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.

Church Office Advice: First Aid for Anger

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How to deal with anger in the church office
Anger may be a common human emotion, but how we dealing with it in a constructive way shows our obedience to Christ.

Ed. note: Christian communicators not only communicate the gospel in the materials they produce, but by their lives. As this extremely helpful article by Gayle Hilligoss shows, responding positively and constructively to anger in others and in yourself is an important communication skill to learn.

An assistant new to the church office was pondering if this was a job for her. “I’d rather face major surgery than deal with another angry member,” she wrote. “As a former school secretary I never thought I would feel so inadequate, nor did I anticipate the frustration I’d feel concerning how some people view who the ministry assistant is, what she should do, and how she should do it.”

Maybe you can relate. Perhaps you thought that, working in a church office, anger would never be part of the equation. But, then, there it was. Maybe a member’s, a staff person’s, or your own.

Even though the occasions when anger issues may be rare, every church office professional can benefit by knowing how to acknowledge anger and work through it.

Responding to ANOTHER’S anger—

Say someone comes into the office or calls. She is irate over some circumstance—something that was said or done or something that was not said or done. Now she’s unloading her anger on you.

  • Identify the problem.Listen without judging; focus on the main issue. Try to understand exactly the point of what is being said. Don’t interrupt. Allow the person to be totally heard. Stay objective; don’t allow yourself to get emotionally involved.
  • Evaluate. While you are listening is the time to decide if you are the one to hear this problem. If this is something that should properly be told to the pastor or to someone else, do interrupt and let the person know you are not the one who can best help. It is important for you not to become just a convenient person to whom disgruntled people can vent. You are not responsible for every irritant; you are responsible for yourself and your work.
  • Be responsive.Whether you can follow through or not, express empathy with an appropriate comment: “I can understand your concern.”
  • Restate.If you are continuing, briefly sum up the issue at hand, eliminating any extraneous details. Ask if you have understood correctly and hear any clarification necessary. Don’t allow this to become a rehashing of feelings. Stick to the issue.
  • Ask what you can do. The reason behind investing time and effort in listening is to try to set wrong things right. Often all people want is a show of concern, an apology, or simple assurance that they have been heard.
  • Follow through. Agree on what, if anything, will be done. Then show your professionalism by doing even more. A friendly phone call (probably not an email) a day after the discussion can ensure all parties the matter is truly resolved.

Handling YOUR OWN anger, hurt, frustration—

Perhaps the anger is not that of someone else, but yours. It can happen.

  • Toughen up your skin a little.There can be thoughtless, insensitive, immature people anywhere—even in church. Sometimes the ministry assistant becomes a target. Just remember, not every unfortunate incident deserves attention. In these situations somebody needs to be the adult. Take that role and don’t bother with the baby stuff. By the same token, be mature enough to confront when it is needful.
  • Calm down before you speak up. Confrontation cannot always be avoided, nor is it always bad. But, speaking in anger undermines credibility and diminishes your authority. Be in control of your thoughts and emotions. Prepare before airing a grievance. Know the right person to talk to and what point you want to make. Pray the matter through before involving others.
  • Stay on point.Once you meet, don’t let yourself get sidetracked by petty issues. Be clear and concise. Have a higher purpose than just to criticize, get an apology, or feel validated. State exactly what upset you and what you want to make the situation better. Conclude by asking, “How can we make this happen?” In many instances, praying together will heal whatever hurts.
  • Exhibit professionalism. Respectfully listen to the other person’s viewpoints, ideas, explanations. Be courteous, even if the courtesy is not returned. If for any reason the conversation turns disrespectful, ask if you can talk again at a later time and excuse yourself.
  • Conclude on a positive note.In the best case scenario whatever has brought about your angst will be understood and the situation resolved. At the very least you have made your views known and maintained your integrity. Say a sincere thank you. Feel good about the experience. Learn from it and move on.

“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty...”   —Psalms 16:32

Making Your Workspace Work

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Organize your office
Organize your office for church communication productivity.

You may spend more hours in your office than in any other room in your environment. How is this important space working for you?

You may not—or you may!—be able to swing a major re-do, but it is quite possible even a few little changes could make a big difference in your comfort, disposition, and productivity. Having a pleasant workspace contributes to one’s sense of being competent. An orderly office indicates to others that you are in control of the tasks and materials at hand. Workspace organization strengthens your professional image and gives members faith in your ability to handle the administrative tasks of the church.

• Give your desk the top spot.
You know your day better than anyone, but even if you divide your workday into time at a desk and a computer station, give attention to the placement of your desk. Generally it is advantageous for your desk to be facing the room’s main entrance. Having the desk at a diagonal makes for an interesting look and still gives a good vantage point. Try out possible furniture arrangements on paper; then make your move.

