Interview Questions to Sharpen Your Focus

~ by Lewie Schultz

As I have worked with fellow travelers on the road to communication excellence, I have learned that the best way to help people develop a sharply focused message is to carefully interview them. But I’ve also discovered this technique to be invaluable in drawing the message out of my own heart that I desire to deliver. The fog begins to clear as we prepare our messages by asking ourselves key questions. I’ve included a sample answer from my personal interview processes, just to help you get started.

Interview Question #1 – What do I want to talk about?
This may seem like an oversimplified question, but this personal inquiry begins to take you from the ten thousand foot view to a closer look at what it is you want to communicate. Once we choose a single subject or statement that truly captures the heart of what we want to talk about, we are on the road to crystal clear focus.

Answer: Prayer

Interview Question #2 – Why do I want to talk about it?
Each of us carries some kind of “burning in the bosom” when we are presented with the challenge of developing a compelling message. If I find myself defaulting to the lazy answer of “I just want to impart some information about [fill in the blank],” I really need to keep probing my mind and heart. Something is driving me to want to make a difference in the lives of those I will be sharing time with. So, it is imperative that I keep asking myself why I am interested in speaking about the subject.

Answer: To mobilize people to pray more

Interview Question #3 – What’s the best possible outcome if the hearer truly receives this message?
This is often a question that I ask the person who has invited me to speak at any given event. Ken taught me this in the mid 80’s, and I can’t tell you how much this has impacted me and those I end up serving with my message. Ken tells the story of how a mutual friend of ours was trying to prepare an effective talk for a group of younger teens many years ago. Our friend Jim was just starting to ask this question to those who would invite him to speak. The answer that came back exposed the Youth Pastor’s heart to see his kids really dig into the Bible. So Jim crafted a talk that was geared to motivate these young believers to sign up for a discipleship program that would be starting soon at the church. At the end of the message, many Junior High students walked right past the refreshments to the sign-up table. It changed the lives of many of these kids. Ask yourself what exactly would you like to see happen if your audience truly embraced the heart of your message. That will create a mental framework that will help us design an impacting talk.

Answer: That people would begin to see those around them in their circle of influence the same way God sees them.

Interview Question #4 – What needs to happen for my listener to make a positive change in this area of his life?
When I am asking myself this key question, I know the answer will begin to form the points of my message. It is a natural follow-up to question #3 because it allows me to move from thinking about the most powerful results I am expecting to the points my hearers will need to embrace.

Answer: People will be able to gain a heavenly perspective on those around them by getting a fresh vision of Christ, a fresh vision of themselves and a fresh vision of others.

Interview Question #5 – What media will best amplify the message I am delivering?
We started a Saturday evening service for twenty-somethings a few years ago. And I would ask the worship team to tell me about the forms of media that had impacted them the most during this season of their life. So, we decided to incorporate a contemporary music video and a compelling movie clip into every service in order to bring increased clarification to the theme and message of each worship event. When they invited peers to each weekly event, they knew their friends would experience a relevant message conveyed through media they could relate to. Many found Christ because the message was captured in forms that they were accustomed to experiencing.

Bottom line? Since we all want to make a difference every time we speak, these key questions can provide a framework for developing clarity and focus.

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Posted on February 20, 2012 in the Business, Communicating, Corporate Communication, Preaching, Presentations, Public Speaking, Speaking category. Leave a comment.

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SCORRE South Africa!

~ by Bobby Fisher

The twists and turns of life never seem to get old.  As a drug addict and fully committed atheist, who would have thought I would be loving life as a follower of Christ.  As a manager in the communications industry for 20 years in Colorado, how did I end up a pastor in California?

The truth is I love the surprises!

And so this spring I will embark on another journey – I am taking the SCORRE conference to South Africa.  Our team will be training 32 indigenous pastors on how to study the Bible, and then transition into a three day SCORRE conference.

Why South Africa?  If you have been to SCORRE in the U.S.A., then you know the value of SCORRE in preparing and delivering focused, crystal clear talks.  The need in Africa is exponential in comparison.  Pastors receive minimal training in Biblical studies and literally no training in communication.  Christianity is growing across Africa, but the pastoral training is lagging badly.  And so there are literally thousands of congregations with no pastor or an untrained pastor.  I realize God can and is doing great things even with these conditions, but just think of the impact not only on the pastors, but on the church at large as we begin to raise up Biblically and SCORRE trained pastors.  Why South Africa? The Apostle Paul said it best:

“Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”  2 Timothy 4:2

SCORRE South Africa!  I do love surprises!

