Points for
Ministers of the
Word
The first step in improving our
proclamation of the Word is the desire to improve it.
If a person never looks at
you when he is speaking, you may think he has something to hide or that he is
not really interested in you. When a Minister of the Word does not look at the
congregation, the congregation thinks something similar.
Eye-contact with an
audience is one of the most important principles of public speaking. It is also
one of the most difficult to develop.
Ministers of the Word must
learn to read ahead and to look at the congregation when proclaiming the Word.
When reading a sentence, for example, try to get the entire sentence in mind,
and when about half finished, look at the congregation for the last half of the
sentence. Don’t be stilted in this, but this little practice may help you
to learn to look at the congregation. To avoid losing your place when looking
at the congregation you can place you finger at the place in the text you have
reached.
When looking up to the
congregation do not look at the same place each time. Try to look at the entire
congregation – not jerking the head, but looking to right and left and
centre periodically and smoothly so people will feel you have something to tell
them. Remember, your eyes are the most expressive part of your face.
If it is a source of
nervousness or embarrassment to look directly into people’s eyes, you can
look just above their heads and they will feel you are looking directly at
them. You will be amazed how much eye-contact adds to speech. How often it is
that people think a speaker is talking to them and them alone because of eye
contact. This is the kind of communication God wants – God is speaking
directly to people.