Effective Church Communications

Effective Church Communications provides Timeless Strategy and Biblical Inspiration to help churches create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission

Effective Church Communications provides Timeless Strategy and a Biblical Perspective to help churches create communications that fully fulfill the Great Commission. Our tools constantly change; our task doesn’t; we can help.

A Salute to Administrative Assistants to celebrate their special week

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Administrative Assistants WeekCommemorated annually since 1952, when originated in the United States as National Secretaries Week, Administrative Professionals Week is now observed in several countries throughout the world. This is only one of the important changes in the profession the week reflects.

Typewriters have given way to computers; formal correspondence has been largely replaced by email; mimeographs are long forgotten. Technological progress continues to advance at warp speed. Even as you read, your office machines and software are becoming obsolete.

More than technology has changed. While the profession remains overwhelmingly a female one, secretaries have changed. So have pastors. More than ever, today’s ministers recognize assistants’ potential and provide opportunities for them to use current skills and develop new ones.

Consequently, while the work of the church office has always been important, today’s office professionals are reaching new levels of accomplishment. You are more involved than your colleagues of fifty years ago in the administrative process, in decision making, and in planning and implementing long-term goals. This change is not just a shift in terminology. Regardless of title, the ministry assistant of 2013 is, in fact, an administrative professional.

Reflecting on the profession today, it is appropriate to acknowledge that church secretaries have traditionally brought to the job something extra, an intangible element hard to define—something beyond technical competence, positive attitude, or even commitment. This attribute shows itself in meticulous attention to details, in thoughtful actions, in a Christ-centered spirit.

Simply, ministry assistants serve. And you do it well.

Now, with more churches eager to use all the skills of all their staff and with technology providing the means to explore innovative techniques, you have unprecedented opportunity to be involved in ministry in new and exciting ways from professional looking printed materials to interactive websites. As always, you add to your work that something extra which has long been the hallmark of Christian professionals. Good for you!

Administrative Professionals Week 2013 is April 21-27 in the United States with Wednesday, April 24 designated as Administrative Professionals Day. The purpose is to recognize the significant contributions of your profession.

Effective Church Communications wishes you a great week.

How to deal with rush and hurry

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What to do when you have too much to do....hurry more...or take this wise advice?
What to do when you have too much to do....hurry more...or take this wise advice?

 ed. note: as we approach this holiday season with more tasks than we can possibly, Gayle's wise words will not only encourage you, but provide practical advice.

The hurrier I go, the behinder I get .. . . .

We have laughed at this old Deutsch saying. We know the feeling! But have you ever taken a hard look at the truth expressed here? It is absolutely on target. Hurrying usually does only get us further behind.

Still, the first thing we often do when faced with a packed schedule is to go to afterburners. To speed up. To rush. The result of this hurry? More times than not: miscalculations, misunderstandings, mistakes—putting us even more behind schedule. It has probably happened to you. Maybe this week. Maybe today.

Ready to try something better? [Read more...]

What to do when you’ve been asked to lead a conference or training session, part four

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Some final tips to help your presentation be all it can be.
Some final tips to help your presentation be all it can be.

Ed. note: In Part One and Part Two Gayle covered the important foundational challenges in putting together your material for leading a conference or training session. Part Three covered putting the presentation together--and step-by-step Gayle will help you do that successfully. This final part ends with some invaluable personal advice.

What to wear?
Appearance plays an important part in how the audience perceives you. Assessments may be accurate or completely off base, but they will be made. To think otherwise is to be into major denial.

Clothes provide a strong non-verbal message. Two good guidelines for presenters:

• Dress up a notch. A jacket always gives a skirt or pants and blouse a touch of authority.

• “Wear” your profession. Dress for the role you are filling. You are a Christian professional in a role of leadership to other Christian professionals.

Clothes can make statements. A woman presenter expresses thoughtful listening as she gracefully puts her hands in her skirt pockets. She shows a move to informality by removing her jacket during a small group discussion time. A wise presenter chooses footwear allowing her to keep her mind on her work not on her tootsies.

Now is also a good time to review your hair style and makeup. Usually it is not a good idea to make drastic changes to your appearance just before your  presentation; to do so may only serve to make you self-conscious. Subtle changes are often confidence builders though, so have a good haircut and spruce up your makeup. [Read more...]

What to do when you’ve been asked to lead a conference or training session, part three

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With all the preparation done, here's how to put it all together.
With the preparation done, here's how to put it all together.

Ed. note: In Part One and Part Two Gayle covered all the important foundational challenges in putting together your material for leading a conference or training session. Now for the real work of putting the presentation together--and step-by-step Gayle will help you do that successfully.

Composing your presentation

Putting material together effectively is by far the most challenging part of any presentation. Therefore, never commit to leading a conference about something you don’t really know or care about. You will likely not pay the price in preparation on such a topic. As a result, both you and your audience will get short-changed.

The skill of presentation allows a great deal of freedom for the creative process. You will eventually develop your own particular blueprint for putting together your conferences. Include at least these basic steps.

• Identify your specific goal. What exactly do you want those attending your conference to gain from the experience? To be most effective, make sure that everything involved in your presentation is compatible with your goal.

• Gather facts. Start with what you know firsthand. Add information from current media. Get input from as many reliable references as possible; keep detailed notes regarding your sources. Never overlook the obvious. The information you think everyone already knows may be precisely what many need to hear for the first time or as a reminder.

• Develop ideas on how to present your facts. Anecdotes, illustrations, or even appropriate jokes will give impact to a point you want to make. Whenever possible, demonstrate. Showing how is always better than just telling how. [Read more...]

What to do when you’ve been asked to lead a conference or training session, part two

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With the tips here you'll project a professional image with your presentation.
With the tips here you'll project a professional image with your presentation.

Ed. note: this is Part Two of invaluable advice if you've been asked to lead a training session or conference for church office professionals. For Part One, CLICK HERE. There is one more part coming.

Those important first words

If you are leading a small group, your first responsibility may be to introduce yourself. Have your first few minutes down pat. Tell your name and a few of the relevant facts of your background in order to establish your credentials.

Sally is into her two minutes of decision making here. Your introductory remarks need to be interesting and to the point. A personal tie in with the conference itself, perhaps your experience when you first attended, is a good opener.

If you do have someone to introduce you, he or she will give your name and something of your background. Be gracious in acknowledging your introduction. Thank the person by name when you come to the platform. Then move directly to that relevant anecdote that leads into your presentation.

Novice speakers are generally advised not to use humor in their introductions, but if that’s you and you are comfortable with it, by all means feel free to give it a try. I find humor a marvelous teacher and use it often in seminars and presentations. But don’t wing it. Prepare. Be sure the humor is relevant to your topic. Your primary purpose is to train, not to entertain.

What not to say

Your introductory remarks should get you off to a positive start. Toward that end, here are some things to avoid.

• Excuses. For anything. Especially for your nervousness or for your inexperience. You may want to offer an apology if your voice is bad that day or the printed materials ran short or whatever. But if an apology—not an excuse—is necessary, offer it once and move on. [Read more...]