Every youth pastor communicates. For some, it is a dreaded weekly task. For others, it is one of the main highlights of their week. Then, there are those few brave souls who desire to extend their influence outside of the walls of their local church ministry and communicate to other groups of students for the advance of the Kingdom.
Let's examine how the average youth pastor, who feels called to extend their influence, can take some some practical steps to break into the youth speaking industry.
1. Examine your heart.
Before venturing out into the world as a youth speaker, it is wise to take a step back and examine "why" you want to become a youth speaker. Is it so that YOU can make extra money? Is it so that YOU can be "that guy" up on stage speaking to thousands? Is it so that YOU can become world famous and write a book? All of these are ego-centric, selfish, pride-driven reasons for entering the youth speaking marketplace and will each end poorly with minimal impact and influence for the Kingdom. Remember, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Be sure that your attitude is one of humility and that your motive for speaking is to put both God and the students you are speaking to first.
2. Have something to say.
Take the time to develop a strong message. Individualize it as appropriate for each group that brings you in to speak. You may be a solid speaker, but if you don't have a timely, relevant message from God's Word, there's no point in pursuing outside speaking opportunities.
PRACTICAL TIP: Need help putting together a message? Use these 10 Steps to Developing and Delivering a Dynamite Message for Students.
3. Pray for open doors.
Jesus said ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be open. Many prospective youth speakers are remiss in waiting till the end of the process to pray. Those who want to make a significant impact pray on the front end, in the midst of, and throughout the entirety of the process. As Oswald Chambers states, "Prayer does not equip us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work."
4. Start small.
Do not despise the day of small beginnings. A major principle of the kingdom is that when we are faithful in the little, God will entrust us with more. When it comes to being a youth speaker, don't despise speaking for a group of ten students. Don't despise speaking at a chapel for a local Christian school. Don't despise speaking for a free meal and a gas card. Everyone starts somewhere. Smaller-sized speaking engagements help you build your credibility and get much needed experience and practice in sharpening your skills, message, and connection with students.
PRACTICAL TIP: Network and connect with schools, churches, and community groups in your area to build both credibility and references.
5. Communicate to serve, not to be served.
When you are preparing for a speaking opportunity and while you are actually delivering the message at the event, remember that you are partnering with the leaders of the group to serve them and the students... Not the other way around. As the disciple Matthew wrote, Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. It is your honor to serve the groups that bring you in to speak, not their honor to host you.
PRACTICAL TIP: Serve in every way possible. Help set up, tear down, and clean up. Take time to connect individually with as many students as possible and LISTEN to their stories.
6. Leverage word-of-mouth references.
After speaking at an event, send a thank you note to the host and request a few contacts to whom they would recommend you. Assuming that you did an excellent job, they will highly recommend you to a few to their peers. Also, be sure to get some video of student and leader testimonies. With permission, you can use these video or written quotes and recommendations for your website and other promotional material.
7. Let one speaking opportunity lead to another.
Do your best to meet and network with other leaders and groups who are in attendance at the event that you are speaking at. There is always a possibility that they will invite you to speak to their group in the future.
PRACTICAL TIP: Be sure to utilize Facebook, Twitter and other social media to stay connected with those that you network with at the events that you speak at.
8. Get some coaching!
If you are serious about taking your communication skills to the next level, presentation coaching is a must. A speaking coach will help you refine your message and content, provide you will practical feedback on every aspect of your presentation and delivery, and give you personalized tools to help your speaking go from good to great. Making the financial and time investment to receive coaching will pay huge dividends in return for you both on the skills and the business sides of the speaking industry.
PRACTICAL TIP: Check out the Youth Communicator's Cohort for communication coaching, encouragement, and feedback. It's free! If you are interested in affordable personalized, individual communication coaching, Youth Speaker's Coach provides one-on-one communication coaching as well.
9. Don't quit your day job.
I believe that the local church is the hope of the world. One of the huge blessings of being a youth pastor is the consistent relationship that you have with your students. While it may seem appealing to step out of full-time ministry, throw caution to the wind and speak for a living, it takes a tremendous investment of hard work, time and effort to build a full-time, professional speaking business. Be sure to continue to listen to the Holy Spirit and follow God's will for your life.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Considering the Apostle Paul's Approach to Speaking to Students
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NIV)
What is our approach when we speak to students? Do we come to them with all of our charisma, flashy-pants, and persuasiveness? OR... Do we approach them in weakness, fear, and trembling allowing for a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit?
Just some food for thought and self-examination...
What is our approach when we speak to students? Do we come to them with all of our charisma, flashy-pants, and persuasiveness? OR... Do we approach them in weakness, fear, and trembling allowing for a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit?
