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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What will you do when an iPad costs $40? and what that has to do with how your church communicates today

12 May, 2011 By Yvon Prehn Leave a Comment

Yesterday, a wise friend of mine, Bev M., asked me this question, "What will you do when an iPad costs $40?"

He went on to remind me that you can get a case of paper for about $40.Obviously today, for most churches it costs much less to print on paper. Everyone has access to paper and every church has a way to print and get it out there. But that could change.

What will we do in our church communication programs when an iPad or any other portable, digital communication tools becomes that cheap and widely available?

Think about it.

How you answer that questions not only has to do with the future of your communications, but how well you are communicating now.

No new technology should scare you

Our task as church communicators is to share the words of eternal life. Our message has not changed in thousands of years and it won't change throughout eternity. The tools we use to share it, however, have changed and will continue to change.

No matter what the technology we must use now or what we will use in the future shouldn't scare us because:

  • Our God is always and ultimately in control of all things.
  • Our God is not intimidated by technology (easy to forget that ).
  • Our God can help us learn whatever we need to learn to do the jobs we are called to do.
  • in addition. . . . . .

You should be communicating through a variety of channels now

If you have gotten into the habit of communicating through a variety of channels—print, digital, people—using all the tools available to you, not elevating one channel over others, but being open and excited about each new communication channel and challenge you'll approach every change with excitement.

If the above statement doesn't apply to you, Effective Church Communications has many resources available to help. Teaching you the importance of Multi-channel Communication is one of the most important tenets of this ministry.

Following is a listing of articles and resources on Multi-channel Communication, the first three are FREE, the second three are in-depth articles, resource listings and a webinar. Click on the title of each to go to the article. To find out more information on how to become a members of Effective Church Communications and have access to ALL the materials on this site, CLICK HERE.

Free articles:
You also communicate by what you don't do—the importance of the people channel
Never forget the people who don’t have access to the easily created communication channels

As you share your message in different channels, don’t change the content or look of your message

For ECC MEMBERS only, in-depth articles, resource listings and a webinar. To find out more information on how to become a members of Effective Church Communications and have access to ALL the materials on this site, CLICK HERE.

Is video the best way to market your church?
What’s the best channel to use to communicate the church’s message? Print? Multi-media? Web?

Webinar: Why your church needs to create Multi-channel Communications, or why you can’t just put your church bulletin on the web and be done with it

Never forget who you are and you'll never be afraid of technology

You are an eternal person because you are eternally loved and saved by Jesus.

When the heavens fade away and the earth is renewed, the $40 iPad or whatever technology may come that will challenge and sometimes intimidate us, will be a distant dream. Then we'll laugh at our former fears and wonder why we worried.

Keep that reality in mind as you face the challenges of technology today.

 

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Filed Under: Multi-Channel Communications Tagged With: church multi-channel communications, church technology, Church Websites, multi-channel communication, yvon prehn

Be a better listener, part three Ten techniques you can use now

9 May, 2011 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. note: There is so much in this article that would make all of our relationships much more loving and pleasing to our Lord because if we don't take the time to really listen to someone, how do we know if we are meeting their real needs or concerns? Read and pray for the patience to practice the suggestions.

 

In 1979 the Sperry Corporation became interested in listening when looking for an advertising campaign theme. During their research Sperry discovered their employees believed the company’s distinguishing trait was its willingness to listen. Before starting a campaign based on this theme, Sperry wanted to make sure they really were good listeners.

Incidentally, isn’t that a good idea? Have you ever visited a church whose motto is something like “The Friendliest Church in Town” and not received even one friendly greeting? Mottos do need to be authentic.

Wisely, Sperry sought out Dr. Lyman Steil, a former faculty member of the speech communication division of the University of Minnesota. Dr. Steil’s findings sparked new interest in this vital communication skill and provided some solid listening guidelines that hold true even today.

Here are ten techniques based on his research that you can begin to use right away to double and even triple the effectiveness of your listening.

• Identify the speaker’s purpose. What is he trying to communicate? What is being said you can use? How does the message relate to what you already know?

You know the speaker’s purpose before some meetings or seminars. Get in the flow by doing preliminary research. For instance, before a calendar planning meeting go over agendas, note upcoming projects, and be ready to process new information.

Unless you focus on the purpose of the message you may miss the point altogether.

More than 15,000 people heard Abraham Lincoln deliver the Gettysburg Address. Most didn’t even applaud. Because they missed Lincoln’s purpose, they didn’t realize they had heard one of the great speeches of all time. The speaker wasn’t at fault, but the listeners.