• Watch your back.
No piece of furniture is more important to your well-being than your desk chair. If yours is not ergonomically correct and comfortable, you owe it to yourself to do what it takes to present your case for a proper chair. If you do have a good chair, be sure you have it adjusted for the perfect fit.

• Get in the flow.
Working outward from your desk, does the physical arrangement of your computer, copier, file cabinets, and other equipment fit the flow of your daily work? Are the things you use frequently conveniently placed? Rearranging can eliminate extra steps that waste time and energy. L- and U-shaped arrangements often work well, putting things within easy reach.

• Unclutter your desktop.
The top of your desk is prime workspace and needs to be geared toward getting things done—toward action. Not storage, not filing, not decoration. Action.

Some think a cluttered desks shows others they are busy with many important projects and therefore indispensable to the work of the office. But the message others are more likely to receive is that the desk owner is in over her head. Every paper on a cluttered desktop can be seen as a decision unmade.

• Prioritize your stuff.
Uncluttered doesn’t mean empty.

Make your workspace work for you by using the accessibility principle: Keep what you use regularly within easy reach. The less an item is used, the farther from your desktop it can be. A workable rule of thumb is:
If used daily, it can live on top of the desk.
If used weekly, it can live inside the desk.
If used monthly, it can live in your office.
If used less, it can be moved to a storage closet or off-site.

• Simplify.
Applying the guidelines above involves moving things around, maybe lots of things. Do more than rearrange. Eliminate everything superfluous or nonfunctional. Be ruthless. Give yourself room to function without distraction. With the unnecessary removed, organize the essentials.

Start with a vertical file holder. Even in this digital age, dealing with paper is a fact of life. Create a set of colored folders labeled to manage the papers you routinely handle. You need never pile papers again.

Next, utilize labels. Apply a set to the dividers in your desk drawers. Label each square as to what goes there: pens, scissors, keys, rubber bands, whatever. Put things only in their appropriate squares. Moving to the workroom, label shelves to show where supplies will be stored: paper, tape, inks, and so on. When a supply in its spot gets low, it’s time to restock.

Finally, add a few carefully chosen personal touches—a plant, a photo, a painting.

• Maintain.
Once you have established a place for everything, the trick is to keep everything in its place. Schedule regular weekly times to refresh your workplace. Enjoy!

What I Learned in the Church Office

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What I learned in the church office
So many pieces of advice here are helpful not only for the church office, but for organizing your life.

Gaining knowledge from the experiences of others is far more time effective, and much less painful, than making every mistake yourself and learning every lesson firsthand.

Likewise, we cannot argue with what others have found to be true. Agree or disagree, here are some things church office professionals say are worth knowing, some things that work for them. And maybe for you too.

• Create a pleasant environment.
“Our offices are where we spend a good part of our lives. Do all you can to make that time as pleasant and productive as possible. Take an objective look at your work space. How could it be better?”

Can you easily locate paper and computer records you need? Is equipment placed conveniently? Are supplies handy? What small irritations slow down your efficiency?

Make a list of these negatives and jot down how they can be corrected. Appropriate background music, a lovely plant, framed art, rearranged furniture, whatever it takes—every day do something to brighten the place where you live so many hours each day.

• Invest in training.
Knowing how is a great time saver. “One of the biggest challenges I face, over and again, is learning how to use the features of our software. Until I found an affordable source of help, I spent hours of trial and error.”

Depending on your software, you may have the option of free or low-cost support. More complex software may require paid support or printed resource manuals. Ministry assistants overwhelmingly say the training is well worth the investment.

“Nothing helps me to do a good job more than regular participation in our church secretaries association. Our meetings keep me updated, aware, and inspired.”

If your denomination has an organization for ministry assistants, find out how you can connect with a local group. If none is available, investigate starting one. One of the absolute best things you can do for yourself professionally is to participate in training events. Then, augment your in-person training with online sessions. A wealth of information is available 24/7 at effectivechurchcommunications.com.

• Never underestimate attitude.
“When I came to the church office I never imagined that keeping a positive attitude would be a challenge. I was totally unprepared for criticism and negativity; I began to doubt I was doing anything right.”

Allowing self-doubt to get the upper hand wastes time, hinders effectiveness, and robs you of the satisfaction of your efforts. What can be done?

•Focus on doing your job well

•Treat others with respect

•Expect to be treated with respect

•Never take criticisms personally; learn from them, then put them behind you

•Commit only to things you can deliver

•Be absolutely honest

•Own up to your mistakes and not to those that are not•Have something good to say

•Be aware that you are a person of worth; you are more than your job

•Know who your “boss” is and don’t even try to please everyone; it cannot be done

•Strive to be assertive, not aggressive•While serving others, be good to you.

• The church is not Big Business, Inc.
And assistants are fine with that. We are more interested in ministry than in upward mobility. We can do tough administrative tasks, but are secure enough not to mind the mundane; making coffee is not an issue. This profession is one that offers each person a place of service perfectly suited to his or her career goals.