Just some food for thought and self-examination...
Monday, April 1, 2013
FREE Illustration of the Month (Amazing April Edition)
This month's free illustration comes to us by way of Melinda Reinicke and the book ,"Parables for Personal Growth." I have used this illustration on a few different occasions when speaking to students about sexual purity, dealing with pornography, and relationships. It is one of those illustrations that I would label as a "platinum illustration" or "5 star illustration." Basically, you would typically only use one of these in a given message. It's extremely memorable. It can be told with music in the background. It's also a much longer story than normal.
If you are looking for some free training, register for the Youth Communicator's Cohort.
And now, I give you... The Prince and the Dragon.
------------------------------
“The Prince and the Dragon – A Parable”
There was once a great and noble King whose land was terrorized by a wicked and crafty dragon. Like a massive bird of prey, the scaly beast delighted in ravaging villages with his fiery breath. Hapless victims ran from their burning homes, only to be snatched into the dragon’s jaws or talons. Those devoured instantly were deemed more fortunate than those carried back to the dragon’s lair to be devoured at his leisure.
The king led his sons and knights in many valiant battles against the serpent. Riding alone in the forest, one of the King’s sons heard his name purred soft and low. Lost in thoughts of restlessness and loneliness in his father’s house, the young prince thought for a moment that he was hearing things. He felt a strange hesitation in his heart. Again, his name was called. In the shadows of the ferns and trees, curled among the boulders, lay the dragon.
The heavy-lidded eyes of the creature fastened ablaze on the prince, and the reptilian mouth stretched into a seductive smile. “Don’t be alarmed,” said the dragon, as gray wisps of smoke rose lazily from his nostrils. “I am not what your father thinks of me.” “What are you, then?” demanded the prince, instinctively drawing his sword as he pulled in the reigns to keep his frightened horse from bolting. “I am more than what you’ve been told, my prince,” said the dragon unashamedly. “I am delight; I am pleasure.” The prince answered nothing.
He was at once fascinated and somehow afraid of this beautiful creature. Noticing his hesitation, the serpent cried, “Ride on my back and you will experience what few can only imagine. What no King has yet experienced! Come now…believe me, I have no harmful intentions. Truly, I seek only a friend – someone to share my flights with me. I am lonely. You understand loneliness. Have you never dreamed of flying, my prince? Never longed to soar in the clouds? Never longed to take what isn’t yours?”
The prince felt intoxicated. Was it the smoke that seemed to curl its way toward him with every word? Or was it the words themselves? Visions of soaring high above the forested hills of his father’s kingdom drew the prince hesitantly from his horse. And the dragon was stunning – captivatingly beautiful. The prince had never seen emerald so green as the dragon’s coat. As he marveled at its strange beauty, his curiosity brought him closer. Knowingly, the dragon unfurled one great webbed wing brilliantly adorned in gemstones stolen from some kingdom past.
The dragon delighted in stolen treasure. “Come, my prince. Come ride with me.” In one fateful decision, the prince sheathed his sword and placed his hands and feet on the brilliant stones, climbing atop the emerald staircase to the serpent’s back. The dragon rose immediately to its feet. The prince had been deceived of its size, for now it seemed far more powerful and immense than many horses.
The creature snapped its great wings twice launching them both into the sky. The prince’s apprehension melted into exhilaration as he felt the awesome rule of the wind beneath him and the fragrant breeze on his face…. From then on, he met the dragon often, but secretly, for how could he tell his father or brothers or the knights that he had befriended the kingdom’s greatest enemy? The serpent taught the Prince many wicked things.
At first, he was revolted and ashamed by them. But more and more he found himself obsessed, even captivated by his newfound secret. Quickly, the prince began to feel separate – from everyone. The kingdom’s concerns were no longer his. Even when he wasn’t stealing away secretly to be with the dragon, he spent less time with those he loved.
More and more, he spent his time alone or with the creature. The skin on the prince’s legs began to callous from gripping the dragon’s ridged back. His hands grew rough and hardened. He began wearing gloves to hide the malady. After many nights of riding he discovered scales growing on the backs of his hands as well. With dread he realized his fate were he to continue, and so he resolved to return no more to the dragon.
But, after a fortnight, he again sought out the dragon, having been tortured with desire. And so, in this way, it transpired many times over. No matter what the determination, the prince eventually found himself pulled back, as if by the cords of an invisible web. The dragon’s charms, so gentle in the beginning, now held the prince more tightly than he had the will to resist. Silently, patiently, the serpent waited…always waited. One cold, moonless night their excursion became a foray against a sleeping village.