• Listen for ideas as well as facts. “I’m feeling discouraged about our young people” may mean far more than that. Perhaps the speaker is unhappy with the youth minister; perhaps she is concerned with the amount of money budgeted for youth work; perhaps she is having difficulty with her own youngster.

The person who comes in to share a problem seldom starts the conversation with the real problem. Never make assumptions; listen between the lines.

• Note key words and ideas to review later. Messages and instructions are more likely to be handled correctly when you write them down as received. Practice making concise notes. If you try to write every word, you will miss much of what is being said.

• Tune out distractions. A ringing phone, an uncomfortable chair, a chilly room—all can distract you from listening. Or you may be too rushed, hungry, preoccupied, emotional, or ill to feel like being a listener. Overcome distractions by focusing your total concentration on the speaker.

• Make eye contact. Looking at someone indicates your interest. Whether you agree comes later, but do pay visual attention to the speaker. What the eyes say constitutes a significant part of the message.

On the phone see the speaker in your mind’s eye. Visualization makes the conversation more personal and helps fix your attention.

• Be responsive. Your main role as a listener is to be attentive and to make it easy for the person speaking to you to get his message across.

Be careful not to close the door on those who need a listening ear. Never discount people’s feelings with stock phrases or simplistic advice such as, “Oh, it can’t be that terrible,” or, “Just relax. You’ll feel better tomorrow.”

In his book People Skills, Robert Bolton suggests what he calls door openers to initiate conversations with those who you feel may want to talk with you:

First, a description of the other person’s body language: “You’re looking a little down today.”

Second, an invitation to talk: “Want to talk about it?”

Third, silence. Give the person a reasonable amount of time to decide if to talk and what to say.

And fourth, attending. Eye contact and a posture of involvement demonstrates your interest and concern.

All four parts are not necessarily present in every door opener. Sometimes a simple, “Let’s hear about it” is sufficient. To draw someone out, ask questions that cannot be answered with just a yes or no. But never be pushy; open the door but don’t barge in.

Be careful not to nod your head at something you don’t understand. Ask the speaker to explain, or say, “Tell me more about that.” When you hear unpopular ideas or feel criticized it can be hard to be responsive, but even if you don’t agree with the speaker you can establish rapport. Ask questions and search for points of agreement. If you listen only to those with whom you agree, you never grow.

• Use your thought time wisely. I speak at the speed of approximately 175 words a minute—but you listen four times faster! To be an active listener, direct your thought time to the topic at hand. Recall what you already know. Summarize how each new point builds on what has gone before. In dialogues you might rephrase the information by saying, “What I’m hearing is...” or “Let me be sure I understand.”

In a private conversation, resist using thought time to formulate advice. In The Miracle of Dialogue Reuel Howe writes, “The purpose of communication is not to give our answers to people’s questions. When we’ve been asked, ‘What would you do if you were in my place?’ we often comment later, ‘I didn’t know what to tell him.’ Implicit in that response is the assumption that we should have known and told the inquirer what he should do.”

Howe goes on to explain that the responsibility of the listener is simply to listen, not to take on the problems of others. In fact, we should not rob others of the joy of acquiring their own insight and answers. He writes, “There is no reason at all why we should provide people with answers to their questions, although the temptation to do so is great. The giving of answers to problems is a thankless task. If the answer given turns out to be wrong, they will resent both the answer and the one who gives it; and if it turns out to be right, they may also be resentful because they did not think of it.”

The best solution is to provide essential information when you can, but to allow others to formulate their own answers.

• Avoid being judgmental, critical, or argumentative. Give people a fair opportunity to be heard even if you don’t like how they look or how they sound, even if you do not appreciate their attitude or personality or point of view.

Obviously you will evaluate what you hear and see; being willing to listen does not mean you aren’t entitled to your own convictions. But give people the benefit of the doubt. Look for points of agreement, not for points with which to take issue.

Accept comments in the context of the full message, rather than zeroing in on a red flag issue and finding fault. There are few statements that absolutely could not be argued if one wants to pick them apart.

Generally the person speaking counts on your good judgment and trusts you will withhold rebuttal until you have heard the full story. Be sure not to tune out because you think you already know what is going to be said. The ancient Greeks taught that it is impossible for a person to learn what he thinks he already knows.

• Watch for non-verbals. Listen with your eyes as well as ears; communication is far more than words. Be aware that people cannot not communicate; their very appearance sends messages.

Words spoken comprise only about 7 percent of communication. Thirty-eight percent of the message comes from tone of voice, pitch, volume, rate of speech, and mannerisms like nervous laughter or clearing the throat. Over half of the message—55 percent—is non-verbal: appearance, posture, eye movement, gestures, and facial expression.

