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.
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Timely Fundamentals, part two

22 February, 2012 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. notes: last week we shared the first of Gayle's great tips for using our time wisely.  Here is the second part of these very practical little nuggets of wisdom on a topic that we can always learn more about and apply better. 

For the first part of this series, CLICK HERE.

Timely Fundamentals, part two

Looking for a novel technique, an insider secret, a magic solution to create more time? Try these basics for personal effectiveness instead. They are not new, but they do work. You may have heard them before, but do you use them?

  • set priorities
  • stick to your priorities
  • delegate when possible
  • vary routines occasionally
  • arrive on time; leave on time
  • respect and appreciate others
  • respect and appreciate yourself
  • ask for help when needed
  • be willing to help
  • create shortcuts
  • eliminate  what you can
  • unclutter your space
  • see all time as God’s gift

for Part One, CLICK HERE

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Filed Under: Church Office Skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss, Contributors Tagged With: church office skills, time management, wise useof time

Timely Fundamentals, part one

8 February, 2012 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. comments: After reading this list of tips, I thought they are like little chocolates. . . . . real treasures to savor bit by bit. Take time and think about each one--I guarantee they'll make a difference and you won't gain an ounce!

Timely Fundamentals, part one

Looking for a novel technique, an insider secret, a magic solution to create more time? Try these basics for personal effectiveness instead. They are not new, but they do work.

You may have heard them before, but do you use them?

  • eat healthy
  • exercise appropriately
  • get sufficient sleep
  • set realistic goals
  • plan before doing
  • organize your space
  • alternate kinds of work
  • avoid distractions
  • take breaks
  • avoid excess chit chat
  • stay out of office politics
  • communicate intelligently
  • use assertive behaviors
  • don’t try to do everything
  • slim down files
  • forget about pleasing everyone

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Filed Under: Church Office Skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss Tagged With: church office management, time management, use time wisely

Q & A: Resources needed for proofing communications in the church office

23 January, 2012 By Yvon Prehn Leave a Comment

QUESTION:

Do you have any recommended resources that you would recommend that I can give to our church's admin assistant to improve her proof reading skills?

question sent by a pastor via email

ANSWER:

Proofing publications is critical and horrible; important and irritating. One of my favorite quotes on this topic is:

"The urge in a human to love or hate, is never as strong as the urge to amend the writings of another" 
quote from a class on editing

To get on with answering the question, I have several resources that you will find useful:

Click on this image to download the PDF Chapter on Proofing.
Click on this image to download the PDF Chapter on Proofing.

A PDF of a chapter on Proofing.

This is from my book on the Back to Basics.

Jesus and Perfection in Publications

This is an important balancing article, CLICK HERE to go to it. It is important, because though proofing and a desire for perfection is important in our church communication work, there are other considerations that are equally, if not more important that must be looked at if we want to conduct our ministries in ways pleasing to the Lord.

If you have a question on church communications that will be considered for an answer in this series, please email it to: yvon@effectivechurchcom.com.

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Filed Under: Church Office Skills, Proofing, Q & A Tagged With: church communications proofing, Proofing, proofing for churches

Being a Better Office Manager, part three

16 January, 2012 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. note: This is the last week of a great series on How to be a Better Office Manager and this week  she concludes with some excellent advice:

As an effective manager, you will:

• Learn all you can about the church, the denomination, office administration, management principles—every subject related to the work of the church office. Use online resources, study written materials, and attend seminars. Study communication and human relations skills.

• Communicate with others. Let your team know your standards for good work and periodically tell them how they are doing. Provide the information people need to do their jobs well. Touch base with them often; be available for questions and suggestions. Include them in decisions concerning issues affecting their work, but realize group decisions are seldom good decisions. Listen; then make the decision alone.

• Involve your team. Delegate. Trust your people with responsibilities. Effective managers do not try to do everything themselves. Turning loose of routine tasks allows you to focus your efforts on the parts of the job only you can do.

• Support your team. Show confidence in them; let them know they can have confidence in you. Pray with and for those you minister with as well as for those you minister to.

Encourage people in their efforts. As a manager you want your team to be willing to try new things. They need to know it is acceptable to make mistakes, or even to fail. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Develop mutual trust and respect. People usually live up to the expectations of others. Expect excellence, not perfection, and show appreciation for your team’s efforts. Go to bat for them for equitable pay and benefits. Be the kind of manager you would like to work with.

____________________________________________________

For the first two parts of this series:

Being a Better Office Manager, part one

Being a Better Office Manager, part two

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Filed Under: Church Office Skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss Tagged With: church manager, church office management, church office skills

Being a Better Office Manager, part two:

11 January, 2012 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. note: Last week  Gayle introduced the topic of How to be a Better Office Manager and this week  she continues with some excellent advice on:

The Five basic functions of management are planning, staffing, organizing, directing, and evaluating.

• planning
Planning is the first step in constructively moving from where you are to where you want to be, from the way things are to the way things ought to be. Base your plans on specific measurable goals. In planning the work of the office you must have a clear view of:

• what needs to be done and when;

• the skills and abilities of each worker.

Once the plans are made, take action. The ultimate goal of your planning is not to do work, but to accomplish results.

• staffing

When hiring new people, search for the best available. Look for those with commitment and a sensitive spirit as well as technical skills. Be secure enough to surround yourself with sharp, talented people.

Be familiar with the position description of each person you supervise. Assign tasks to best make use of your people’s talents. Know who can do what best. Give staff members opportunities to grow in their jobs and to use their initiative. As you do these things, you will be making positive strides toward building a team.

• organizing

The manager has five basics with which to work:

• people—both volunteer and paid;

• resources—equipment, property, funds;

• information—facts about needs, opportunities;

• experience—what you know, your abilities;

• time—your most valuable resource.

The effective manager coordinates these basics in organizing the work of the office.

Teamwork is enhanced when each element works smoothly with the others. For instance: a person receiving an assignment has the information and ability to do the job, enough time is scheduled, necessary equipment is available, sufficient information is at hand and backup help is ready if and when it is needed.

• directing

Your communication skills are basic tools in directing your team members. Most direction is verbal. Give clear, concise instructions. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Identify who is to do the job, what specifically is to be done, where will it be done, when will it be started and finished.

Within those guidelines recognize the method of giving direction that will get the best results from each team member. One person may need written support, or every detail explained; another may need only the briefest instruction.

• evaluating

Because even the best planning, staffing, organizing, and directing can be improved, evaluating is essential. Evaluating allows you to look at the course and make corrections.

Analyze each project as it is completed. How do you rate the results? What action steps would you repeat? What would you definitely not repeat? What was not done that should have been? Put tasks under a microscope; you grow in the art of management as you learn from your experiences.

Set up a filing system up to preserve your resources for use next time. What counts is not how hard the team worked or how many hours were put in, but what results were achieved. Accurate evaluation preserves the lessons learned and gives you a better return on time invested when you do the next project.

As you evaluate workers be generous with expressions of appreciation—both privately and publicly.

_________________________________________

To read part one of  Being a Better Office Manager, CLICK HERE

To read part three of Being a Better Office Manager, CLICK HERE

Next week, we'll have part three and you'll learn the tasks you need to do as an effective manager

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Filed Under: Church Office Skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss Tagged With: church communication, church leandership, church office, church planning, church staffing

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