Coming in September... How to Become a Youth Speaking Ninja (Kindle eBook)

How to Become a Youth Speaking Ninja (working title) has moved to the editorial phase! I am excited to publish this practical handbook for youth pastors, youth workers, youth leaders and youth speakers.

Put on your black morph suit, grab your throwing stars and get out your Post-it notes. Upon reading this book, you will learn:

-The 10-step, ninja-process of developing and delivering messages that connect with students.

-How to connect with students EVERY time you get up to speak.

-The youth speaking ninja process for accurately exegeting scripture.

-How to discover and deliver relevant illustrations for students.

-How to strategically avoid the pitfalls that most youth speakers fall into when communicating to students.

-Over 50 practical youth speaking ninja tips, tricks, tools and secrets to becoming a more effective communicator.

-And much, much more!

How to Become a Youth Speaking Ninja will be available exclusively for Kindle in September.

Youth Communicator Productivity Ninja Secret (July Edition)

Every month I will be highlighting a youth speaker productivity ninja secret... A little tip or trick that will multiply both your productivity, efficiency and effectiveness as someone who speaks to students on a regular basis.

The productivity ninja secret for July is:

FREE online cloud storage!

I use online cloud storage EVERY DAY as a youth communicator. Whether it is syncing Evernote or GoodReader with Dropbox, or updating a Google Drive form... Online cloud storage has made my life as a youth speaker much more efficient. I can access my documents, files, message notes, videos, etc from any device at any time.

I recently came across the motherlode of FREE storage in an app called Copy. Copy will basically start you with a free 20gb of online storage and boost your storage by 5gb every time you refer a friend (and they install Copy). The amazing part is that THERE IS NO LIMIT to the amount of FREE storage you can have on your account. Add as many friends as you want!

I use Copy's cloud storage for sharing message videos (since they take up A LOT of space) and backing up other important archival files to the cloud.

You can sign up for your FREE 20gb of online storage by clicking here.

How to Find Your Opposite (When Speaking to Students)

Find your opposite.

You have probably heard this phrase used over and over in communication training and books over the years. How does a youth communicator "find their opposite?"

The next time you stand and deliver a message to a room full of students, try using an opposite tone-of-voice that you typically use when you want to drive home a point. For example, if you are typically a soft-spoken and laid-back speaker, increase your rate of speech and volume to emphasize a point. If you normally talk briskly and loudly, slow your speech and quiet your voice to make your point stick.

You would be surprised how effective this technique is when communicating to students. Using your opposite accomplishes two things: It acts as a pattern interrupt during the message and draws the students into the content of what is being communicated.

What is the best illustration you have ever heard?

Got a great message illustration?

Submit it to the Youth Speaker's Coach ILLUSTRATION EXCHANGE.

Who knows... You and your great illustration could be featured in an upcoming YSC "Illustration of the Month."

Submit your great illustrations HERE.

It's Not Too Late... (Cohort Schedule '13-'14)

YOUTH COMMUNICATOR'S COHORT
Schedule 2013/2014

As Youth Speaker's Coach gears up for another exciting year of youth communicator coaching, training and encouragement, I am pleased to announce that as of today, we have 32 Youth Pastors, Youth Speakers, and Youth Leaders from around the nation registered for our Cohort that begins in September.

Each month, this group of in-the-trenches communicators will gather via conference call for communication-centered training, feedback and encouragement. Not only are Cohort members challenged by their peers each month, but they will also receive "Master Class-level" training from seasoned student ministry communication veterans. Here is the topic line-up for this year:

SEPT 19:  Message outline and structure

OCT 17:  MASTER CLASS with Pastor Richard Crisco

NOV 14:  Blocking, movement, and gestures

DEC 12:  Biblical Exegesis

JAN 16:  MASTER CLASS with Saddleback HS Pastor, Josh Griffin

FEB 13:  Refining your message

MAR 13:  MASTER CLASS with Youth Pastor & Student Ministry expert, Josh Mayo

APR 17:  Improved Illustrations/Storytelling

MAY 15:  Openings & Closings

It's not too late to register for the Cohort that begins in September...

REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE...

FREE Template - Speaking Request Form

If you are an aspiring youth speaker or a full-time youth pastor who speaks "out of house" occasionally as a guest speaker, it can be incredibly useful to have a "Speaking Request Form" (SRF) to use with potential event coordinators.

Not only does the form answer many if the commonly-asked questions, but is useful as a tool in gathering event-specific information.

The SRF template that I use is an adaptation from a form used by Youth Pastor/Speaker, Josh Mayo. I have linked the online version of my Speaking Request Form HERE.

Feel free to use the form as a template, personalize it and change it to create your own personal SRF.

SPEAKING REQUEST FORM Template

FREE Illustration of the Month (July Edition)

This month's FREE illustration works as a great closing illustration. It is an account of a true story which can be told along the themes of commitment, sacrifice or even persecution.

Enjoy!

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"HERE DIE 40 MEN FOR CHRIST!"

(This version of the story is brought to you courtesy of Jerry Stewart - Vision Productions)

 Even though few today in American sacrifice much at all for their faith in Christ, there are stories in history that tell us amazing accounts of those who have suffered because of their faith. One such story took place in 328 A.D.. in a city high in the icy mountains of Armenia.    

    It was a bitterly cold winter and in the middle of that winter an order came from the Roman emperor that every man, woman, and child under the rule of his empire must bow down to him as a god. Now there was a powerful force of Roman soldiers in that Armenian city known as the “Thundering Legion”, and their reputation as a powerful military force was known through all the Roman Empire. But the emperor was not satisfied with their military service - he wanted each soldier to bow down to him.    

    When the time came for each soldier to bow down, 40 could not. They were faithful soldiers, but more importantly, they were Christians - they could not obey the emperor's order to make him their god. They said, “We can only worship the one true God.”    

    Well, when the word of these 40 Christian soldiers refusing to bow down and worship him was received by the emperor, his command back was simple, “Bow down to me, reject your Christian God, or die”. But the 40 Christian Roman soldiers did not bow down - so the decision was made that they would die. But how should they die? Should they be fed to the hungry lions? Should they be burned at the stake? These were both terrible ways to die, but an even more cruel death was prescribed - they were to be frozen to death in the bitter cold winter.    

    So they took the 40 soldiers to a frozen lake in the middle of a terrible storm. They stripped them of all their clothing and left them to freeze to death.        

    But the general didn't want to lose these 40 good soldiers. He said, “Simply bow down to the emperor and save your life?” But they did not. The soldiers taunted and laughed at them – “soon you'll be back; you will bow down”. But the laughing stopped when these 40 Christians bravely walked barefoot across the icy freezing lake.    

    Well, through the night the soldiers lit a fire and cooked food to tempt the Christians to give up. But the Christians prayed to God to make them brave, and they began to shout, “Here die 40 men for Christ”.    

    The freezing bitter cold night went on until finally, the cold was too much for one of the men. He staggered back to the fire and agreed to denounce his God and to bow down to the emperor. But the remaining 39 Christians would not give in, even though they were literally freezing to death.

    Then, amazingly, something happened that they could not believe - one of the Roman soldiers sitting by the fire, having watched the bravery and courage and faith on these dying Christians, he stood before the general and uttered these words, “I will take that man's place - I will be a Christian.” As the general watched in amazement, this Roman soldier removed his clothing and walked onto the icy lake to join the 39.    

    Well the Roman soldiers sat by that fire all night long and the last thing they said they could remember hearing through the howl of that terrible freezing winter storm was the now 40 Christian men shouting, “Here die 40 men for Christ”. In the morning, sadly, there were 40 frozen bodies; men who have sacrificed for their faith and belief in Christ.    

    A full 350 years later, in the chapel in the forum of Rome, was dedicated to these 40 soldiers a plaque, a simple plaque which still hangs there today, with these powerful words engraved on it,

                             “Here die 40 men for Christ”.