Speaking Well: Essential Skills for Speakers, Leaders, and Preachers

By Adam Hamilton

The thought of speaking in public
strikes fear in the hearts of many. But we are often called upon to
speak, teach, preach, or make presentations in our work and personal
lives. In Speaking Well, Adam Hamilton offers nineteen powerful tips and tactics that lead to excellent speaking in any setting.

“One of today’s masters instructs us in the art of public speaking. I wish I’d had this book twenty years ago!” —Cal Turner, retired CEO of Dollar General


“A great and fun book for all who speak in public . . .” —Jerre Stead, Chairman and CEO of IHS Inc.

“Adam teaches us how to use the gift of words effectively and in ways that elevate and inspire those who hear them. ” —Irvine O. Hockaday Jr., retired President and CEO of Hallmark Cards (1985–2001)


“This little book will improve your preparation, content, delivery, and impact.” —Patricia Farris, Senior Minister, First United Methodist Church, Santa Monica, CA


“Want to be a better speaker? Read
this book! It will remind you of things you know but have forgotten and
will give you new practices to follow.” —O. Wesley Allen Jr., Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX


“An unbelievably helpful pocket resource . . .” —Frank Thomas, Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, IN


“If you want to become a better public speaker, take lessons from a master.” —Mike Bonem, speaker, consultant, and author of Leading from the Second Chair

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Release date: Sep 10, 2015
• ISBN: 9781501809941

Adam Hamilton

Adam Hamilton is the founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City. Started in 1990 with four people, the church has grown to become the largest United Methodist Church in the United States with over 18,000 members. The church is well known for connecting with agnostics, skeptics, and spiritual seekers. In 2012, it was recognized as the most influential mainline church in America, and Hamilton was asked by the White House to deliver the sermon at the Obama inaugural prayer service. Hamilton, whose theological training includes an undergraduate degree from Oral Roberts University and a graduate degree from Southern Methodist University where he was honored for his work in social ethics, is the author of nineteen books. He has been married to his wife, LaVon, for thirty-one years and has two adult daughters.

Book preview

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Praise for Speaking Well

Praise for Speaking Well

"Speaking Well is a gem for both the experienced and novice speaker. Adam Hamilton offers straightforward, practical suggestions for better construction and delivery of high impact sermons and presentations. Full of well-tested reminders, it’s a great resource!"

—Heather Bradley and Miriam Grogan, Founders, The Flourishing Company, LLC

Adam Hamilton has emerged as one of the most influential preachers in North America. In this book he shares how he does what he does. Lively, smart, and right to the point, this book brims with practical wisdom.

—Ted Smith, Associate Professor of Preaching and Ethics, Candler School of Theology, Emory University

"When Adam Hamilton speaks, people listen. In Speaking Well, you’ll discover why. This clear and immensely practical guide should be within arm’s reach of every speaker—and especially every preacher. My sermon this weekend will be better because of it."

—Roger Ross, Lead Pastor, First United Methodist Church, Springfield, IL, and author of Meet the Goodpeople

"Speaking Well coalesces the crucial essentials for any speaker into a quick-read format that is nutrient-dense. I hope every seminary adds this as a required text, and I plan to utilize it for pastors and unpaid leaders in my own work with church revitalization. Well done!"

—Sue Nilson Kibbey, Director of Missional Church Initiatives, United Methodist West Ohio Conference

"Speaking Well condenses years of experience into a practical volume of quick and fun tips for improving any public speaker. If you have a message that you want to communicate effectively, you need to read this book."

—Jacob Armstrong, Pastor, Providence Church, Mt. Juliet, TN

Adam has gifted us a delightful little book with big implications—becoming the most compelling presenter you can be! In it, he offers refreshing glimpses not only into his techniques and strategies but also into his heart: helping others for the sake of the kingdom!

—Jim Ozier, Director of New Church Development, North Texas Conference, The United Methodist Church

Other Abingdon Press Books by Adam Hamilton

Other Abingdon Press Books by Adam Hamilton

The Call

Not a Silent Night

Revival

Making Sense of the Bible

When Christians Get It Wrong

Love to Stay

Forgiveness

The Way

Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White

Why?

The Journey

Final Words from the Cross

24 Hours That Changed the World

Enough

Christianity’s Family Tree

Selling Swimsuits in the Arctic

Christianity and World Religions

Unleashing the Word

Leading Beyond the Walls

Confronting the Controversies

Title Page

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Copyright Page

Speaking well:

Essential skills for speakers, leaders, and preachers

Copyright © 2015 by Abingdon Press

All rights reserved.

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to Permissions, Abingdon Press, 2222 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., PO Box 280988, Nashville, TN 37228-0988, or e-mailed to [e-mail].

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hamilton, Adam, 1964-

Speaking well : essential skills for speakers, leaders, and preachers /

by Adam Hamilton. — First [edition].

1 online resource.

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by

publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN 978-1-5018-0994-1 (e-book) — ISBN 978-1-5018-0993-4 (hardback)

1. Public speaking. 2. Preaching. 3. Oral communication—Religious

aspects—Christianity. I. Title.

PN4129.5

808.5’1—dc23

2015029823

Scripture quotations unless noted otherwise are from the Common English Bible. Copyright © 2011 by the Common English Bible. All rights reserved. Used by permission. www.CommonEnglishBible.com.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Dedication Page

Dedicated to all who give themselves to

the task of public speaking, particularly

those who do so with fear and trembling

as they seek to speak on behalf of God.

Contents

Contents

Introduction

Chapter One: Ask Three Questions

Chapter Two: Think Less Me, More We

Chapter Three: Find the Right Starting Point

Chapter Four: Include the Key Ingredient

Chapter Five: Humor Me

Chapter Six: Crowd-Source Your Content

Chapter Seven: Ditch the Extra Points

Chapter Eight: Invite Participation

Chapter Nine: Put a Reminder in Their Hands

Chapter Ten: Skip the Slides (or at Least Use Them Well)

Chapter Eleven: Show the Pictures

Chapter Twelve: Get the Little Things Right

Chapter Thirteen: Write It Out

Chapter Fourteen: Say It with Your Eyes

Chapter Fifteen: Answer the So What?

Chapter Sixteen: Address the Hot Topics

Chapter Seventeen: Put Your Heart in It

Chapter Eighteen: Eat, Pray, Sleep

Chapter Nineteen: Deliver the Most Important Message

Postscript for Preachers: Resources for Preparing Excellent Sermons

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Introduction

In the last thirty-five years I’ve delivered over five thousand sermons, speeches, lectures, workshops, keynotes, and eulogies. Malcolm Gladwell famously noted that it takes ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a subject. If you include the prep time, I’m way over ten thousand hours, but I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered public speaking. I have learned some tips and practices that seem to increase the likelihood that the message will hit the mark. I doubt many of these ideas are original. We

Reviews for Speaking Well

[hjvanderklis_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In this booklet pastor Adam Hamilton shares 19 tips for public speakers, novices as well as experienced people. While it may take 10,000 hours to master certain skills, public speaking or presenting is an area in which you learn every day. Speaking Well: Essential Skills for Speakers, Leaders, and Preachers contains valuable practices for three point messages, clothing, technology as well as preparation time and getting the answers for the why, who, and what questions. Humor, the power of illustrations, and body language, alongside personal language and the chances to reach the hearts and minds of your audience.The book is intended for a broad audience of speakers, and in the main part Hamilton doesn't focus on things like biblical exegesis and other forms of research in preparation for your next sermon or Bible study. The last chapter however is reserved for a list of external resources, commentaries and study Bibles the author endorses.