Sermon Central
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All Great Sermons Contain These Three Elements: Does Your Sermon Have Them?
By Ron Edmondson on Nov 4, 2021
The best part of my sermon message preparation is after it's written.
One secret to effective speaking is to learn what not to say…
Don’t give everything you’ve got in a message.
A standard joke is about the young preacher giving his first message. After he has studied hard and has lots of information, he can’t help but share everything he’s got. One key, however, to an effective message is when the speaker learns what to say and what not to say. The “what not to say” is perhaps the more important part. I’m not an expert speaker, but for me, the best part of my sermon message preparation is after it’s written, going back and cutting parts of it to tighten up the talk.
Here are three suggestions to make a good talk great.
1. Be intentional in saying the right things. It’s easier just to throw everything into the talk. Deciding the right thing to say takes more effort, but makes the talk better.
2. Honor people’s time. Let’s face it. People are busy. They get bored easily. They check out before you make your final points. Understand this and you’ll keep their attention long enough to say what you need to say.
3. Leave them wanting more. It’s always good to leave your audience with an anticipation, rather than looking at their watch.
Unless you and I are exceptional communicators (the kind of communicator who is better than even they think they are), then we need to learn how to trim our messages, leaving the best parts and cutting the fluff. We will be more pleased with your results.
Have you sat through a speech or message that went too long?
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