Connecting to Your Audience Through Pathos
There’s an old story often told in the United States that goes something like this: Once, a husband saw his wife preparing dinner and asked her: “Why are you cutting off the best part of the roast?!” His wife, a bit taken aback by the question, responded, “That’s how my mother always did it. I’m not sure why.” So they called up her mother and asked. Her response: “My mother always cut off the end of the roast – but I never asked why. Let’s call her.” So they did. When they questioned Grandma about it, she said: “Well, I don’t know why you cut it off, but my pan…
Building Exemplary Character Through Ethos
I sat in the audience, listening to the man share his beliefs. Beliefs that were pretty much in line with my own. And yet, when I walked away, my face felt warm and I averted the gazes of those around me. I thought, I hope no one thinks I’m aligned with him. The well-known American pastor-turned-politician spoke eloquently. He had competent arguments. He had all the logos: the rationale, the reasoning, the logical points. Despite the fact that I agreed with so much of his logos, I did not want anyone to think I was aligned with him. He had the competency, but he had no respect for other…
Finding Confidence to Speak Through Logos
Youth pastor Simeon Bell had spent years working in ministry, but he noticed one particularly great challenge among his students. They were paralyzed when it came to sharing the gospel. As Pastor Bell shares his experience, he underscores that even if they wanted to, and even if they were empowered with the words to say, they didn’t know how to share it. They lacked the competence to speak up. Their faith and motivation were drowned in a fair of failure. I’m the president of an organization that hosts conferences called Ready to Speak. We talk about how in order to be truly ready for our Great Commission, we…
The Shepherds: Ready and Attentive [Advent]
Advent is one of my favorite times of year. As a storyteller who coaches storytellers, I love that there’s a whole month of the year where we spend time reflecting on the greatest story ever told. The story of Christ’s birth is worth telling – and telling again. My organization’s mission is to help others get ready to speak – and THIS is what we’re called to speak about. In chapter 2 of Luke, we read about the angels’ proclamation of the Messiah’s birth to the shepherds in Bethlehem. Their reaction to the news – and that phenomenal experience – is such a wonderful example of why we all need…
[SPEAK] S is for Story
I was serving as a greeter at my church one Sunday. If you’ve ever done this, you know you’re probably going to say, “How are you?” dozens or hundreds of times as you welcome people. And you’ll often hear some version of “Good, how are you?” in response. This week, however, I found myself tuned into a common set of replies. “I’m hanging in there.” “I’m surviving.” A handful of people responded in this way, and I realized they were probably being honest. But was that the whole story? Dr. Leonard Sweet coined the term “narraphor” in his book Tablet to Table. It’s a combination of the words narrative…
[Moses] Before We are Ready to Speak, We Have to be Available
Let’s say you’ve got a GIGANTIC problem. And – lucky you – I happen to be the world’s foremost expert in solving that problem. And you’ve got my personal phone number. As the meltdown begins, you rush to your phone and call me. I’m the only one you know who knows how to fix it, and I am 100% capable of helping you do just that. Except I don’t answer your call. You hear that pleasant little voicemail recording: “The person at the number you dialed is unavailable right now.” I may have all the answers, but that’s absolutely unhelpful to you if I’m not available. That’s…
