Communicating for a Change Part 6

"A swing, huh? Well, I was hoping you had a favorite chair or recliner, but if it's a swing, then a swing it is."

"What are you getting at?"

Will glanced at the younger man. "I told you it's radical. But I think you ought to get rid of your pulpit and set up a swing on your platform."

"A swing? On the platform?" Ray could only stare at his mentor. "I think you've spent too much time around gasoline fumes, Will."

"Maybe." Will began, "but you're gonna have to get comfortable up there, Ray, and one way to do that is to change the environment. I'm just glad you didn't say you were most comfortable in the bathroom."

Ray laughed out loud. "That would certainly be memorable! So Find Your Voice is all about being myself while I'm preaching. I guess I'd better find out if I'm a Kenworth or a Peterbilt man."

"Not liking trucks at all is an option. Not a very G.o.dly one, maybe, but it is an option."

9.

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

As the idea of finding his own voice settled in, Ray watched the countryside roll by. Everything Will had said made sense. For the first time in a long time Ray felt like he had a plan for communicating. The growing sense of confidence made the sudden wave of panic even more striking, What if none of this works?

"Will?" Ray asked tentatively. "Does this stuff ever fail?"

"What do you mean, Ray?"

"I mean, do these seven imperatives ever let you down?"

"If you're asking me if there are still times that I get stuck and don't know what I'm supposed to talk about, then the answer is yes."

"Great!" Ray said as the panic took full bloom.

"That's where number seven comes in."

"Number seven?" Ray asked. "That's right we've only covered six."

"And number seven is the last imperative that I learned from driving a truck. You see, as a driver your reputation is built on making your delivery on time. You can't be late or they won't have what they need when they need it. If a customer can't count on you to be on schedule and have their s.h.i.+pment on time a well, let's just say you won't be in business very long. Every time I climbed behind the wheel I knew that the time was coming when someone would be counting on my delivery. I also knew that there were a lot of things out there that could stand between me and that delivery; weather, traffic, bad drivers, and worst of all, equipment failure. I couldn't spend time spinning my wheels so I had to be ready for anything."

"Sounds like you should have been a postman, Will."

"Same principle, smaller truck," Will smiled. "The point is I had to make sure I had the right tools when I needed them."

Will pulled the truck off of the highway into a rest area and got out of the cab. Ray followed him to the rear of the truck where Will opened a large toolbox.

"This is small-time compared to what I used to carry on the road. I'd carry tools, flares, warning markers, a winch, anything I might need in case I got stuck."

"This is very educational and I'm definitely going to buy some of those flares when I get home, but what exactly does all of this have to do with communicating?"

"Every Sunday morning you have a delivery to make. And as far as I know Sundays come every seven days like it or not."

"Sometimes it feels like they come every three days, but go ahead."

"And on those Sat.u.r.day nights when you're sitting there without a clear idea of where your message is going, you're stuck."

Ray thought for a moment. "I don't think I understand, Will. There have been times when I didn't like what I had to say, or had to find more to say, but I don't know that I've ever felt stuck. Lost, but not stuck."

"Lost and stuck are somewhat similar. Lost is when you don't know where you are going a "

"And we covered that, in Pick a Point and Create a Map, right?"

"Right," Will was impressed. "But stuck is when you know where you want to go but you don't seem to be able to get there. The reason you never felt stuck is because you weren't trying to get anywhere, you were just filling the time." Will could tell that this. .h.i.t harder than he meant for it to.

Ray realized that this one point message process could be more difficult than he first thought. "I thought this was supposed to make communication easier, not harder."

"It makes it more effective, Ray. I never said anything about making it easier," Will laughed. "Don't worry, Ray, I'm just saying that if you practice the first six imperatives and really try to take your listeners on a journey to one point, there are going to be times that you get stuck. That's when you need number seven. Trust me, I know."

"So what's the magic number seven for when you get stuck?"

"Find Some Traction," Will answered. "When you get stuck you have to get started again."

"And what do you use to do that?"

"I go to the toolbox and pull out what I need."

"So I should light a flare on the pulpit? That should wake 'em up in the back row."

"Right idea, wrong toolbox," Will said. "I have two surefire tools for when I get stuck as a communicator. The first one is prayer."

"I was wondering when you were going to get around to praying."

"Ray, I never meant to give you the impression that this entire process wasn't covered in prayer. If you don't pray before, during, and after your preparation then you might as well not start at all. What I'm talking about here is getting on my face before G.o.d and allowing Him to check my alignment. Am I headed in the wrong direction? Is there something going on in me that needs to be fixed? Is there a flaw in the point I've picked?"