The eighty muscles of the face are capable of making more than 7000 expressions. When there is conflict between words and facial expression, the non-verbal message is far more likely to be accurate. As you listen, observe.

• Fix the flaws and practice. To become proficient in any skill, discover the better way and repeat it often. Regularly listen to difficult or unfamiliar material that challenges your mental capacities. Sharpen your listening talent with tests and exercises.

This simple experiment demonstrates how, depending on how the words are spoken, can have widely different meanings. Choose a sentence and repeat it several times, each time putting the emphasis on a different word. For example, use the sentence, “I didn’t say she took the money” and see how many shades of meaning you can project. Practicing will help you hear the subtle distinctions in the voices of others.

Listening is a skill much like others we acquire; there is always room to grow better. Work on your listening skills at work, at home, at church, and in social situations. You will notice a positive difference in the way you listen to others and in how they listen and respond to you. Practice makes perfect!

_____________________

Series of the Three Articles on Be a Better Listener by Gayle Hilligoss

Click on any of the links to go to the article:
Be a better listener, part one: Mastering the Most Overlooked Communication Skill by Gayle Hilligoss

Be a better listener, part two: AIM, the three significant aspects of listening by Gayle Hilligoss

Be a better listener, part three: Ten techniques you can start to use now by Gayle Hilligoss

 

 

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Filed Under: Church Office Skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss Tagged With: church communication, church office skills, Columnist Gayle Hilligoss, listening

Digital Evangelism Month #2: Church Communications–FREE How-to Books

5 May, 2011 By Yvon Prehn Leave a Comment

In celebration of Digital Evangelism Month, Effective Church Communication is making the following books free for the month of May.

The first one is a link to our new digital resource on Smashwords. In the coming weeks I'll be doing a detailed analysis and how-to of the site. I'm still testing a number of things on it, (formating is a challenge and they take a long time to get materials posted and other concerns) but my initial analysis is that it can be an incredible resource for churches and individual believers to share their stories and teachings.

Connection Card CoverChurch Connection Cards

This book on Smashwords is a special edition of my best-selling Connection Cards, connect with visitors, grow your church, pastor your people, little cards, big results.

I put this book on Smashwords because you can download it in almost every imaginable ebook format: for Kindle, phones, PDF, HTML, all kinds of e-readers.

This is a book every church needs to read (and it's FREE!) as many have told me it will totally change how you make a significant connection with visitors. If you want to explore my Smashwords site (I will probably have more books on it by the time you view this), just CLICK HERE.

 

 

Books to help you create Effective Church Communications

Following that are some of my ebooks that have proved useful to church communicators--they illustrate a variety of skills and topics. You have permission to make digital copies of any of these materials and pass them on to other church communicators.

Why MS Publisher is recommended for Church Com teams9 Reasons Why MS Publisher is a great programs for churches to use

When I first encountered MS Publisher in the early days of creating communications with the computer, I would have never imaged I’d be recommending it as the program of choice for churches.

But times changes--in  addition, I found the more I worked with it, I realized it was an honestly fun program to use with flexibility to create not only print publications, but graphics and web designs easily. It has also remained very inexpensive (all the non-profits pricing resources are in this book) for churches to buy for an entire team.

In interactions with other church communicators, I’ve found that though many use MS Publisher (more than any other program as my surveys show), at the same time some still primarily use MS Word because they don’t realize how much more Publisher can do and some don’t use Publisher because they think it isn’t “professional” enough. I hope this brief publication will change both views. In addition for anyone who does communications in your church or oversees those who do, I urge you to consider MS Publisher, especially if you haven’t looked at it in some time.

This book is extensively illustrated for each point. CLICK HERE or on the image to download it.

Big is Busted COVERPlanning book: big is busted, try tiny

This Special Edition of our book on Planning is part of our overall materials on planning. So often we tend to think that we have to do big, extravagant things to impress people and to get them to come to our church.

Sometimes big and impressive does work, but quite often it is the little things that really get people to come to your church.

The challenge is—which way of doing communications is the most successful? This book will help you figure that out and then implement successful strategies in your church.

CLICK HERE or on the image to download it.

 

 

If these materials have been useful to you, please consider a membership in Effective Church Communications.

Each week new resources, including articles, ebooks, training webinars, templates for church communications and ready-to-print PDFs for seasonal church events and outreach. This is training for people who do church communications, particularly for small to medium-size churches where the person responsible for communications has little-to-no previous training in design or communication creation. Membership starts at only $9.99 a month or $99 a year for individuals or small churches.

CLICK HERE for more information or you can email yvon@effectivechurchcom.com if you have questions.