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Bobby Fisher has been married to his lovely wife Jill for 33 years; he is father of three grown children and grandfather to four. Bobby is Executive Pastor at Big Valley Grace Community Church in Modesto, California, where he oversees a staff of more than 50 pastors, directors and administrative staff. He is passionate about the local church and its role as the expression of Christ to the surrounding community. You can learn more about Bobby or any of our SCORRE coaches here.

 

 

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Posted on February 13, 2012 in the Communicating, Preaching category. Leave a comment.

Feel The Love!

This is the email that went out to our faithful subscribers earlier today. I thought our blog followers might want to be “in the know,” too. We’d love to have you at the SCORRE conference. Questions, concerns, or hesitations? Let us know. We’ll help you find the answers!

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Heart-shaped cards. Bottles of perfume. And boxes of chocolate. Over the coming days, you’ll scour card stores and candy shops trying to find just the right gift for the one you love. But regardless of the gift you choose, your biggest challenge is finding the right words. After all, it isn’t the gift that matters most, but the message.

If anyone understands the importance of a powerful message, we do! For decades, we’ve coached thousands of hopeful speakers in the art of effective communication. Whether you’re a writer, teacher, executive, athlete, blogger, or minister, the SCORRE Conference can help you craft your message. It IS possible to transform passion into a presentation that leaves your audience inspired. Our time-proven SCORRE™ system will not only reframe the way you approach communication, but will change the way your audience responds to you. Learn to communicate in such a way your hearers know what you are saying, why you are saying it, and – most importantly – why they should listen.

We believe in you! But we know taking that first step requires no small amount of courage. So we’re sweetening the deal just a little, to make sure you know how much we want you. Register by February 14th and get our “Feel the Love!” $100 discount toward the April 30 – May 3 SCORRE Conference in Rome, GA. For more information and to register, click on the link.

While you’re searching out the right card, make the SCORRE Conference a part of your message in 2012. Or wrap it up as a gift for your Valentine. Either way, now is the time to say “Yes!”

See you in Rome!

“That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do.
Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Posted on February 9, 2012 in the Business, Communicating, Corporate Communication, Events, Preaching, Presentations, Public Speaking, Speaking category. Leave a comment.

3 Guidelines for Using Story in Business Communications

~ By Curtis Fletcher

When was the last time you attended a meeting at work or a presentation by an executive and found you were both informed AND entertained? Fix that date in your mind. Now, how many meeting have you attended since then that have put you to sleep or left you wondering why you were there?

It is an interesting conundrum that so many folks feel that business presentations should be all business when the most successful business people are the ones who tell stories:  Bill Gates, Jack Walton, Steve Jobs, all story tellers.

John Kotter, Harvard Business School professor, author, widely regarded as an authority on leadership and change goes so far as to say, “Over the years I have become convinced that we learn best–and change–from hearing stories that strike a chord within us.”

Perhaps its a confidence issue. We’re not sure we can pull it off and that keeps us from leveraging story, analogy, and humor in the business setting. Allow me to suggest three guidelines that will help your confidence when using story and humor in your next business presentation.

It Has to Fit

I was presenting a “customer testimonial” at a dinner session where customer prospects had been invited to hear what was new in a particular software package. The gentleman up before me started his presentation with a story/joke he’d heard the day before. He told it well enough and he got a decent laugh. It had nothing to do with the rest of his presentation.

I watched as the audience drifted off into side mumblings and private chuckles about everything other than what the speaker was presenting. He’d lost them.

When I came up next I had already changed my intro. I started with a story about being in a dinner meeting where the food was good, the lighting and sound were bad, and the slides were impossible to read…nearly the exact setting we were in at that moment. Not only did I get the audience back, I had them in the palm of my hand because the story fit the setting, the purpose, and the information I was about to present.

It Has to be Fun

When using humor, analogies and stories in business meetings you need to be sure that your choice of material is inclusive. Anything that segments your audience or risks offending a particular group isn’t fun. Self-deprecation, verbally allowing yourself to slip on a banana peel, that’s a much safer bet.

It was a session on reporting, standing room only, 300 customers. They weren’t hostile, but they were anxious, they needed something new. Before we even got to Q&A a guy half way back raised his hand and in an angry voice said, “Listen, I don’t care about this new reporting engine. Unless it talks to the scheduling engine it doesn’t help me. What are you doing to make them talk to each other?”

I paused, “Well, we’ve had them in counseling for several months and we’re sending them off on a romantic getaway this weekend where we’re really hoping for a breakthrough.”

