Recently I’ve started to change the first question I ask of my executive clients who want to become better communicators. In his last major public presentation, Steve Jobs said, “It’s the intersection of technology and liberal arts that makes our hearts sing.” So today I’ve replaced “What are you passionate about” with “What makes your heart sing?”
-Carmine Gallo, Talk Like TED, Kindle Loc. 280.
Is there anything you are so excited about sharing that you can’t wait until you get to that part of the message? If not, you aren’t ready. You don’t have a burden. You may have pages of information and it may all be true, but if you don’t have something that people need so badly that you feel compelled to share it, you still have work to do.
-Andy Stanley, Communicating for Change, Kindle Loc. 1498.
Note to self and to other preachers: if nothing in your sermon prep has excited you, then you’re not done with your prep yet. Keep digging until you find something compelling, then turn your primary attention to that.
