That Time Before You Speak

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Between the start of the service and the sermon, there are lots of dynamics at play in the mind and heart of a speaker. This is especially true, I think, when you are a visiting speaker. In your own church you have less surprises and sometimes more influence over the first part of the service. Here’s the start of a list of pre-sermon dynamics with a few thoughts. Perhaps you can add to the list.

1. The Clock – sometimes the biggest dynamic of all. Announcements take longer, song introductions take longer, sometimes everything takes longer. Which means? You are supposed to preach shorter. So on the one hand, you have to consider where to trim the message (trim support material, not major material or transition material). On the other hand you have to avoid getting stressed or annoyed (it easily shows and does not help!)

2. The Content – a lot is usually said and sung before the sermon. On the one hand you need to listen to it so that you can integrate any elements that really fit with the message. On the other hand you have a message to pray over and think through. And if I can borrow someone’s hand, for me there are often humorous comments that come to mind that should usually be discarded rather than shared!

3. The Speaker Introduction – it is amazing what people say right before the message. Be aware of it, but be careful not to try a quick response without having the time to think it through first, it may not come across as you intend.

4. The Service Mood – your humorous and witty introduction may not fit after the tone set by the music. Adapt. Of course, that could go the other way too.

5. Your Focus – you need to be aware of these things and others that may be added to the list. You also need to be aware of your message. But somehow in the midst of that you have the opportunity to be praying about it all as well.

I preached yesterday evening, and it went okay. But to be honest, I made mistakes in 1 (lost the strength of transitions), 2 (a great song that I didn’t note the lyrics for use in the message), and 3 (quick response that didn’t come off as intended). Make a note and learn for next time. A forever student of preaching.