The Myth that all Christian Leaders are great communicators.

I hope this weeks rumination communicates well!

I have written on a number of occasions on this question and it still amazes me how many Christian leaders consider themselves to be great communicators, I count myself among the great.

However in reality, this is not always the case. Just because a Christian Leader may be a fantastic preacher, who can hold congregations hanging on every word, does not mean that in everyday life that Christian leader communicates well.

It is this 'split personality', as it were, that I want to deal with. Preaching is one thing, life in a church organisation is very much another. Communication flows out of who we are, that EQ thing I am always talking about. Very often Preachers are well trained orators but in real life they have difficulty in expressing what they want and how they see their vision being implemented and worked out.

In the 21st century, communication has been limited for the most part by social media and various IT systems. Our predecessors never had this problem, they were never limited to 140 characters. So if we want to control our communication highway, up and down the church organisation, we need to set a premium on choosing our words well and with care. Authority in our post modern society does not hold the same respect that it did in the past. The top down hierarchies of Pastor to elders to staff to volunteers no longer work, our congregations have become more educated and more free thinking than in the past. However the power of persuasion has stayed the same. This power needs to be harnessed by involving everyone in the church in your communications. We need to learn to communicate to understand. In other words if we want to know if our message is getting through we need to listen to understand.

Here are some common things we can do to become better communicators:

Learn to Listen more. By doing this you hear from others how they have heard you. You may not agree with their conclusions, but it will give you a better way of changing your communications strategy.

Say less. The more you speak, the more our words becomes verbal dysentery. The less we speak, the more the words we do speak carry more weight and meaning. Choose your words well.

Communicate through the right medium. Face to face is always best, getting up from your desk and walking to your assistant pastors office is always better than an email. You can summarise it in an email later. Learn to write well.

Present well. Communication via power point is a slow death, rather speak with enthusiasm, speak from experience and expertise. Let people take notes and ask questions.

One more thing, keep it short.