"I understand, Will. I didn't mean to imply that you weren't seeking G.o.d through all of this. So what's the second tool?"

"It's a checklist. A list of questions that help me evaluate if I'm on the right path for the journey and then for helping me get started again. I sit back and ask myself these questions and they help me gain traction."

"Are these trucker questions with CB lingo like *Breaker breaker, Will, what's your 20?' You know, your location?"

Will didn't smile. "I know what *your 20' means and CB's are no laughing matter. Since Smokey and the Bandit you civilians almost ruined the things. Thank G.o.d for the cell phone is all I can say."

"Sorry. Does that mean you aren't going to tell me the questions?"

Once again the smile returned to Will's face. "I'm going to tell you, Ray, but first get back in the truck. We have a schedule to keep."

The two men climbed back in and in no time were cruising back down the highway. "The questions are these," Will said. "What do they need to know? Why do they need to know it? What do they need to do? Why do they need to do it?"

"That's it?" Ray asked.

"That's a lot," Will responded. "After you spend the time you need studying the pa.s.sage, it's easy to lose sight of the point you want to make while you're putting together your message. You get off on a tangent or an idea that's taking you in another direction."

"Rock City, right?"

"Exactly. And before you know it you're stuck in a cul de sac with no way to turn around. What do they need to know is about information. It's the biblical principle that you've carved out of Scripture. If at this point you can't articulate that point then you know where you need traction. Why do they need to know it is all about motivation. Have you given them a reason to apply this point to their daily lives? Then comes what do they need to do, which is obviously about application. Have you given them a way to apply it to their daily lives? And finally, why do they need to do it? And that one is all about inspiration. Giving them a vision of what their lives will look like once they've applied it. Once you've answered these questions, you'll be back on the road in no time."

"Again, Will, I don't want to seem disrespectful but that seems kind of obvious and simple."

Will didn't respond but quietly reached across the console separating he and Ray and reached into the glove box. He pulled out a s.h.i.+ny chrome crescent wrench. "Have you ever seen a tool that was more plain and simple than that, Ray?" Ray shook his head. "But I guarantee you that when it comes to loosening or tightening a bolt there's nothing better. Just because it's simple doesn't mean it's not effective. The best tools are."

10.

A NEW ATt.i.tUDE.

As the two men continued down the highway, Ray noticed traffic beginning to increase, signaling an approach to a metropolitan area. A road sign confirmed his suspicion: Atlanta, 14 miles.

Ray and Will's excellent adventure was almost over as they returned to the point where it all began. Ray began to wonder if he would return to the same place as well. Can a tiger change his stripes? More pointedly, can a preacher change the way he's been preaching for years? Had all of this been for nothing or a was it possible that his people were in for a big surprise come Sunday morning?

Suddenly it hit Ray. The goal; Will never told him the real goal. "You've gotta tell me the goal, Will."

"What?"

"When we first started out you said it wasn't important that I know the goal just that I know I didn't know it. Well, we're getting close to the airport, and I think it's really important now."

"Ray, it's like those red shoes that girl wore in the Wizard of Oz, you've known the goal all along."

"There's no place like home?"

Will laughed. "No. It's so simple that you're not seeing it, Ray. Close your eyes and think about the people at Meadowland Community Church. What do you want for them?"

Ray closed his eyes and began to think through the faces of the men, women, and children of his church. He thought about the many conversations, counseling appointments, and stories he had heard over the past ten years. Stories of struggles and challenges, along with a few successes and changed lives. Changed lives. That's it. "I want to see their lives changed to reflect the love of Christ."

"See, it wasn't that hard, was it? Now that you've determined your goal, go take a single point of Scripture and present it in a clear, engaging, memorable way that they can apply and then watch G.o.d change their lives."

"Before yesterday I would've said, *That's easy for you to say.' But as strange as the circ.u.mstances have been, I want you to know that I think you might have helped me."

Will could tell that something was bothering Ray. "You sound a little uncertain."

"Uncertain?" Ray laughed. "Will, I've been in ministry for ten years. And for ten years I've been doing things the only way I knew how. The way I was taught and the way I saw others do them before me. And now, in six months' time, after a night at a baseball game and a day in your truck, I'm thinking about launching out in a completely new direction. *Uncertain' is putting it mildly."

The two men rode in silence as they turned into the Peachtree Dekalb Airport. The commuter airport was relatively quiet for midday. Will parked the truck and turned to Ray. "Does that scare you?" he asked.

"What?"

"Doing things in a completely new way."

"Shouldn't it?"