• Everything is not digital.
“I still get many good ideas from magazines and newsletters. The trick is keeping them organized and accessible. Old-fashioned file folders are my answer.”

As you browse publications crossing your desk, slice out pages that have information you can use and slip them into labeled folders. Ideas:

• Type—ideas on how type is used; typefaces you like
• Layout—page arrangements; use of color
• Office equipment—consumer reports; price lists
• Storage ideas; furniture arrangements
• Timesavers—tips for working smarter

You can, of course, scan this material but there can be obvious advantages in just using paper. First, it’s faster. And, I like taking a file or two with me to browse at lunch. When I’m done with the paper it is easily pitched.

• For every 100 files, pitch 90.
Researchers say that only 10 percent of files, paper and digital, are ever referred to after six months.

Trim files are a major aid to organization. Make a plan, check with any powers that be, and proceed with care. First, identify and move to appropriate storage any documents or digital files to be preserved for legal or historical purposes.

For paper: assemble storage boxes, trash bags, file folders, and markers. Completely empty and sort one file drawer or box at a time. Start with your oldest files, usually not the ones in your immediate work area. Clear out first the files with the most things to pitch; this frees space for transferring items later. Some paper can be recycled; financial and other confidential files must be shredded.

As you go through retained papers, note a purge date on the top right hand corner of each. Once this big job is done, keep files trim by regularly discarding documents as those dates come around.

Revise this system to attack your digital files. Computers can get just as cluttered as file cabinets. Some would say more so.

• Look, act, and speak like a professional.
“Though there are no guarantees, my experience was that when I got serious about my work and my approach to it, others gave me the respect I felt lacking before.”

These are some lessons learned by ministry assistants. The hope is we can learn from their experiences and then pass our knowledge along to others. Together we grow!

 

Every team has a goal–encouragement in a special way

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Gayle Hilligoss did up this article for you in a different format−a PDF for you to download. There is a great message here and I know you'll be encouraged and inspired by it−I was! Below is a picture of the PDF, just click on it to download the PDF itself. Every team has a goal

5 Simple Ways to Work Smarter in the church office and at home

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5 ways to work smarker
Working smarter, not just harder is the best way to get church communications work done.

Working smarter is a much better option than working harder. What works for other ministry assistants can work for you.

• Know your pastor’s preferences
Every supervisor has his or her own way of doing things, preferred ways of having jobs done. To work most effectively, discover your boss’ preferences and make them yours. Observe and ask. Find out the best times and best ways to present information. Some like written memos; others prefer verbal reminders. Some are morning people; others function better later in the day. Rather than trying to change the pastor’s work style, tailor your own style to complement it.

• Organize steps in assignments
Make an action list and/or routing slip for every project. Attach it to the folder—paper or digital—containing your working documents. As you work, note any course corrections: this works, this doesn’t work, this is a better way, whatever. For recurring projects, copy the list. It becomes a blueprint for how you, or someone else, can best handle the project next time.

• Go after elephants
When it comes to time management, observed writer Peter Turla, we go hunting for elephants and end up stomping ants. In other words, we establish priorities and then ignore them to chase after the easier prey, the little stuff that diverts our attention from the primary target.

Elephants are the few tasks among many—those that give the best return for time invested, that the pastor notices as work well done, that move you toward your goals.

Ants, the busy work tasks, are always more plentiful on any to-do list. The problem with wiping them out is that while the list is shortened, we achieve little of significance. The elephants remain to grow stronger and more difficult to ignore or to bring down.

Become a better big game hunter by asking yourself the classic question, “Is this the best use of my time now?” If the answer is no, hunt an elephant.

• Take your organizational skills home
Working smart isn’t just for church. “Trying to clear off the kitchen table for a place to pay bills, I realized that as organized as I was at work, I was a mess at home. That’s when I got serious about home office space.”

Managing bills and important home documents can be so much easier with workspace and files modeled after an effective office system. Purchase a small file cabinet or use a portable one that can be tucked away. If you have a desk with file drawers, all the better. Supply your space with stamps, envelopes, pens, tape, everything you need to manage well.

• Enlist help when you need it
Even the most efficient assistant can use a helping hand now and then. Delegating lesser tasks allows you to focus on responsibilities only you can handle.

“When I recruit a volunteer for our office,” writes one successful office manager, “I call a carefully chosen person and ask her if she could serve as ‘assistant to our assistant’ one day a week for the next month.”

Matching the person to the task is vital; assistants are more likely to be there when you need them if what you ask them to do makes good use of their abilities. Once you have given clear instructions on what is to be done, how and when, let the assistant do the job; be available for questions. Your helper may not perform the task as well as you or the same as you.

Guide a little if you must, but don’t take over. You have other jobs to do. You are working smarter!