Torching the thatched roofs with fiery blasts from his nostrils, the dragon roared with delight when the terrified victims fled from their burning homes. Swooping in, the serpent belched again, and flames engulfed a cluster of screaming villagers. The prince closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to shut out the horror and the carnage, but he could not.
Sometimes, he even allowed himself to feel the old thrill. Then, in bitter remorse, his heart sinking in shame, he tried to hide himself. But the flames of the burning village lighted on his face. In the predawn hours, when the prince crept back from his dragon trysts, the road outside his father’s castle usually remained empty. But not tonight. Terrified refugees streamed into the protective walls of the castle.
The prince attempted to slip through the crowd to close himself in his chambers, but some of the survivors stared and pointed toward him. “He was there,” one woman cried out, “I saw him on the dragon’s back!” Others nodded their heads in riotous agreement. Some only stared in disbelief and growing recognition.
Horrified, the prince saw that his father, the King, was in the courtyard holding a bloodstained and seemingly dead child in his arms; his face mirrored the agony of the child’s mother. He looked up at the angry cries, and his eyes found the prince’s. The son fled, hoping to escape into the night, but the guards apprehended him as if he were a common thief. They brought him to the great hall where his father sat solemnly on his throne. People on every side railed against the prince.
“Banish him!” he heard one of his own brothers cry out violently. “Burn him alive!” other voices shouted. “Let him burn the way he burned our children and our homes!” As the King arose from his throne, bloodstains shone darkly on his royal robes, and the crowd fell silent in expectation of his decree. The prince, who could not bear to look into his father’s face, stared down at the flagstone floor. “Take off your gloves and your tunic,” the King commanded.
Was his shame not already enough? The prince had hoped for a quick death without further humiliation. Now, he resigned himself to his fate. He obeyed slowly, agonizingly, dreading to have his metamorphosis uncovered before the kingdom. Sounds of revulsion rippled through the crowd, and parents covered their children’s eyes at the sight of the prince’s thick, scaled skin and the ridge now growing upward along his spine. Horrible! He was…could it be? The thought was so ghastly many turned away in disgust.
But the King strode toward his son. The prince steeled himself. He fully expected a back-handed blow even though he had never been struck so by his father. Instead, his father pulled him to himself, embraced him, holding him tightly…and wept.
In shocked disbelief, the prince buried his face against his father’s shoulder in a way he hadn’t done for too long. Tears began to burn down his scorched cheeks. “Do you wish to be freed from the dragon, my son?” The prince answered in despair, “Father, I’ve wished it so many times! But there remains no hope for me.” “Not alone,” said the King. “You cannot win against the serpent alone.”
“I am no longer your son! I am half beast,” sobbed the prince bitterly. He began to convulse in such cruel remorse that even the villagers pitied him. But his father replied, “My blood still runs in your veins.
My nobility has always been stamped deep within your soul.” With his face still hidden tearfully in his father’s embrace, the prince heard the King instruct the crowd, “The dragon is crafty. Some fall victim to his wiles, for he is a great deceiver. Some fall to his violence for he has only wickedness in his heart. There will be mercy for all who wish to be freed! Who else among you has ridden the dragon?”
The prince lifted his head to see someone emerge from the crowd. To his amazement, he recognized an older brother, one who had been lauded throughout the kingdom for his onslaughts against the dragon in battle and for his many good deeds.
Others came. Some came still smelling of the smoke and sweat from the carnage in the village. Some came weeping. Others hung their heads in shame.
The King embraced them all. “This is our most powerful weapon against the dragon,” he announced.
“Truth. No more hidden flights. Alone we cannot resist him.”
-----------------------------
www.mattmaiberger.com
If you are looking for some free training, register for the Youth Communicator's Cohort.
And now, I give you... The Prince and the Dragon.
------------------------------
“The Prince and the Dragon – A Parable”
There was once a great and noble King whose land was terrorized by a wicked and crafty dragon. Like a massive bird of prey, the scaly beast delighted in ravaging villages with his fiery breath. Hapless victims ran from their burning homes, only to be snatched into the dragon’s jaws or talons. Those devoured instantly were deemed more fortunate than those carried back to the dragon’s lair to be devoured at his leisure.
The king led his sons and knights in many valiant battles against the serpent. Riding alone in the forest, one of the King’s sons heard his name purred soft and low. Lost in thoughts of restlessness and loneliness in his father’s house, the young prince thought for a moment that he was hearing things. He felt a strange hesitation in his heart. Again, his name was called. In the shadows of the ferns and trees, curled among the boulders, lay the dragon.
