Basic Communication and Presentation Skills Syllabus Keystone - PDF document

Basic Communication and Presentation Skills Syllabus Keystone Center for Training and Renewal Instructor: Merry Kendall, gFree Church, 344 Blue Spruce Rd., Philipsburg, PA 16866 • merry@gfree.org • Cell: 407-310-0532 • Office: 814-342-4520 Course objectives: Upon completion of this course, each student will be able to: • Organize research in an understandable pattern or chronology for the purpose of informing an audience. • Apply and practice the principle of persuasion with an emphasis on defending biblical Christianity without alienating secular members of an audience. • Develop an effective, natural, and dynamic style of presentation. Required materials: • Text : “The Complete Speaker, An Introduction to Public Speaking” by Brent D. Peterson, Eric G. Stephan, and Noel D. White. Third edition. While this text is no longer in print, it is still holds a wealth of wisdom about the basics of public speaking. Used copies can be purchased on Amazon.com and many other used bookstores online. Please allow up to 10 business days for used books to arrive. • Text: “The Public Speaking Project, The Ultimate Guide to Effective Public Speaking” by Kyle Faber. • “How to Write and Deliver a Devotional Message” notes by Merry Kendall. Other recommended materials, but not required: • Smartphone or camera that can be used to video and view presentations. • Hebrew-English lexicon • Greek-English lexicon • Concordance of the Bible • Bible dictionary • Bible commentaries

Assignments: • Students will arrive the first weekend having: o Read Chapters 1-2 in “The Complete Speaker” and all of “The Public Speaking Project.” o Read “How to Write and Deliver a Devotional Message” by Merry Kendall. o Written a 2-page reflection paper (double-spaced, Times New Roman font, 12 point) titled: “ What I Learned About Public Speaking” based on the reading in both texts. o Researched, outlined, rehearsed, and prepared to orally present a 10-minute devotional message to the class about a current event of national, state, or local importance. The presentation must include the implications for that event on us as Christians first, then as citizens of the nation, state, or local community. • Students will arrive the second weekend having: o Read Chapters 7-9, 13 in “The Complete Speaker . ” o Written a 2-page reflection paper (double-spaced, Times New Roman font, 12 point) on “Comparing and Contrasting Informative and Persuasive Speaking” based on the reading of Chapters 7 and 8 in “The Complete Speaker . ” o Completed the Survey on Page 48-49 of “The Complete Speaker . ” Instead of asking 10 students, though, please ask 3 friends in ministry each of the questions listed and write down their answers for use in class discussion. o Researched, outlined, rehearsed, and prepared to orally present a 10-minute persuasive devotional message to the class addressing a specific issue about one of the following: • Human rights • Environmental sustainability • Community involvement • Animal protection • Social justice The topic for this persuasive devotional message must be submitted to the instructor and approved before the close of the first weekend. Using basic logical, psychological, and Biblical appeals from a Christian perspective, the persuasive sermon should convince, stimulate thought, or motivate the audience to take the action the speaker suggests. • Final project: Write a 5-page paper about a preacher whose style you admire. Be sure to include how this preacher compares and/or contrasts to topics covered in the reading, assignments, and classroom discussions. This paper should be double- spaced using Times New Roman 12-point font and submitted to the instructor within 30 days following the final day of classroom instruction.

How to Write and Deliver a Devotional Message By Merry Kendall The most important thing to understand is the purpose of a devotional message: to structure a single idea toward a particular audience in order to elicit a specific response. An overview of the purpose To structure a single idea… • What is an idea? • An idea is a way of thinking that allows one to understand what was previously unclear. • To think in ideas takes practice. • When you deliver a devotional message, you want to communicate one Biblical concept. • Your message should be drawn from Scripture and only one passage of Scripture. • Other passages may support your idea; but, they should not be necessary to communicate your idea. • If other passages are necessary, you are not focused on one Biblical concept. Toward a particular audience… o KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE!! o Your message needs to speak to the people in your audience. o Making references to popular authors will mean nothing to an illiterate audience. o Relating your college experiences to a group of high school drop-outs may offend your audience. o Using the Bible lesson of Jesus turning water into wine may not be a good choice if you are speaking to an audience of active or sober alcoholics. o Ethical and philosophical issues can be different in rural villages, middle-class communities, or in ghettos. In order to elicit a specific response … • When you finish your message, the people in your audience should be able to answer 2 questions: 1. What were you talking about? (i.e. divorce) 2. What were you saying about what you were talking about? (all efforts should be made to reconcile) There are stages in developing a message. • But, people go about this task in different ways. • Do not get so hung up on the process that it gets in the way of developing your idea. • Thinking is dynamic; it does not come solely by following directions. • You must develop your own way of working out the process.

Stage 1: Choose a Biblical passage. • STARTING WITH A PASSAGE: I keep a pad of paper next to my prayer chair labeled “Possible Messages”. When I come across a passage of Scripture that puzzles me or to which I have found understanding, I make note of it. • STARTING WITH A TOPIC: people usually like to talk about personal concerns or life- situations (examples: guilt, grief, forgiveness, loneliness, jealousy, marriage, divorce). o How do you find a Biblical passage to relate to the topic? ▪ A concordance. • It simply is an alphabetical listing of the main words in Bible with a listing of passages that include that word. • Many Bibles include a concordance of that version of the Bible in the back of the Bible after the Holy Scriptures. • There are also exhaustive concordances that list just about every word in the Bible. ▪ Also helpful are books written from a Christian perspective, as they may refer to Biblical passages. o So, begin with a topic or a problem, and find a passage that relates to it. Stage 2: Study the passage and make notes. o These notes will become the body of your message. o Some people prefer to put paper to pen; others like to make notes in a Word document on their computer. Step 1: Read and Reflect on the Passage o Look at the passage in its context. o At the very least, read the whole chapter to figure out how the selected passage fits into the chapter. o You may need to go beyond that chapter – read the previous, the selected, and the following chapters in order. Just read through them first, and then reflect on how the selected passage fits into the whole of the reading. o Read the selected passage in different translations/The Message. o A great resource is www.biblegateway.com or the Bible Gateway app. o Remember – you are looking for the Biblical author’s idea – not yours! Step 2: Make Notes o State in rough fashion – What is the Biblical author trying to say in the passage? o The Biblical authors are great storytellers, but they are also theologians – trying to tell us about God – What was the Biblical author trying to tell his audience about God? Step 3: Develop the Idea* Explain it: What does this passage mean? ▪ Anticipate what the hearer does not know and help him or her understand. ▪ There are problems to be avoided in explaining your selected passage. • Do NOT misuse the Scripture! • Be sure that you are NOT saying something that the Bible is NOT saying – do NOT put words into God’s mouth! (Read James 3:1)