No one wants to spend time preparing to teach and then wind up having no one who listens. Have you ever felt relief when someone said, “and in conclusion?” Usually at the same moment of relief came guilt feelings. Hey, you like the speaker, especially if you are the one doing the speaking.
I heard a very capable person once say; a good speaker stands up to be seen, speaks up to be heard, and sits down to be appreciated.
Don’t get sore at your non listeners. You want to hold listeners, not hostages. When you learn to hold peoples attention, then you will have learners.
If your audience is squirming, yawning, scratching, staring into space or showing all of these signs, then you should stop talking. Here is a good attention grabber. Stop talking, look at your audience, pick up a pen and walk toward them. Ask someone a question about what you have been talking about. Wait for answers and audience participation if possible. I know that there are situations where this rule is not possible.
Always talk about what you know or what you have learned from study and preparation.
There are five kinds of speakers who stand out to me. From time to time I have found myself standing in the shoes of everyone of them. I call the first one, the point makers. If we have written it down, no matter the circumstances, we are going to squeeze in every part. Unless you are reading from God’s word, it is alright to skip a bit if it becomes necessary.
Sometimes there are teachers and speakers who seems oblivious to the audience. If you find yourself here at some point, try the rule of rules. Stop, make eye contact, use an attention grabber and ask a question. Remember all ages enjoy participation.
There are good and well meaning teachers who can become frustrated and become defensive toward an audience. Come on! Don’t you know how much time and effort I have put into this lesson.Why aren’t you listening?
Let us never be the teacher who has not studied and prepared. It happens to all of us at times, but failure to know what we want to get across, should never be a pattern of behavior. When your class walks in the door, greet them and know what you want them to learn today.
Have you ever felt yourself worn out and burned out. There are two solutions to this problem. Try to get more rest and remember that God always has a fresh supply of inspiration and refueling when we pray and read His word.
I found myself suffering from all of the above one Sunday morning.
What was I going to do with five little boys who chose to come to my Sunday school class today instead of going fishing?
Our discussion was going to be about poor old Job and his trials. Why would the editors of our class material choose such a subject? After all, these kids had nothing in common with Job.
I didn't realize that I would be the one who learned the most in the next few minutes. These boys had everything in common with Job. Poverty, disappointment, family sickness, and the desire to overcome their problems.
I had asked my mother in law, who at the time was in her late eighties, to come to class with me today. She is a very quiet person, but we all became energized as she told the boys about her struggles growing up. We learned about hope in times of trouble, about God's promises. She was very earnest as she told us how faithful God had been to her and her family for many years.
It became clear that we live in the same world that Job lived in. Outside of today’s modern convenience’s nothing much has changed. Man that is born of woman is of few days and much trouble.
How did this person who made no claims to being a teacher claim the class that day?
She connected with them eye to eye.
She knew what she was talking about. She cared about the boys. If she ran across them in the grocery store she was apt to give them money for a soda. Her fervency came from her love for the God she was describing.
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