Speak On Purpose
Hello, I'm Bryan Cox, and welcome to the
Speak On Purpose Podcast.
I created the Speak on Purpose Podcast to transform my 27 years of teaching into a learning platform for individuals like you.
I heard this a few years ago and it has always stayed
with me and inspired me.
Speakers should always be clear about what they want their listeners to think, feel, or do after hearing them speak, when a speaker's goal appears unclear, that would quickly become evident to the audience. Your purpose must be as clear to your listeners as it is to you.
Whether leading a meeting at work, teaching a class, or preaching a sermon, how you present is just as important as what you present.
Here at the Speak on Purpose Podcast, we strive to make our words matter. Tune in every month to learn the importance of Speaking on Purpose.
Speak On Purpose
Effective Speaking That Moves Audiences
We'll reveal a powerful framework from Andy Stanley's "Communicating for Change," designed to help you deliver one central idea in a way that's both engaging and easy to understand.
George Bernard Shaw. He says, that the single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it is taking place.
0:00 The Power of Effective Communication
2:45 Communicating for Change
4:48 Determine Your Goal
8:00 Goal Of Every Communicator
9:19 The Story Of My WHY!
12:09 Pick a Point
14:04 A Few More Ideas
16:39 Recap and Upcoming Episode
Links:
Andy Stanley Communicating for A Change:
Simon Sinek: Start With Why
Speak On Purpose Podcast Website
SPEAK LIFE WITH YOUR WORDS!
I heard a quote from George Bernard Shaw. He says this the single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it is taking place. You can say something all day long, it doesn't mean that they heard it. See how you say it matters. So let me ask you this question how did you do on your last presentation when you stood up in front of people and you began to speak? Did they hear you? or did they just hear you.
Bryan :Did it resonate with them in their heart? Did it make them want to change? Okay, we're going to talk about that coming up in a moment.
Bryan :Hello everyone, and welcome to the Speak On Purpose podcast, where we believe that real communication is a conversation that shapes history with words. Thank you so much for being with us today, for joining me for our second episode of the Speak On Purpose podcast, and last week we talked about how, when we communicate, we put thought into what we say, that we can make history with our words. We actually looked at some incredible speeches from FDR, jfk and Martin Luther King and how they inspired people with words and emotions and how those things can drive people to do good things. And we also looked at Hitler and you know as hard as that was. He was a great communicator that led people to do terrible things. So there's magic and power in words. When we get it right and you know we talked about in Proverbs 18, 21, it's the power of words that's in the tongue can bring death or it can bring life, and so we want to learn how to bring life, we want to learn how to encourage. Wherever you teach Maybe you're a teacher at a school and you speak to students every week I can't imagine how hard that could be. I can't imagine how hard that could be. But the opportunity you have when structured right, or that presentation, when structured correctly, can be powerful and move people to action. So I'm going to share with you the simple structure that I learned from Pastor Andy Stanley. He's a pastor of North Point Community Church in Atlanta.
Bryan :The book is called Communicating for Change and I've listened to this book probably 25, 30 times. I've went through it multiple times and it's helped me so much to understand what it means to communicate. What it means to communicate and see people get what you're saying, that that transformation happens. What he's doing here is a five-word outline and I'll give you those five words. It's me, we, god, you and we. It sounds pretty weird, some other language. I usually say it a little fast me, we, god, you, we. It sounds pretty weird, some other language. I usually say it a little fast me, we, god, you, we, and it's funny like that.
Bryan :But this method has two main facets to it. This is what it does for you. The first thing it does is designed to help you to communicate one big idea, not multiple ideas, but one idea that you want to break it down to, that one sentence, that one idea that you're going to teach, and when you do that, it's going to help those who are listening to apply it easier. It's going to be easier to teach once you get there and it's going to be easier for them to apply and allow that to transform their heart and their life. Second thing it does this is what I love about this outline it makes it conversational, meaning that you're connecting with your audience, like engaging with them in a way like one on one, Like you're sitting at coffee with them somewhere, or you're sitting at the dinner table, or you're just sitting outside somewhere on a park bench and you're talking, you're having a conversation and you're telling them what's happening to you and they're listening and they're catching it and it's transforming their thoughts and their hearts right there. That's the beauty of this that you get that one idea, you get that conversation and it begins to transform people.
