Move with Purpose

The following is an excerpt from the book, How to Become a Youth Speaking Ninja.

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MOVE WITH PURPOSE

Too often, youth pastors don't practice their movements or blocking for a message. This leads to haphazard pacing, rocking, or statue-like posture that ultimately distracts from the content. It is worth an extra twenty minutes of preparation time to walk-through your message at least one time.

At a minimum, take at least the time necessary to time to determine where you will stand and how you will move as you share your stories and illustrations. Always move with purpose. Too often, youth communicators think that pacing back and forth adds energy to their talk. All it does is distract the students from hearing the content that is being shared. Their brains are trying to sort out all of the movement that they're seeing on stage and it distracts them from actually listening and processing what is being said.

REHEARSE YOUR GESTURES

Simply put, a gesture is a movement of the body, head or hand that adds emphasis or color to the spoken word. You use gestures all of the time during informal communication and so do your students. Take the time during your message rehearsal to work through specific gestures that you will use to add emphasis while speaking to the students from the platform. 

Too often, youth speakers are unsure as to what to do with their hands and they awkwardly put them in their pants-pockets for the duration of the message. On other occasions, they may find themselves over-gesturing by waving their arms wildly trying to dissipate all of the nervous energy. If you find yourself in either of these scenarios, relax and rehearse your gestures.

Gestures are probably the most expressive form of nonverbal communication a youth speaker can use. No other kind of physical action can enhance your message in as many ways as gestures do. When you employ intentional gestures in your message they:

1. Clarify and support your words. Gestures strengthen the students' understanding of your verbal message.

2. Dramatize your ideas. Together with what you say, gestures help paint vivid pictures in your listeners' minds.

3. Lend emphasis and vitality to the spoken word. Gestures convey your feelings and attitudes more clearly than what you say.

4. Help dissipate nervous tension. Purposeful gestures are a good outlet for the nervous energy inherent when speaking to youth.

5. Function as visual aids. Gestures enhance students' attentiveness and retention. 

6. Stimulate audience participation. Gestures help you indicate the response you seek from the students.

7. Are highly visible. Gestures provide visual support when you you're addressing a large number of students at one time and the entire group may not be able to see your eyes.

CLICK HERE to check out How to Become a Youth Speaking Ninja for Kindle.