The heavy-lidded eyes of the creature fastened ablaze on the prince, and the reptilian mouth stretched into a seductive smile. “Don’t be alarmed,” said the dragon, as gray wisps of smoke rose lazily from his nostrils. “I am not what your father thinks of me.” “What are you, then?” demanded the prince, instinctively drawing his sword as he pulled in the reigns to keep his frightened horse from bolting. “I am more than what you’ve been told, my prince,” said the dragon unashamedly. “I am delight; I am pleasure.” The prince answered nothing.
He was at once fascinated and somehow afraid of this beautiful creature. Noticing his hesitation, the serpent cried, “Ride on my back and you will experience what few can only imagine. What no King has yet experienced! Come now…believe me, I have no harmful intentions. Truly, I seek only a friend – someone to share my flights with me. I am lonely. You understand loneliness. Have you never dreamed of flying, my prince? Never longed to soar in the clouds? Never longed to take what isn’t yours?”
The prince felt intoxicated. Was it the smoke that seemed to curl its way toward him with every word? Or was it the words themselves? Visions of soaring high above the forested hills of his father’s kingdom drew the prince hesitantly from his horse. And the dragon was stunning – captivatingly beautiful. The prince had never seen emerald so green as the dragon’s coat. As he marveled at its strange beauty, his curiosity brought him closer. Knowingly, the dragon unfurled one great webbed wing brilliantly adorned in gemstones stolen from some kingdom past.
The dragon delighted in stolen treasure. “Come, my prince. Come ride with me.” In one fateful decision, the prince sheathed his sword and placed his hands and feet on the brilliant stones, climbing atop the emerald staircase to the serpent’s back. The dragon rose immediately to its feet. The prince had been deceived of its size, for now it seemed far more powerful and immense than many horses.
The creature snapped its great wings twice launching them both into the sky. The prince’s apprehension melted into exhilaration as he felt the awesome rule of the wind beneath him and the fragrant breeze on his face…. From then on, he met the dragon often, but secretly, for how could he tell his father or brothers or the knights that he had befriended the kingdom’s greatest enemy? The serpent taught the Prince many wicked things.
At first, he was revolted and ashamed by them. But more and more he found himself obsessed, even captivated by his newfound secret. Quickly, the prince began to feel separate – from everyone. The kingdom’s concerns were no longer his. Even when he wasn’t stealing away secretly to be with the dragon, he spent less time with those he loved.
More and more, he spent his time alone or with the creature. The skin on the prince’s legs began to callous from gripping the dragon’s ridged back. His hands grew rough and hardened. He began wearing gloves to hide the malady. After many nights of riding he discovered scales growing on the backs of his hands as well. With dread he realized his fate were he to continue, and so he resolved to return no more to the dragon.
But, after a fortnight, he again sought out the dragon, having been tortured with desire. And so, in this way, it transpired many times over. No matter what the determination, the prince eventually found himself pulled back, as if by the cords of an invisible web. The dragon’s charms, so gentle in the beginning, now held the prince more tightly than he had the will to resist. Silently, patiently, the serpent waited…always waited. One cold, moonless night their excursion became a foray against a sleeping village.
Torching the thatched roofs with fiery blasts from his nostrils, the dragon roared with delight when the terrified victims fled from their burning homes. Swooping in, the serpent belched again, and flames engulfed a cluster of screaming villagers. The prince closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to shut out the horror and the carnage, but he could not.
Sometimes, he even allowed himself to feel the old thrill. Then, in bitter remorse, his heart sinking in shame, he tried to hide himself. But the flames of the burning village lighted on his face. In the predawn hours, when the prince crept back from his dragon trysts, the road outside his father’s castle usually remained empty. But not tonight. Terrified refugees streamed into the protective walls of the castle.
The prince attempted to slip through the crowd to close himself in his chambers, but some of the survivors stared and pointed toward him. “He was there,” one woman cried out, “I saw him on the dragon’s back!” Others nodded their heads in riotous agreement. Some only stared in disbelief and growing recognition.
Horrified, the prince saw that his father, the King, was in the courtyard holding a bloodstained and seemingly dead child in his arms; his face mirrored the agony of the child’s mother. He looked up at the angry cries, and his eyes found the prince’s. The son fled, hoping to escape into the night, but the guards apprehended him as if he were a common thief. They brought him to the great hall where his father sat solemnly on his throne. People on every side railed against the prince.
“Banish him!” he heard one of his own brothers cry out violently. “Burn him alive!” other voices shouted. “Let him burn the way he burned our children and our homes!” As the King arose from his throne, bloodstains shone darkly on his royal robes, and the crowd fell silent in expectation of his decree. The prince, who could not bear to look into his father’s face, stared down at the flagstone floor. “Take off your gloves and your tunic,” the King commanded.