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Filed Under: Misc. Advice and Articles

Our communications should build, give vision, provide tools for change

4 May, 2011 By Yvon Prehn Leave a Comment

QUOTE:

Though al-Qaeda could destroy, however, it could not build. In its unwillingness and inability to offer anything resembling a constructive vision for change, al-Qaeda gradually descended back into irrelevance.

from: "Al-Queda losing relevance" by Shadi Hamid, USA Today, Wednesday, May 4, 2011

COMMENTARY:

Destruction has its uses.

It is powerful; it can accomplish powerful goals. As church communicators we need to be aware of its power, but at the same time be very careful how, or if we ever use it.

Fear of destruction accomplished a lot for me. I confess, I was scared into becoming a Christian. My mother read Bible stories to my sister and me every night and I loved them, but what really pushed me over the line was I didn't want to go to hell. Our preacher at church convinced me that hell and eternal destruction was the fate of the unsaved.

When I found out that Jesus made it possible for me to go to heaven when I died and not hell and destruction, I wanted that. I asked Jesus to come into my life. [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Misc. Advice and Articles Tagged With: church communication, communicating about hell, positive church communication

Be a better listener, part two: AIM, the three significant aspects of listening

1 May, 2011 By grhilligoss@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Gayle Hilligoss Picture
Article by Gayle Hilligoss

Ed. Note: Last week we featured Part One of this series on Listening, where we learned in part, how to be an active listener. This week Gayle provides specific advice that will help you become a better listener. As I read through her words, I thought about what a wonderful world it would be if we all followed this advice.

Professional Secretaries International (now International Association of Administrative Associates) taught seminar attendees a technique using the acronym AIM to create a positive attitude for listening. AIM represents three significant aspects of listening: attention, interest, and motivation.

AIM: attention, interest, motivation

A = Bring yourself to attention. Poor listeners fake paying attention while their minds wander. The active listener consciously works to resist distractions and concentrate on the message.

I = Focus your interest. Poor listeners decide after a few words that the conversation holds no interest for them so they stop any effort to pay attention. The active listener seeks to find useful information regardless of how dull the subject or how unskilled the speaker.

M = Identify your motivation. How well you listen depends on how motivated you are. Here are some good reasons for improving your listening skills.

• Listening allows you to learn. Receiving information is difficult when you do all the talking. When you listen you can learn about the subject being discussed (as well as learn about the speaker).

• Listening allows you to make better decisions. Life doesn’t give us enough time to make every mistake ourselves. Listening allows you to learn from the mistakes and victories of others, and helps develop better judgment.

• Listening helps solve mutual problems and resolves disagreements. You cannot agree or disagree intelligently with the other person until you know his point of view. Once you listen to the problem as he sees it, and he listens to the problem as you see it, you can cooperatively seek some solutions.

• Listening may solve problems for the other person. Giving someone an opportunity to talk may clarify the situation and provide the necessary emotional release.

• Listening can reduce tension. Allowing others to express their viewpoints may help clear the air of tension or hostility. As a result of your conscious aim to listen there will be fewer misunderstandings; grievances can be resolved before they get out of hand.

• Listening leads to cooperation from others. When a person feels you are really interested in her and her opinions, she is likely to respect you and the church you represent. People respond positively and cooperate more often when they know we care about them.

• Listening helps you sell your ideas. You have an idea for rearranging and redecorating your office. How do you sell your idea? Try asking the person you need on your side, “What would it take to make our office more attractive?” Then listen and follow through on the suggestions.

• Listening can save you trouble. If you talk before you really listen, you may make a decision or offer criticism you later regret. You may commit to action you cannot or will not want to carry out. If you feel pressured to give an opinion, listen carefully and evaluate before responding.

• Listening gives you confidence. When you follow the conversation carefully, you can be confident what you say is relevant. When you understand the other person’s point of view you can be confident of stating your rebuttal. You may spot loopholes in the other person’s logic and gain assurance in your own viewpoint. When you gain a reputation as a good listener, others give more weight to your report of a conversation.

• Listening increases your enjoyment of life. As an active listener, you gain more from all you hear. Conversations, meetings, music, entertainment all bring you more enjoyment and understanding. You are more tuned in to your world than ever before.

-----------------------

Series of the Three Articles on Be a Better Listener by Gayle Hilligoss

Click on any of the links to go to the article:
Be a better listener, part one: Mastering the Most Overlooked Communication Skill by Gayle Hilligoss

Be a better listener, part two: AIM, the three significant aspects of listening by Gayle Hilligoss

Be a better listener, part three: Ten techniques you can start to use now by Gayle Hilligoss

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

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