Bryan :But before we get into the outline, to the information, I believe in my experience you have to do two things, and Andy talks about it in his book. Two things you must do. First thing is this you must determine your goal. What do you want to accomplish? What is it you're trying to achieve by teaching, communicating, preaching, leading a meeting? So what's your goal? I guess I'd ask you this how do you define success? I used to say this as pastors. We'd say what concerns you more, how you did on Sunday, or what your people are doing on Monday, or what your people are doing on Monday? Does your approach to communicating wherever you are support what you're trying to accomplish or does it compete with it? You know we want to see people change. Take a step, learn, become excited about what they're learning, become motivated by what they're learning, become motivated by what they're hearing. So you have to determine your goal. What is it If you were to ask yourself right now, as a teacher, as a preacher, as a leader, every time you get up in front of people, what is my goal?
Bryan :Is it just to get through the information? You know that can be pretty boring and it does no good. Usually I talk to my daughter all the time. She's 15 years old and we talk about school and she's taken some pretty hard classes. This year she's taken government and econ. That's fun. And she said it's just so boring sometimes and I thought about these teachers, how difficult it has to be to teach government or geometry, and I thought is there a way? Is there a better way? I think there can be. And I thought is there a way? Is there a better way? I think there can be.
Bryan :I think if we look at what we're trying to achieve, you know you have a burden for those kids to understand what's happening in our world, To understand why this happened, why it happens this way. How can we be creative? Determine your goal. What is it you want for your congregation, for your teams at work, for your students? Don't you want to see them succeed? Of course you do. You want to see them take the next step in their learning and whatever they're doing, you can't wait to see them succeed. So I would challenge you, ask yourself that question Do you have a burden for it? Determine your goal. Every week when you stand up, what am I trying to say? What am I trying to do? You have to have what Andy calls a burden. You have to care so much. So, first thing, determine your goal. What is your goal as a speaker? And I think in the book, andy writes it this way.
Bryan :So the goal of every communicator, whether teacher or preacher, is to change people's lives. Sadly, our approach for communicating often does not support this goal. Our approach for communicating often does not support this goal. Oftentimes we don't have the passion or the burden with our presentation. If you truly want life change, you have to find the burden. We have to know why we do what we do. Why do you teach? Why? Speaking of why, I love this quote from an incredible communicator. Some of you may know of him, simon Sinek, and he wrote a whole book about why. You need to know your why, and this is a great quote from his book. He said people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it, and what you do simply proves what you believe. You have to believe what you're saying. You have to know your why before you can communicate.
Bryan :I remember a time a few years ago when this why principle became so real to me. I was preaching a sermon. I don't really remember what I was talking about. I felt like I did a good job, I had an outline, I was passionate. It felt like a good Sunday and I remember seeing this couple that I've known for many years. They've been coming for a long time, sweet couple, probably in their 70s, and were always encouraging to me, always smiled at me. It's always good to have those people in the audience that look at you and encourage you and I thought, wow, what a good day. You know, I did good, I really did good, and that's the way I thought. A lot of us think that way. We tend to focus on ourselves sometimes when we forget why. So we left the church that day and I went home and thinking I would see this couple again next week because they're always there, always faithful. And two days later I got a phone call that this incredible man that I'd seen every week for years had just passed away. He was just sitting in his chair watching football and just went to sleep and it really messed with my heart and my mind because I'm like, after I thought about it, I was the last person he heard speak. I was the last person that spoke to him. What did I say? What did I do? What did I say? What did I do? Was I caring enough to make sure he understood what I was saying? Did I have a burden? Did I remember my goal of why I'm doing this? Did I have a burden? And it stuck with me so much that it changed the way I focus. It changed the way I speak.
