Teaching notes used at Life Transforming College international - 501, Introduction to Christian Education.

1. Law 4
The Law of Communication

2. It is the teachers mission...by sympathy,
by example, and by every means of
influence - by objects for the senses, by
facts for the intelligence - to excite the
mind of the pupils, to stimulate their
thoughts...The greatest of teachers said:
“The seed is the word.” The true teacher
stirs the ground and sows the seed.
John Milton Gregory

4. Communication is not easy!

5. Communication is not easy!
We are in the business of
communication.

6. Communication is not easy!
We are in the business of
communication.
Communication is the reason for our
existence as teachers.

7. Communication is not easy!
We are in the business of
communication.
Communication is the reason for our
existence as teachers.
It is also our number one teaching
problem!

8. Building Bridges
Communication - from the Latin word, communis,
meaning “common” [to impart, to participate, to
share].
To communicate we must establish commonness,
(something we share in common) - the greater this
is, the greater the potential for communication.
What techniques would you use to develop
commonality with someone - e.g. a fellow
student, a teacher, a church member...

9. The Law of Communication:
To truly impart information
requires the building of
bridges

11. John 4
Jesus and the
Samaritan woman.
Commonality: both
are thirsty.
Jesus asks for a drink -
she is amazed that a
Jewish man should
ask her for a drink.

13. Jesus takes the initiative - and assumes nothing.
He then breaks down lots of barriers - racial,
religious, sexual, social and moral - and establishes
a base for communication
Jesus builds a bridge between the two of them

14. To truly impart communication requires the
building of bridges
Hendricks tells the story of taking an aunt to an
evangelistic meeting - at the end the evangelist
asked everyone to stand, then told the Christians
to sit down - his aunt stood, her whole body
stiffened in anger and embarrassment.
We have to do our homework on how people feel
How do you apply this to students who are
reluctant to speak?

15. Thought - Feeling - Action
Communication is a complicated process:
You have to deal with how people think, feel and
act - and then help them work on the process of
producing change in their life
Consider the following addenda from the pen of
Simon Smailus http://www.simonsmailus.com/

16. Gender Differences

17. Men
What do you do when you
face a problem?

18. Men
What do you do when you
face a problem?
• Go Quiet
• Think much
• Communicate little

19. Women
What do you do when you
face a problem?

20. Women
What do you do when you
face a problem?
• Talk
• Think out loud
• Communicate lots

21. Expressing feelings versus
expressing information
John Gray, Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, Thorsens, 1993

22. Men
• Men talk silently to themselves partly
because they don’t have the verbal
capacity of a woman.
• Men communicating with men are
happy with fewer words and longer
silences.

23. • However, women will think you are
distant, sulky or uninterested.
• If you want to get on better with women
you need to talk more and use more
expression.

24. Women
• Women think aloud and perceive
it as being friendly and sharing.
• Women use around 20,000
‘words’ (words, sounds and
gestures) every day. Men use
8,000.

25. • To get men to listen with respect,
focus on the outcomes. Don’t
think out loud.
• For added affect, deepen your
voice and limit your expressions.

26. The Differences
MEN
• Literal
• Direct
• Wait for a space
• Listen like statues
• Single track
• Are happy with
silences
• Use a grunt to show
they are listening
WOMEN
• Emotional
• Indirect
• Reward with words
• Respond as they listen
• Multi track
• Think silence is rejection
• Uses sounds to embellish
words

27. The importance of Punctuation
http://www.ojohaven.com/fun/correct.punctuation.html

28. Dear John:
I want a man who knows what love is all
about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful.
People who are not like you admit to being
useless and inferior. You have ruined me
for other men. I yearn for you. I have no
feelings whatsoever when we're apart. I
can be forever happy - will you let me be
yours?
Gloria
http://www.ojohaven.com/fun/correct.punctuation.html

29. Dear John:
I want a man who knows what love is. All
about you are generous, kind, thoughtful
people, who are not like you. Admit to being
useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For
other men, I yearn. For you, I have no
feelings whatsoever. When we're apart, I can
be forever happy. Will you let me be?
Yours,
Gloria
http://www.ojohaven.com/fun/correct.punctuation.html, 04/03/06

30. Listening

31. Facts about Listening
Listening is our primary communication
activity.
Our listening habits are not the result of
training but rater the result of the lack of it.
Most individuals are inefficient listeners
Good listening can be taught/learned

32. Listening: Learned first, Used most
(45%), Taught least.
Speaking: Learned second, Used next
most (30%), Taught next least.
Reading: Learned third, Used next
least (16%), Taught next most
Writing: Learned fourth, Used Least
(9%), Taught most.

