Leadership is all about communication. Moving a group of people, or an entire church, to a preferred future requires the ability to leverage effective communication to stir people to action. This is why leaders can become easily frustrated when their persuasive words don’t seem to ignite the desired change in behavior. “Surely,” a leader will…
5 Easy Steps to Becoming an Inauthentic Communicator
Authenticity is one of the most important lenses through which your congregation filters what happens when you communicate. But actually being authentic in your communication isn’t always easy. It requires the effort and discipline to be yourself. On the other hand, being inauthentic when you communicate is actually…
What Leaders Can Learn from Quarterback Efficiency
What is your “What do you think?” to “Here’s what I think” ratio? Do you have a sense for how often you ask for input, compared to how often you offer your own? You see, just as effective quarterbacks pay attention to their touchdown to interception ratio, great leaders know the importance of their “What…
How to Speed Up Information Flow
It’s true what they say; “Good news travels fast” and will always reach you quickly, from anywhere in your church, ministry, or organization. But bad news, no matter how important, moves like it’s swimming in peanut butter. And that can cost you precious time. This is exactly what happened in Jesus’ parable of the talents…
Communicating Between the Lines
I’ve recently been reminded of an important principle in communication. I call it Communicating Between the Lines. This refers to the fact that often what we communicate is overshadowed by what people think we have said. I still remember a confusing conversation I had with a good friend of mine more than 30 years ago…