Bryan :At anything I'm talking, it doesn't matter if it's a sermon or a leadership meeting. It's always something we need to think about, because we may be the last word someone hears. And I'm not trying to be weird, I'm just telling you that when you communicate, you have power with your words, to transform and give life, and that's what I'm trying to tell you today. Pay attention, discover your why and you'll be amazed at what can happen. So determine your goal.
Bryan :Second thing we need to do, so important we have to pick a point. We have to pick a point. We have to identify a point. What is the point of your message or presentation? What is it you're trying to say? Can you get your thought down to one point, one big idea.
Bryan :Now, for me, I find this the hardest process and those I work with it's very difficult to achieve. Many just want to go straight to the outline and when they do that, they're missing out on what could be an incredible presentation. And you can't give up. You got to dig, you got to work. It's what I call a discovery process of what you're trying to say. And I promise you, once you learn how to do this, once you discover the big idea, everything comes together. I'm telling you, once you know your idea, once you understand the burden, once you understand that point, your presentation will be easy, your outline will just flow. So you don't need to pick multiple points. You need to pick one point, one big idea. And I always say it this way, and Andy talks about this If you can get your idea into one statement or one sentence and then build your outline around that idea. In fact, from Andy's book, he says this Every time I stand to communicate I want to take one simple truth and lodge it in the heart of the listener.
Bryan :I want them to know that the one thing and know what to do with it. Let me say it again I want them to know the one thing and to know what to do with it. You want what you're saying to go from information to transformation. I can't say it enough. And once you have that idea, once you have that burden, you know your why and you know your what. You'll be amazed at how things come together. You'll be amazed at what you see happen to those who are listening. And I'm telling you it's so worth the work to discover your goal and discover your point of what you're trying to say.
Bryan :Well, here are a few ways to help you understand this a little better. I'm just going to give you a couple of points from the book, a sermon or presentation. Think of it this way it's a journey. You start somewhere, you go somewhere and ultimately you end up somewhere, unless you know exactly where you're going, where you want to take someone. If you don't know where you want to take them, everybody's going to get lost. You need to know the destination. You need to know where you're going. Okay, and once you discovered your point remember we talked about the one point, the central insight, application idea principle. Everything else in the message or presentation supports that. The illustrations in the message or presentation supports that. The illustrations, everything helps them to remember that point. Everything works together to support that idea.
Bryan :If it doesn't support it, now here's the hard part you got to learn. You got to cut it out. You know sometimes we can go on. You know these little tangents and they get off point and and that can be difficult for people. You want to stay in line with your idea and, again, make it sticky.
Bryan :Craft a statement or a phrase that makes it stick. You need to make it memorable as possible. This will help you and we'll talk about this in a later episode. We'll get deep into that and what it looks to make a statement and how to do that, how to form that, how to make it short, how to blend it in throughout your message. And you know this applies a lot more to, I guess, sermons, but I think you can use it in vision casting when it comes to your business. I think there's many ways you can use this and when your audience knows the point, it'll make it easier for them. Again, it's about them, it's about life change. It's not about us getting to the information. So, again, I'll recap before we go.
Bryan :Determine your goal. Why do you teach? What is your why? What is your goal? How do you define success?
Bryan :Okay, second thing is pick a point, identify a point. What is the point of your presentation? What do you want them to know? I love this. Another way to ask this is what's at stake? Okay, I ask this all the time. It's the best. Is what's at stake? Okay, I ask this all the time, it's the best question. What's at stake if they don't get this? What will happen to them if they don't understand what I'm saying? What will happen? It's a great question what's at stake? So, remember, you got to get it down to that one point. So remember, you got to get it down to that one point. Well, thank you so much for joining me today on our second episode of the Speak On Purpose podcast. Next week, we're going to talk about the five questions that you need to ask before you put your outline together. You're going to love this. It really helps you narrow your points down. Okay, so be sure to subscribe to our channel and again, thanks for being with us.