The room exploded in laughter. If I had left it there it would have been terrible because this guy would have felt that he had been made the brunt of the joke.  Instead, I stepped down off the stage and moved in his direction as I continued, “I once had a vendor tell me that batch reporting (the stuff you schedule) wasn’t important, that it was all about the flexibility of the reporting engine. I disagreed completely, he had to pay for lunch, and we didn’t buy his software.” I then went on to explain EXACTLY how the two engines were going to talk to each other.

By telling a brief story where I put myself in his shoes and showing I understood his concern I relieved his tension. By making the information fun and inclusive I had now become a trusted problem solver who understood their need rather than a fact spouting “expert” who was out of touch with day to day business.

It Has to Flow

Remember the simple truth that all good stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

  • Beginnings should be strong, anticipatory, just say the words “Once upon a time…” and watch the eyes in the crowd all focus on you.
  • Middle’s are where you put the bulk on the content, generally the bit you have to say.
  • Ends are where you drive home the connection and application.

If you can’t get all three don’t use the story.

Find your stories. Craft the flow, make them fun, use them where they fit and people will remember what you have to say.

There is little success where there is little laughter. ~ Andrew Carnegie

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Curtis Fletcher has been an integral part of the Dynamic Communicators International family for close to 20 years. During that time he has applied the principles of SCORRE while working in a variety of companies in a variety of roles ranging from youth pastor to internet programming analyst, from marketing director to CTO, and from VP of strategy to personal coach. Curtis is currently the director of constituent marketing operations for Compassion International’s US group…which, with him, is subject to change at the drop of a hat.

In his spare time, all three minutes of it, Curtis enjoys photography, computer graphic art, and occasional fits of Xbox and he subscribes to the notion that Disneyland IS the happiest place on earth. You can follow Curtis on Twitter or his blog.

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Posted on January 24, 2012 in the Business, Communicating, Corporate Communication, Events, Preaching, Presentations, Public Speaking, Speaking category. Leave a comment.

Fearless Speaking and the Great Conformity Hoax

~ By Lucille Zimmerman

“Lu-lllllleeeeeeee-na!” Laurie would yell as she came leaping into the university cafeteria. All heads would turn, first to look at her, and then to look at Lulina, the name she gave me. I wanted to crawl under the table.

Laurie was a dance major, which in itself was rare at Creighton University where almost everyone preferred pre-law, pre-med, or nursing. Laurie came from Minnesota, and she loved the musician Prince. She would dance on the bed, with pretend microphone in hand, singing, “… she wore a raspberry beret, the kind you find at a second hand store…”

When I attended The SCORRE Conference last fall, my coach Candie Blankman told me I had Weather-Girl Syndrome (WGS). WGS is when a pleasant person speaks from her throat rather than her diaphragm. Her voice comes out monotone and meek, rather than interesting and confident. Candie also told me if I’m going to act out something such as a phone conversation, I needed to emphasize it. Basically she was telling me to “go big or go home.”

More and more, I’m learning that all speakers should stop worrying about humiliating themselves because:

1. Being different is what makes you interesting. It’s how people remember you. Look at all the details I remember about Laurie: Her shelves were piled high with tights, leggings, leotards, sweaters, and ultra feminine blouses. Along the top of her bed’s headboard were at least 20 bottles of designer perfume that she shared freely with me. But the most unique thing about Laurie was her sock collection. Laurie had a pair of anklets to fit any outfit and occasion. She was appalled if my socks didn’t coordinate with my daily attire: “Lulina, here are some red Christmas socks with jingle bells for your hooves.” Laurie nicknamed every human body part with an animal part.

2. There’s no such thing as normal. As a counselor, I meet my share of people who are trying to be perfect. They want to fit in so badly they are desperately trying to be flawless but instead they are perfectly boring. Our uniqueness is the handcraftsmanship of God. When God knit me in my mother’s womb (Psalm 139) he said, “I’m going to give this one square toes and a funny laugh.”

As one of my favorite speakers, Amanda Gore, says, “No one is really thinking about you, because they are so worried about what you’re thinking of them.”

Is your fear of humiliation keeping you from becoming an interesting and memorable speaker?

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Lucille Zimmerman is working on a book about self-care for Abingdon Press. She and her husband are celebrating 25 years of marriage and are experiencing the “empty nest.” She has a private counseling practice in Littleton, Colorado and teaches psychology courses at Colorado Christian University. She writes on her own blog and the WordServe Water Cooler. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

 

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Posted on January 9, 2012 in the Communicating category. 2 Comments.
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