Public Communication

In addition to Interpersonal Communication, another aspect of communication that ministers need to be well versed in is Public Communication. Public Communication encompasses any situation where an individual is speaking publicly to a group of people. This might be delivering a sermon on a Sunday morning, giving a toast at a wedding, or presenting material at a conference.

When it comes to public speaking, both what you say and how you say it are very important. Your message should be clear, to the point, and interesting. You also must make sure that you speak clearly, loudly, and slowly. When it comes to non verbal communication, it is important that your gestures are appropriate and enhance what you are saying rather than detracting from it. Messages should have a good balance of points, back-up for the points, and illustrations. An excellent framework for public communication can be found in Ken Davis' book "Secrets of Dynamic Communication", where he presents the SCORRE method of preparing messages. This method ensures that your message is on topic, concise and that it communicates clearly. Information about this book can be found in the bibliography at the end of this blog.

Below is a sample video of me presenting a message using the SCORRE method. I apologize for the poor quality of the video, we were in a loud church hall! This video was used in a personal analysis of my public communication skills and I learned a lot about both my strengths and my weaknesses as a public speaker. I have also included a manuscript for this message that clearly shows the SCORRE method in action.




The text for this devotional can be viewed at:
http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dfq8sphs_0cmvdvz