by R.L.B.

        The goal of any public speaker is to get his message across to the hearer.  This is particularly important when the message has to do with the Word of God.  A public speaker should realize the tremendous importance of being His messenger, His minister, His vessel of honor, His spokesman through the leading of the Spirit of God.

"If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God ... so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever." (1 Pet. 4:11 NIV)

        A minister of the Word should concentrate on presenting the message so the congregation is totally focused on the message, not upon the messenger.  The Holy Spirit uses God's Word, not the speaker's personality, or his jokes, to bring the message of salvation to non-believers, and to build up saints in the most holy faith.  While your message might be doctrinally correct, if it is presented in a faulty manner and without love, various members of the congregation could be distracted from the spiritual content of that message.  A poorly presented sermon could lead people to concentrate on the physical frailties of the servant of God rather than on the message God has for them at that particular time.  The objective of your message should be to magnify God, not to draw attention to yourself.

        The following are a few suggestions for those who have the wonderful opportunity to minister the Word in a public manner.  It is hoped by following some of these pointers, the truth of your message may more brightly shine forth and center the attention of the hearer on the Word, and on the Lord of the Word, in spite of the many human frailties common to all of His witnesses.

1. Prepare yourself
   • Realize that presenting God's Word is a solemn responsibility.
   • Pray that you will be morally fit to be used by God so there are no hindrances of conscience that may come into play during the presentation.
   • Pray that your message will be presented in a spirit of love.
   • Pray for those who will hear the message.  This includes specific prayer for specific individuals the Spirit of God may bring to mind during your preparation.
   • Pray that you may be at liberty to be used by the Holy Spirit.
   • Pray.  And pray again.
2. Prepare the message
   • Thoroughly familiarize yourself with the passages of Scripture you intend to refer to.  Make sure you know the context of the passages, and that you will be able to find them in the Bible during your presentation.
   • Prepare a simple, coherent outline so your presentation will be organized and easily grasped by the hearers.
   • If you are not an experienced speaker try to schedule a "rehearsal" session with someone you are comfortable with who can offer constructive criticism on both your message and on the way you present it.
3. Presentation
   • Don't read your sermon.
   • Speak slowly, distinctly, confidently, in a normal (conversational) tone of voice, and with a smooth flow.
   • Realize that rapid speech is difficult for some to assimilate.  A 'machine gun' delivery may draw the attention of your audience away from the message itself.
   • Project your voice.  Speak loudly enough so people in the back of the room are able to hear every single word of your message, but do not raise the pitch of your voice in order to do this.  A high pitched presentation can be annoying to those you are trying to reach.  Remember, you are in competition with the white-noise of the air conditioner, with rambunctious children, and with malfunctioning hearing aids.
   • Avoid shouting, or other sudden changes in the loudness of your voice.  This could be disturbing to your hearers.  The Holy Spirit's work does not depend on dramatics.  Just "preach the word." (2 Timothy 4:2)  Remember, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." (Romans 10:17)
   • Do not allow the amplitude of your voice to "trail off" at the end of a sentence.  Realize that if the audience fails to hear each word of your presentation, you probably should not have spoken those particular "lost" words.  If the "trailed off" words are crucial to your presentation, the audience may miss a vital part of the message.  Conversely, if you do not intend the audience to hear certain words or sentences, if they are 'after-thoughts' inserted because of nervousness or lack of preparation on your part, then don't speak them.
   • If you are speaking from the midst of the congregation, without a microphone, take note of where your audience is seated.  Turn to face toward your listeners. The furniture or flowers at the front of the room are not interested in your comments. If possible try to make sure no one is behind you.  If necessary, move to the aisle to make sure you are heard.  The Lord sometimes got into a boat when preaching to crowds of thousands (without a P.A. system).  Project your voice to the person furthest away.  By all means avoid mumbling.
   • If you are answering a question posed by a topic leader, do not, I repeat, do not address your comments to the moderator in a "low volume" voice that the moderator may be able to hear, but others in the group may miss.  Address your contribution to the whole group, not just to the leader. This is a very common problem that occurs far too often in audience participation discussions.
   • Avoid inserting nervous, or supposedly humorous, side-remarks into the message.  These theatrics tend to glorify the speaker, not the Lord.
   • Use your hands in a normal way to emphasize points in the presentation.
   • Avoid clearing your throat.  Repeated throat clearing is a sure guarantee your audience will focus on your throat, not on the message.  They will become uncomfortable with your nervousness and wish only for you to hurry up and conclude your message.  Remember, you want to present the word of God to your audience, not the annoying sounds of your throat.
   • Break the nervous "you know" habit.  Train yourself to eliminate "nervous fillers."  For example:  "ahhh", "you know", "ok", and "like."  This bad habit may be difficult to overcome because such annoying crutches have unfortunately become an integral part of common vocabulary (often repeated dozens, or even hundreds, of times, during a sermon, or during ordinary conversation).
   • Make an effort to use proper grammar and pronunciation. For example, "Someone told June and I to stay" is wrong.  They told "June and me to stay."  "My friend gave gifts to Henry and I" is wrong. He gave gifts to "Henry and me." But, "Me and Jim went to the meeting" is even worse.  "Jim and I went to the meeting" is correct.  And "etc" is "ET cetera" not "ECK cetera."
   • Make use of the glass of water only when absolutely necessary.
   • Avoid apologizing repeatedly for minor mistakes you may make during your message.  Remember, even the most experienced ministers of the gospel have lapses of memory.
   • Be aware that many religious and secular organizations have poorly functioning public address systems and video projectors. Frequently people do not know how to properly operate the equipment.  A system that does not work during a presentation is a major source of distraction. Try to test things before your presentation. If you are using a lapel microphone ask the system operator whether it has a fresh battery.  Batteries should be replaced on a regular schedule, not after they fail during a message.  If a technical problem develops during your message, be flexible by taking measures to overcome the difficulty.  This may mean speaking directly into a podium microphone, rather than wandering from side to side during your presentation.  If problems occur, be sure to obtain a commitment from the equipment operator after the meeting that the problem will be fixed before the equipment is used again, and that preventative maintenance will take place in the future.
   • One further note: Avoid humor!  You are not an entertainer.  You are not a stand-up comedian.  You are God's messenger presenting the vital testimony of God's word!  Humor and entertainment draw attention to you, the servant of God, not to the Father of Eternity, the One you should be serving with the utmost humility.  Self-aggrandizement is an act of the flesh and must not be your purpose when you appear before an audience with the Bible in your hand.
4. Self critique
   • If an audio recording has been made of your message, be sure to listen critically to that recording.
     • What did you like about your presentation?
     • What did you dislike about it?
     • Did you commit any of the "avoids" mentioned above?
     • How could you improve your next presentation?
   • If you are an inexperienced speaker, ask a respected believer to critique your presentation.  The frank, non-confrontational, suggestions made by mature Christians could contribute greatly to your future ministry for the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

5. Thank God
   • Give thanks to God for this opportunity to present His Word, and look forward to the next opportunity He may give you to do so.
   • We conclude by citing 1 Peter 4:11:

"If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God ... so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever." (1 Pet. 4:11 NIV)

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