Was his shame not already enough? The prince had hoped for a quick death without further humiliation. Now, he resigned himself to his fate. He obeyed slowly, agonizingly, dreading to have his metamorphosis uncovered before the kingdom. Sounds of revulsion rippled through the crowd, and parents covered their children’s eyes at the sight of the prince’s thick, scaled skin and the ridge now growing upward along his spine. Horrible! He was…could it be? The thought was so ghastly many turned away in disgust.
But the King strode toward his son. The prince steeled himself. He fully expected a back-handed blow even though he had never been struck so by his father. Instead, his father pulled him to himself, embraced him, holding him tightly…and wept.
In shocked disbelief, the prince buried his face against his father’s shoulder in a way he hadn’t done for too long. Tears began to burn down his scorched cheeks. “Do you wish to be freed from the dragon, my son?” The prince answered in despair, “Father, I’ve wished it so many times! But there remains no hope for me.” “Not alone,” said the King. “You cannot win against the serpent alone.”
“I am no longer your son! I am half beast,” sobbed the prince bitterly. He began to convulse in such cruel remorse that even the villagers pitied him. But his father replied, “My blood still runs in your veins.
My nobility has always been stamped deep within your soul.” With his face still hidden tearfully in his father’s embrace, the prince heard the King instruct the crowd, “The dragon is crafty. Some fall victim to his wiles, for he is a great deceiver. Some fall to his violence for he has only wickedness in his heart. There will be mercy for all who wish to be freed! Who else among you has ridden the dragon?”
The prince lifted his head to see someone emerge from the crowd. To his amazement, he recognized an older brother, one who had been lauded throughout the kingdom for his onslaughts against the dragon in battle and for his many good deeds.
Others came. Some came still smelling of the smoke and sweat from the carnage in the village. Some came weeping. Others hung their heads in shame.
The King embraced them all. “This is our most powerful weapon against the dragon,” he announced.
“Truth. No more hidden flights. Alone we cannot resist him.”
-----------------------------
www.mattmaiberger.com
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Registration is Now Open for the Youth Communicator's Cohort (Fall '13)!
If you want to improve your communication and speaking skills with students, join us for the cohort beginning in September 2013. Registration is now open and it's FREE (but due to the individual nature of the calls and feedback, space is very limited).
You can register BY CLICKING HERE.
YCC members commit to participating in a monthly conference call for encouragement, training, and feedback. Each participant will submit a video of a recent message for the rest of the cohort to view and feedback on. Also, cohort members take turns facilitating discussion each month on a communication-centered topic. Topics include:
Biblical exegesis
Blocking, movement, and gestures
Message outline and structure
Storytelling
Refining your message
Best practices of preparation
Improved illustrations
Vocal & speech techniques of the pros
Openings & Closings
And more...
Finally, YCC participants get the benefit of being a part of occasional "Master Class" calls facilitated by seasoned youth communicators, preachers, and teachers.
Participant skill levels range from newbie-speaker to seasoned-professionals and everyone in between. The only requirement is that you are currently communicating/preaching/speaking/teaching to students on a somewhat consistent basis.
A few reviews from those who have participated in the YCC:
"I love getting into discussion and training with so many different perspectives. I see communication in a whole new way."
"It's like Proverbs 27:17 lived out in the youth speaker universe!"
You can register BY CLICKING HERE.
YCC members commit to participating in a monthly conference call for encouragement, training, and feedback. Each participant will submit a video of a recent message for the rest of the cohort to view and feedback on. Also, cohort members take turns facilitating discussion each month on a communication-centered topic. Topics include:
Biblical exegesis
Blocking, movement, and gestures
Message outline and structure
Storytelling
Refining your message
Best practices of preparation
Improved illustrations
Vocal & speech techniques of the pros
Openings & Closings
And more...
Finally, YCC participants get the benefit of being a part of occasional "Master Class" calls facilitated by seasoned youth communicators, preachers, and teachers.
Participant skill levels range from newbie-speaker to seasoned-professionals and everyone in between. The only requirement is that you are currently communicating/preaching/speaking/teaching to students on a somewhat consistent basis.
A few reviews from those who have participated in the YCC:
"It's one of my favorite events of the month. I look forward to the helpful feedback and encouragement."
"I love getting into discussion and training with so many different perspectives. I see communication in a whole new way."
"It's like Proverbs 27:17 lived out in the youth speaker universe!"
As youth ministry veteran Josh Griffin of Saddleback Church states, "A team approach to communicating makes everyone on the team a better speaker."
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