33. Listening is composed of six distinct
components
Hearing: The physiological process of
receiving sound and/or other stimuli.
Attending: The conscious and
unconscious process of focusing attention
on external stimuli.
Interpreting: The process of decoding
the symbols or behavior attended to.

34. Evaluating: The process of deciding
the value of the information to the
receiver.
Remembering: The process of
placing the appropriate information
into short-term or long-term storage.
Responding: The process of giving
feedback to the source and/or other
receivers.

35. The Law of Communication:
To truly impart information
requires the building of
bridges

36. Thought - Feeling - Action
...back to Howard Hendricks;
All communication has three essential
components:
Intellect - thought
Emotion - feeling
Volition - action

37. If I know something thoroughly, feel it deeply, am
doing it consistently, I have great potential for
being an excellent communicator.
In fact the more thoroughly I know...the more
deeply I feel it...the more consistently I practice
it...the greater my potential as a communicator.
All 3 components have to be there.

38. Christians believe in the
authority and inspiration of
the Scripture - a body of
truth given by revelation
that has to be communicated
with the world. We don’t
make the message - we
declare it.
This is a blessing and a
problem for evangelicals -
why?

39. Because most
evangelicals rely solely
on the intellectual
component to
communicate it.
We assume that if we tell
people the right thing
their problems will
automatically be solved.

40. Emotionalism is
emotions out of control.
Emotions under control
is what we aim for - in
fact the most effective
communication always
includes an emotional
part - a feeling or
excitement factor.

41. Ask yourself what you
get excited about?
Is this reflected in your
teaching?
“We’re teaching the
most exciting truth in
all the world - eternal
truth - and doing it as if
it were cold mashed
potatoes”

42. Many Christians
communicate as if they
are bored by the subject
they are speaking about.
“You think, If this is
exciting him, I’d hate to see
him when he is bored.”
Hendricks suggests:
Use good gestures.
Smile occasionally.

43. Hendricks (p. 74)
A man tells me he is a Christian businessman, and
he cheats. I ask him how he accounts for that in
terms of Christian principles.
He says, we are in Rome, when in Rome do what
the Romans do.
Hendricks says how about, when in Rome as a
Christian does, don’t do as the Romans do.
What you are is far more important than what
you say or do.

44. God works incarnationally - in Jesus - and now in
you and me.
Do people leave your teaching thirsty for more
of God, wanting to study for themselves?
Every time you teach ask:
What do I know - and what do I want these
students to know?
What do I feel and what do I want them to feel?
What do I do - and what do I want them to do?

45. The Golden Rule
Do you think - I tell it to my students - now they
know it they will automatically live it.
“Do to others what you would have them do to you”
•What does it look like in our age group, culture,
experience?
•How do we feel about it - comfortable, radical?

46. •How do we react in a situation which requires
the Golden Rule to be lived out? What’s the usual
response, why, are there alternatives?
•Let’s find specific ways we can apply this. Set a
goal for putting them into practice - what
succeeded, what failed?

47. The Law of Communication:
To truly impart information
requires the building of
bridges

48. The Way with Words
When you have something in
your mind (thought), and you
feel it deeply, then you have
to communicate (action) it.
So we translate it into words
Remember it is not the words
we are trying to get across -
but the life changing message.

49. But words are important
We remember the things Jesus
said and did - words and
deeds, and these always
complimented one another,
they were in harmony
If a teacher says I am committed
to you,but is never available for
you do you believe them?
As a teacher you need to be
able to use words well

50. Perfecting your communication
The process: taking concepts,
feelings and actions,
translating them into words
and communicating them
through speech.
This requires 2 things:
1. Preparation
2. Presentation

51. 1. Preparation
Preparation gives form to your message - it
shapes it.
If you can shape or package your message well
then people will respond.
Hendricks suggests you should start with an
introduction - and this should be a bang - capture
peoples attention

52. 1. Preparation
Preparation gives form to your message - it
shapes it.
If you can shape or package your message well
then people will respond.
Hendricks suggests you should start with an
introduction - and this should be a bang - capture
peoples attention

53. Get the introduction right;
Hendricks suggests you have to
grab people with your
introduction.
“Elisha was residing in Dothan. He
awakened early one morning, went
out to pick up the Dothan Daily
and saw what to him was a horrible
sight”
He says you have driven to the
heart of the story and the class is
right with you.

