Mark 1:17 Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." NKJV
Beloved brethren, I bring Calvary greetings to you and members of your family this fateful day in Jesus Name. Amen. After a long break, today I will be introducing an important topic that we all are familiar with and yet everyone seems to battle with it. It is a series on a topic I titled ‘I will make you’.
I have not been active in posting my messages on my blog for about a year now. It has been due to other engagements but primarily because of my dealings with the Lord as one also in making. I can say that I have gone through certain training process (both through experiences and studies) that will assist transform how I communicate my messages to my audience. I cannot say that I have become very perfect in communicating my messages but I am making progress.
Earlier Feedbacks About My Messages
My earlier messages (which I used to share through emails, text messages and WhatsApp) sometimes seem very difficult for my audience to comprehend. Some say “my writing is philosophical”. Some say “it is too high”. Some say “it is hard to understand”. Some say “it makes them unease after reading”. Only a few who know me better on a personal level try to understand my messages. And that includes my wife and some other close brethren and colleagues. But looking at the majority of the feedbacks, it was obvious that something was not right with my style of communication. I needed to improve.
I never thought I was a writer
The truth is that when I started getting messages as I read the scriptures, I didn’t know I will turn out to be sharing my messages with others in writing, neither did I know that writing will be part of what I was called to do. I didn’t see myself as a writer and didn’t even want to be seen as one. The main reason I was writing down what I was learning in my notepad and my phone memo was for my personal consumption and also because I didn’t want to forget them. It was after a while that I realized I could not be keeping what I was writing to myself and I started sharing the messages with some people in my contact list as I continue to write.
Writing broadly for others to understand could be a piece of cake for some folks but not for me, it has always been difficult. Maybe because I am an introvert and reserved. It has always been difficult for me to communicate clearly what I have in my mind and the same thing also happens even when I am talking. It appears as if instead of communicating broadly, I will just communicate the summary of what I want to say and leave out other details. Meanwhile it is those details that will help my audience better understand what I am trying to communicate.
Accepting feedback helps
Through the feedbacks of my wife, some brethren and colleagues, I have come to realize the challenges I face in communication and started making pragmatic efforts to improve myself. However, accepting those feedbacks and facing the reality did come easy for me.
Sometimes it seemed as if the problem was not from me but from them. If I understood what I was writing why couldn’t they? But the reason I understood what I was writing was because the harmonizing part of what I was writing was in my head (unwritten) of which my audience was not privy to. It is like intending to give someone a piece of meat, but the meat has only the bone without the flesh. You kept the flesh in one plate (in your head) and served the bone in another plate to your audience.
“After preparing the draft of my write-up, I will then begin to flesh it” That was what my friend who is a great writer used to say to me. It took me time to finally understood him.
Self-Development Matters
Recently I went for a ‘train the trainer’ course which was a great eye opener for me. That some people are highly skilled in a particular field and or industry does not mean that they are good at teaching others or sharing their skills. Training professionals as good as they are, also require training to make their courses more effective. Train the trainer model is designed to ensure that trainers have the right tools to impact critical learning to their audience. A good trainer has to carry his audience along while communicating to them, and not only dishing out lessons as if he is talking to himself.
I appreciate feedbacks. While I continue active posting on my blog, I am open to comments and suggestions on how my messages will be more suitable and understandable to you. Your feedback could just be what I need to develop myself better in writing. The scripture on its part also supports the need for preachers to improve their communication style while sharing their messages. Changing the style of communication does not in any way change the content (the truth) of your messages, it only helps the audience to better understand the content of your messages.
Eccl 12:10 “The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright — words of truth.” NKJVEccl 12:10 “Kohelet worked to develop an attractive writing style, in which he expressed the truth straightforwardly.” CJB
Being good in writing takes work
It is the responsibility of the preacher to seek to find acceptable words or as the CJB (Complete Jewish Bible) translation puts it: worked to develop an attractive writing style. Well-developed writing style helps to attract (pull) the preacher’s audience to his message.
It is not only about having great message you can preach, but also knowing how best to communicate the message to your audience for the message to be acceptable and beneficial to them. And it is the direct duty of the preacher to develop such an attractive writing style. It is his duty to work to develop an attractive writing style which is part of what actually makes him a preacher.
Every great preacher is made
‘I will make you’ is the caption of this series. Every great preacher is made. Becoming fishers of men is not only about having great messages to preach to men, but also about developing the ability to communicate the messages effectively. Your messages and your style of communication must go hand in hand for your audience to accept and appreciate your messages. And this is the aspect that I’ve learnt and still give room for improvement.
In my next post, we will go into the next article on this series. Be my guest.
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