Communicating for a Change Part 3

"Loud and clear." Ray smiled. "But you've switched word pictures on me. First the sermon was a journey, now it's an eighteen-wheeler."

"Buddy, you'll find that great a.n.a.logies are like great trucks: They all break down at some point."

Ray sat back and watched the countryside pa.s.s by. Had the blank stares he'd seen from the congregation been confusion instead of boredom? Had he been serving water from a fire hydrant? Maybe he'd been trying to cram more information in his messages in an attempt to fill timea"or possibly to impress people. But one point? Could he preach an entire message around one point?

Ray broke the silence. "Will, just how many imperatives are there?"

"What's that, Ray?"

"You said, Pick a Point is the second imperative of communication you learned from driving a truck. I was wondering how many there are."

"Well, I don't know that I've actually counted them before. Let's see a " Will began to squint and mumble as he searched his memory banks. "Thirty or forty, I'd say."

Ray sat stunned. "Then I need more underwear," he said, referring to the small overnight bag in the truck.

Will began to laugh. "I'm just kidding, Ray. You've got plenty of underwear. There are only seven."

5.

A MAP TO REMEMBER.

"Will, I have been wondering one thing."

"What's that?"

"I don't want you to take this wrong but a " Ray struggled to find the words.

"Spit it out, Ray. It takes a lot to hurt my feelings."

"Well, you said we were going to talk about how to be a better communicator and you haven't mentioned anything about G.o.d or prayer. Is this all about human effort?"

"Yes." Will said flatly.

Ray wasn't expecting that answer.

"Look, Ray," Will broke the silence, "neither you or I will ever have anything meaningful to say if G.o.d doesn't give it to us. The most important time you will spend in developing a message is the time you spend prayerfully searching the heart of G.o.d and His Word for your one point."

"Sounds like there's a *but' coming."

"But, once G.o.d has done His part, we have to do our part. And I've heard far too many preachers hide behind the excuse that it's up to the Holy Spirit to apply the message to the heart of the hearer and then not give the Holy Spirit anything to work with."

Satisfied that Will wasn't a self-help guru, Ray pressed on, "So what's the third imperative?"

"The third, which is near and dear to the heart of any trucker, is: Create a Map."

Ray's idea of a good map was one that was easy to refold after he'd used it. "Okay, so what do you mean by a map? Obviously you're not talking about something I can pick up at Triple A."

Will laughed. "As a trucker I used a map as a two-dimensional picture of a three-dimensional journey. A good map will allow you to find the best and most effective course for arriving at your destination. Like I said when we were discussing the second imperative, there are a lot of different ways to get to a particular location. As a driver, I had to find the most effective route for getting my cargo to its destination at exactly the time it needed to be there.

"You see, a lot of folks think a good map shows you all the possible options all the time, but for me that's a terrible map. When I set out on a trip I'd take my road atlas and map out my course on a sheet of paper. That would be my map. The atlas would have thousands of other twists and turns that would only get me in trouble."

"And as a communicator you learned to narrow it down to one destination. Didn't we cover that already?"

"This is different, Ray. As a communicator, your goal is to get your audience to the final point of application. The map I'm talking about charts the course of your message."

"So you're talking about an outline," Ray said.

"No, I'm talking about a map. Outlines are designed to organize thoughts and ideas. They're usually a collection of points related to or loosely related to a topica"each one of those points making an entirely different statement about the topic."

"Like my outline for the forgiveness message," Ray said weakly.

"Exactly. You had a lot to say about forgiveness in your outline, but your outline didn't take you anywhere. It wasn't a "

"A map."

"Right! You see," Will continued, "outlines can end up being like an encyclopediaa"lots of good information that's dry and boring. People rarely curl up in bed with an encyclopedia. A map on the other hand leads people on a journey that engages them into a storya"just like the one you told me about your vacation."

Ray was trying hard to get it. "You keep saying *map.' So how literally am I supposed to take this? You sit down with paper and, what, colored pencils and crayons, and draw stuff?"

Will glanced over at his pa.s.senger. "Do I look like the kind of guy who uses crayons, Ray?"

"Okay a so it's another a.n.a.logy. So how do you draw this map?"

"Usually I sit at my desk with a piece of paper and start with Roman numeral one," Will said.

"It is an outline!" Ray said as if he'd caught the old man in a lie.

Will laughed. "Does it make you feel better to call it an outline, Ray?"

