Welcome young padawan ninja. With much practice and discipline, you, too, can become a Master Communicator.
Time out. Before I go any further, I’m definitely not presuming to be a master communicator! It’s just really fun to use the ninja lingo. The truth is, I still have a lot to learn about being a good communicator (preacher/speaker/teacher). Writing about it here really helps me remember what it is that I should be doing so I can practice getting better. I just want to share it with you, too.
Now, where were we?
You must not let yourself grow weary of your training ahead. Your students have great potential to be leaders and world changers for the Kingdom of God. Your teaching must rise to that same potential.
You must carefully evaluate every message and listen to the critique of those around you. Ask for feedback and don’t take their critique personally. The more you remain objective about your skills, the faster you’ll reach your potential as a communicator.
To help you become a NextGen Ninja – Master Communicator I offer the following 8 rules. Five of them are inspired by the five rules of “Building a Teaching Strategy for Middle Schoolers” by Elle Campbell and Tom Schefschunas which they presented as a workshop at the 2015 Orange Conference. I’ve expounded on them, added three of my own, and I’ve assigned a Ninja Skill to each rule.
The next eight posts in this series, all on Mondays, will expand each of these rules.
- BE PREPARED
Ninja Skill – Discipline: Learn to be routined in your preparation.
Post scheduled for January 2, 2017 - SET UP THE SMALL GROUP LEADER
Ninja Skill – Assist: Learn to set up the Small Group Leader.
Post scheduled for January 16, 2017 - KEEP IT SHORT
Ninja Skill – Clarity: Learn to clear and concise.
Post scheduled for January 30, 2017 - KEEP IT SIMPLE
Ninja Skill – Focus: Learn to focus everything toward the bottom line.
Post scheduled for February 13, 2017 - BE INTERACTIVE
Ninja Skill – Agility: Learn to think quickly and adapt easily.
Post scheduled for February 27, 2017 - MASTER THE STORY
Ninja Skill – Craft: Learn to craft your words to tell better stories.
Post scheduled for March 13, 2017 - MAKE IT FUN
Ninja Skill – Humor: Learn to lighten up.
Post scheduled for March 27, 2017 - KEEP IT POSITIVE
Ninja Skill – Inspire: Learn to motivate by inspiring, not shaming.
Post scheduled for April 2, 2017
Study them well, young padawan ninja. You, too, can become a Master Communicator! With discipline, intentionality, focus, and practice, you can inspire faith in the hearts and minds of your students and become a NextGen Ninja!