"I'd be worried about you if it didn't. But, Ray, there are two things that I want you to remember. First, G.o.d has given you a lot to say. I've listened to your tapes and you have great insight into His word. I really mean that. I believe that He wants to impact a lot of lives through you. Never lose sight of the fact that it's Him who really does the talking. We're just the mouthpieces. Second, some of these seven imperatives took me years to learn, and there are a couple that took longer still.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't get discouraged if things don't change overnight. This, like most things, is a process. The more you speak and the more you listen to yourself, the more you'll understand. Before long you won't be able to preach any other way."

The two men got out of the truck, made their way through the terminal, and located the gleaming Harlan Enterprises Gulfstream. "There's something I want you to have." Will handed Ray a small, worn notebook.

"What is this, Will?"

"It's a notebook I've kept over the years that contains the seven imperatives we've discussed. Everything we've talked about and a couple of things we haven't is in there. I want you to take it so you won't forget anything."

"I can't," Ray protested. "You've got a lot of preaching ahead of you. You might need it."

"Like I said, Ray, it's all in here." Will patted his heart. "Before long, I'm trusting G.o.d that it will be a part of you just like it's a part of me."

Ray smiled, tucking the notebook safely into his coat pocket. "Does that mean I'll be able to drive a big rig someday?"

"Only if you're a lucky man, Ray." Will watched his new friend board the private jet and lifted his hand.

Ray caught the gesture. A blessing? If so, he'd take it.

Wow. He smiled as he buckled himself in. This really is the only way to travel! As the small craft taxied on the runway, Ray's mind was already at home. It was Tuesday, and Sunday was coming. Those old, cold fingers of dread began to wrap around his heart. Would this Sunday really be any different? He knew that the people of Meadowland Community Church would still be there and that he would need to deliver.

He pulled the little notebook out of his pocket. Thumbing through it, the phrases came back to him: Determine Your Goal, Pick a Point, Create a Map, Internalize the Message, Engage Your Audience, Find Your Voice, and Find Some Traction.

The private jet lifted off as he returned the notebook to his pocket and sank back into the b.u.t.tery soft leather.

He could do this. G.o.d would be there to help him.

As the little jet soared into the evening sky, he felt something stirring down inside him. Something he hadn't experienced in too long a time.

Excitement.

It's too bad that so few of us have a Will Graham in our lives. Imagine how much more effective we would be in our communication if someone were to take the time to listen and evaluate us at that level. That kind of coaching is rare in the field of communication. That's one reason we decided to write this book. Lane and I have been serving as the w.i.l.l.y Grahams in the lives of a handful of communicators for the past eight years. As unrealistic as some of the dialogue between Ray and Will may have seemed, most of it was inspired by actual conversations (and confrontations) we have had in our roles as communication coaches. You will hear several of those stories in the chapters that follow.

The remainder of this book is a detailed explanation of the seven imperatives. You may find some of our ideas challenging, perhaps even a bit unorthodox. But before you dismiss these ideas as impractical, let me place them in a context we can all understand. If you saw your three-year old child reaching for a scorpion what wouldn't you do to stop her? I imagine you would be willing to forgo all the rules of normal, even decent, behavior to keep her hand away from that scorpion's sting. You would raise your voice. You would run in the house. You would leap over the furniture. You would risk bodily harm if that's what it took to keep her out of danger. You would do whatever it took.

Every single person who sits politely and listens to you on Sunday is one decision away from moral, financial, and marital ruin. Every one of 'em. Many are considering options with consequences that will follow them the remainder of their lives. There are husbands teetering on the brink of unfaithfulness. Wives whose schedules are unsustainable. Couples who are drowning in a sea of debt. Teenagers who are there because their parents forced them to come. Young men who have been told they are gay. Young ladies who have been told their worth goes no further than their physical beauty.

There they sit. Silent. Waiting. Hoping. Doubting. Antic.i.p.ating. What are we going to do? What are you going to do? What are you going to say?

This is the world we have been called to address. These are the issues we have been called to confront. There is much at stake. There are many at risk. The great news is the pages of Scripture are filled with principles, narratives, and truth that address each of those needs. The question you must answer is, to what extreme are you willing to go to create a delivery system that will connect with the heart of your audience? Are you willing to abandon a style, an approach, a system that was designed in another era for a culture that no longer exists? Are you willing to step out of your comfort zone in order to step into the lives G.o.d has placed in your care? Are you willing to make the adjustment? Will you consider letting go of your alliterations and acrostics and three point outlines and talk to people in terms they understand? Will you communicate for life change?