"It makes me feel better to know that I might be doing something right."

"Not so fast. Just because it looks like an outline, doesn't make it right. In my thinking there are two different kinds of outlines. One is informational and it's all about content. That's the kind of outline you work from. Four or five points that a "

"Okay, okay, I get the picture," Ray blurted out. "What's the other kind of outline?"

Will began to wonder if he was pushing Ray too hard. It had been a long day for him, even though it was only late afternoon. "Maybe we should find a place to stop and take a break for a while."

"I'm sorry, Will, I didn't mean to pop off. It's just that this is critical for me. I've given my life to this work anda"to think that I've been doing it wrong all this time a " Ray's voice trailed off as he turned his face toward the window.

Will's voice softened a little. "You know, Ray, right and wrong are pretty harsh terms sometimes. I'm sorry if I've made you think that my way is the right way and all others are wrong. That's not at all what I mean. G.o.d has used you to build a successful ministry, and people have been touched through the years. Never doubt it! I'm just trying to offer you another option that's worked well for me and a few others. Would you like to stop for a while?"

Ray considered the question. Since he had no idea where they were headed, it was difficult to know if this was a good time to stop. "Will, just where are we going?"

"Oh, here and there. And if it's all the same to you, I'd like to keep going for a while. I know a spot up the road where we can pull off soon."

"You're the driver. But listen a I really do want to get this. What's the second type of outline you're talking about?"

"Well, if the first type is an informational outline," Will began, "the second type is what I call a relational outline. It's building your outline around the relationships between you the speaker, your audience, and then G.o.d, of course. I use the outline as a map to chart my course of interacting and interrelating between them. I call it ME-WE-G.o.d-YOU-WE."

"ME-WE a what?" Ray tried to repeat it back.

"ME-WE-G.o.d-YOU-WE."

"It sounds like the name of a summer camp," Ray joked. "Where'd you go last summer? Oh, I went to Camp MeweG.o.duwe."

Will laughed. "Well, I can't say it's as much fun as summer camp, but it is the route I take on my preaching journey." And with that Will launched into an explanation.

"The ME sectiona"well, that's where you have to start. That's where you explain who you are and what you're all about. I've spoken in a lot of places to a lot of different groups, and the ME part is where I introduce myself to the folks. An audience needs a certain comfort level with a speaker before they'll really listen. A pastor speaking in his church doesn't need a lot of introduction, and he can use this time to introduce the idea or topic of the morning.

"You see, Ray, once I feel like my listeners know me a little and that they trust me, then I'm ready to engage them. We'll talk more about that in the next imperative, but for now, that's the purpose of the WE section. It takes me from what I'm thinking or feeling to what WE are thinking and feeling. I have to find an emotional common ground with them around the topic or idea of the message. I may say something like, *As husbands we know this' or *As fathers we know that,' and I've connected with another group. But I can't stop there. I have to move to other age groups and such until I feel like I've found as much common ground as I can with the audience. Make sense? My goal is to raise a felt need with as many people in the audience as I can.

"Once I've done that," Will went on, "I can move on my map to the next relationship, and that's with G.o.d. The G.o.d section of the map is where I take this emotional common ground I've established and introduce biblical truth into the discussion. Now I'm providing a solution to the need I just raised. A lot of the preachers I know feel like they have to start with Scripture and then offer an application."

"Guilty as charged," Ray said. "It's the way I was taught."

"The problem with that approach," Will caught himself, "or I should say, the challenge with that approach, is that you're simply teaching Scripture on an informational basis. If your audience doesn't feel the need to listen, then a lot of times they just won't. They might still be sitting there staring at you, but they will have tuned you out."

Ray nodded. He knew all too well what Will was talking about.

"Remember, Ray, we're not teaching the Bible to people; we're teaching people the Bible. First, we connect with the people; then we move to the Bible."

Ray thought about the faraway looks and near catatonic stares that often looked back at him from the auditorium. He knew his audience, and they knew him all too well. But had he taken the time to connect them with the truth of G.o.d's Word?

"That leads us to YOU." Will was on a roll now. "Once I've introduced G.o.d's view on the subject as the answer to the need, it makes it easy for me to then ask, *What are you going to do about it?' This becomes the application segment. But if I've followed my map well, instead of having to stir up interest in making the application, the application comes as a relief." Will saw the look of disbelief in Ray's eyes. "Okay, it's not always a relief. But it's always the answer to a question they're already asking."