54. Think of a good
introduction for;
The parable of the Good
Samaritan
Jesus heals the woman with
the flow of blood
Paul’s conversion on the road
to Damascus
...of for any other story from
the Bible

55. Of course all this assumes
you still have something
worthwhile to say
afterwards and you know
how to say it - content.
Hendricks suggests
almost all messages he
has heard could be
reduced by 25% - if the
speaker knew how to say
what they wanted to say

56. Hendricks suggests you
need illustrations,
visual aids, things that
are personal to you are
best and things that are
relevant to the lives of
the people around you

57. Then you need a
conclusion
Usually it is the least
prepared part of a
message.

58. “So the test of communication is not what
you as the teacher say, but what your
students say; not what you think, but what
your students think; not what you feel, but
what they feel; not what you’re doing, but
what they’re doing”
Hendricks (p. 79)

59. 2. Presentation
Involves many things;
Enunciation - speaking clearly, using your lips,
teeth and tongue.
Volume - make sure people can hear
Pitch - use more than one note - up and down
Speed - vary it to make things at least seem
interesting - fast, normal, slow

60. The Law of Communication:
To truly impart information
requires the building of
bridges

61. Presenting…
Helpful Hints for Delivering
Successful Presentations etc.

62. Worth Knowing
Most (all?) are nervous
at giving a presentation
For many it is
considered their number
one fear in life

63. Winston Churchill
claimed to prepare
one hour for every
minute he spoke in
public
Most people leave
preparation to the
last minute - then
rush around
gathering all the
info. they can

64. What can go wrong in a
presentation?

65. What can go wrong in a
presentation?
Audio-visuals (too
much info.)
Inappropriate
environment
Poor body language
Nervousness (habits)
Verbosity
Inappropriate
appearance
Lifeless delivery
External factors (e.g.
power supply)
Poor planning
Unclear message
Too much information
Poor organisation
Use of jargon
Lack of objectives
(clear goals)

66. A Model of Preparation
What is the bottom line?
Why are you making the presentation?
Conceive the conclusion
E.g. successful barristers often write their
final argument first and work towards it

67. Ask, “when I finish
what do I want people
to remember?”
During the
presentation I want to
appear
__________________
__________________

68. Use 5-10% of the time to conclude
Invent an introduction and title
Title; brief and arousing interest
Opening sentence to grab peoples
attention – the first 2-4 minutes are
crucial
KISS it - Keep It Short and Simple

69. Use 5-10% of the time to conclude
Invent an introduction and title
Title; brief and arousing interest
Opening sentence to grab peoples
attention – the first 2-4 minutes are
crucial
KISS it - Keep It Short and Simple

70. Rehearse
Language
Use appropriate
words
Technical language
and/or jargon

71. Stories, anecdotes, objects
Good visual aids
Make sure they are clear and high
quality
WAM them
What About Me – identify with the
group

75. Length of
presentation
Must know
Should know
Could know
Good notes
Read-Speak? Read
at 100 wpm, speak
at 500

76. Find out what works for you!
Develop the right frame of mind prior to
the speech, e.g.
Positive thoughts - Sports psychologists
encourage visualising the session /
game going well
A quiet walk
Check the setup
Do you know where to go? Is it tidy? Is
the equipment ready

77. Distractions
General - Someone walks
by, a noise, an insect, a
late arrival...
Personal - lack of sleep,
illness, worries, financial
problems, having had an
argument...

78. You can’t do anything
about most distractions,
apart from understanding
that they will be there

79. You can’t do anything
about most distractions,
apart from understanding
that they will be there

80. •Room temperature
•Room setup
•Think things through before the
presentation - and then eliminate as
many possible distractions as possible

81. Feedback
•You need as a teacher to know what your
students know, learned, felt etc.
•“Do you understand?”
•“Do you have any questions?”
•“How might you use this in your life?”
•“What needs to be changed, what did you
like/dislike...?”

82. •Don’t allow the students to tell you what
you want to hear - you need to hear what
you don’t want to
•Feedback brings the teaching process right
back into the words of your students

83. The Law of Communication:
To truly impart information
requires the building of
bridges

84. Once again our
time comes to a
close - cry no tears
my friend for there
is yet more to
come and inspire
your glorious
search for teaching
excellence