Ray felt like needling his mentor just a little. "This segment is called YOU. Does that mean the speaker is exempt from the application?"

"Aw, you know better than that, Ray. I call it YOU because I want to make sure I'm communicating the challenge at a personal level. You see, life change is going to come when people apply the truth to their livesa"and they sure as anything won't apply it until they feel like they really need to."

"So at this point," Ray began, "you can go back and make application to the groups you addressed in the WE section."

"Bingo. That's right on, brother. The outlinea"I mean, mapa"gives you the groups you need to cover with your application. You just go back, and everywhere you raised a need, now you make an application. But that leads to an important point, Ray. Don't raise a felt need that you aren't going to cover from G.o.d's Word and answer with an application. The worst thing a communicator can do is overpromise and under-deliver. You're building trust with your listeners. Not just trust in the information, but a "

"Trust in the relationship," Ray finished his thought. "What was the last word, Will, was it WE again?"

"That's right," Will said. "The last point on the relational map is WE. The earlier WE was a place to build common ground around a felt need. This WE is a place to cast a common vision."

"A vision?"

"A vision of what our lives, our church, and even our world would look like if only we would apply the truth of G.o.d's Word. It's the inspirational part of the message. My goal at this point is to inspire people to make a change. Sometimes being faced with G.o.d's Word can leave the listener feeling defeated, if all they think about is how far they have to go. But if I can give them a picture of what life will be like once they apply the truth, then they have a little hope."

"ME-WE-G.o.d-YOU-WE," Ray said. "Hey, I remembered! I think I can hold on to a map like that."

"And that's why it's such a good map to have, buddy. In imperative number two, when I said you have to pick a point and make it memorable, I told you that the right map would make that possible. And with this map a "

"I talk about me and the challenges we face," Ray began to complete Will's sentence like the question on a final exam. "Then I look at what G.o.d has said about it and the answers that He's given us. I offer personal application so that you can change your life and then how we can all celebrate that change together."

"And if at any time you get lost or confused, all you have to do is remember what relationship you're on, and then you know right where you're going," Will concluded.

As Ray mulled over these thoughts, it occurred to him that Will had never answered his question. "Will, you never did tell me where we're headed," Ray said.

"No, I didn't, did I?" Will smiled.

For the first time since his surreal adventure began, Ray began to review the facts. He didn't know where he was going with a man he had just been introduced to by another man he hardly knew. It should have been a little uncomfortable. But somehow, it wasn't.

Ray settled back into the large, comfortable seat of the oversized truck and smiled. He may not have known just where he was headed, but he knew it wasn't back to where he'd been.

6.

LOAD UP BEFORE YOU LEAVE.

"So what's the fourth imperative?" Ray asked.

"The fourth is very dependent on the second and third. I call it Internalize the Message. You see, knowing your destination and then having a good map are just preparation for the journey. Before I ever headed off cross-country, I had to make certain I knew how to get there."

"Right. We just talked about having the right kind of map for the journey." Ray said.

"Yes, but having the map and knowing where I was going were two different things. Once I climbed behind the wheel of that truck, I needed to know how I was going to get to my destination. I couldn't be looking down at a map trying to figure out the best route or where to turn. That's how accidents happen. I needed to know the best highways. Besides knowing my route, I needed to know my cargo, when my shipment was due, and a few other things to be ready for the trip. Driving long haul can take a lot out of you, and so you need to make sure you're ready before you begin. In other words, I needed to load up."

Ray could tell just by looking at Will that he would never leave home without being ready. He had the look of a man who was ready for just about anything. "How did that make you a better communicator?" Ray asked.

"I learned that I didn't want to step up in front of that crowd until I was ready. I had to load up to say something."

Ray looked out the window. Was this really something new? Didn't every communicator know not to stand up until he had something to say?

"What is it?" Will asked.

"I dunno. I guess the *load up' thing seems pretty obvious."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you? But I've seen a lot of preachers and speakers stand up and deliver a talk like they're reading the phone book."

"Oh, you're talking about delivery style," Ray said.

"No," the older man replied, "it's far more than that. I've heard guys preach messages and I would swear it was the first time they'd ever seen the words. I'm talking about internalizing a message until it's a part of you and you own it. In the old days, preachers called it their "burden." It's a message that comes from inside you, and then you stand up and deliver it."

"Are you saying to deliver it with no notes, from memory?"