5 STEPS TO CREATE A KILLER SERMON
In my previous post, “How to give a talk with confidence”. I described the importance of having a straightforward process to prepare to stand up and speak confidently in front of a live audience or camera without notes.
In this article, I will explain:
The five steps needed for every talk
Four killer questions that you should use whilst framing your talk
Cheatsheet for scaling down your notes to one single page
Context is king
Before I share the following ideas, I do want to say, that context is king. These steps will work for 99% of talks that you will ever have to deliver, but there may be occasions when you have to ditch some of these stages and become much more technical, but on the whole, if you nail these stages you will save yourself lots of time.
Five stages of a killer sermon
Step one - Opener
Call this what you prefer, opener/starting point it does not matter. The fact is we have to start somewhere when giving any talk. Depending on your audience, this may begin slightly different each time. For example, if this were a brand new group of people I was speaking to I would go out of my way to explain something of who I am, not overly detailed but enough for them to know I am human and I care about them and what I am about to say.
Once this is done, you must deliver a robust, impactful opener. This could be a story, a hook, something to make them laugh, which, introduces the topic that creates the transition to the next segment. Knowing this story and telling it well, will either give the audience confidence and a desire to listen or switch off. (For the power of story check out Donald Miller’s book on Building a Storybrand)
In any setting, we must work extremely hard to capture the attention of our listeners. Don't make the mistake of taking them for granted and expect that they should listen because of whom you are and where they are. Relying on the who and the where will make you lazy. The best thing we can do is go with the expectation that there is always someone in the room or on the other side of the camera, listening to you for the first time.
It is essential to make every word count! Rather than wasting your words and your listeners time, you must make sure your opener hits the mark and takes you clearly and effortlessly to number two in the five-steps of your talk.
Step two - Tension point
If we view every talk as taking people on a journey, then we must include a tension point/problem that we are seeking to solve. Now we want to communicate with our listeners that we have a problem, something that we all face, which will negatively impact us if left unchecked. The problem point must be clear, but not too overwhelming that we create a negative response. Rather, it is a problem that whilst challenging, can be solved.
Every great story has a villain and a hero who comes to the rescue and solves the problem we are facing. I am sure my description will cause you to think about your favourite novels or movies when you have seen this outworked. The biggest brands on the planet know how powerful this is and have worked the same storytelling for nearly one hundred years.
Once we have established the tension point or the problem to solve, we must skillfully move from point two to three. If we have no solution, then our listeners will become frustrated and discouraged. The key here is to create enough tension that allows people to listen for the answer.
Step three - Solution
At this juncture in the talk, you are about to become a 'dealer of hope' and provide a straightforward solution to the problem you have brought to the forefront. In other words, what is the bottom line that you need to deliver to make this stick and bring about the change that you are deserving? Your bottom line does not always have to rhyme, but it does need to be catchy and clear. Whatever, we do here, we must ensure that we are now communicating a solution to the problem.
These steps might sound orchestrated. They are, but they are not manipulative if the problem is real, and the solution is accurate. Without this truth, we become storytellers rather than 'dealers of hope'. The result is to help our valued listeners gain hope and discover how they can change.
Step four - Action steps
Once we have communicated the solution to the problem we have brought to our listener's attention, we must have a clear strategy for applying this to their lives. There is nothing worse than hearing about a problem and the solution but not knowing what to do with it.
This is when the three-point talk comes into operation. Give people at least three things they can do to make the solution stick. Without this, we will cause frustration in our listeners. Having no action steps must be avoided at all costs. You may be tempted to think this is now the time to wrap up your talk as you have given them the solution to the problem, but without the know-how to apply it, you will have cheated your listeners and yourself and wasted everyone's time.
Step five - Imagine if
This is your landing, your conclusion or what I like to call a picture of a better future. In your final words, it is essential to spell out to people how their lives will be better if they apply and live out what you have shared with them. We should help people see their life situations and empower them to imagine how doing what he had talked about their lives will be better.
Four killer questions to frame your talk
I want to say thank you to Andy Stanley for these four questions and also for some of these stages. They have helped me to deliver some fantastic talks over the years.
What do they need to know?
Why do they need to know it?
What do they need to do?
Why do you want them to do it?
Using these questions as a framework for your talk will keep you on track and guarantee you a killer sermon that will bring about the outcome you are looking to deliver.
One page cheatsheet
Once you have written and developed your sermon or talk, you can use the template below to simplify your content ready for delivery. My good friend Daniel Price inspired me to write this post and develop this cheatsheet. (Thanks to Dan)
I have provided two options in the download for those who prefer more notes in section three. Also included is a greyscale version for print.
Wrapping Up
Using these four questions to frame your talk and these five simple steps, you will find yourself creating content with ease. As stated above, if your talk is more technical, you may need to use more detailed notes, but these steps can become your best friend for nearly every occasion.
I hope you have found these last two articles of practical help that will allow you to be a master communicator.
Thanks for reading.
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Over the last 25 years, I have given thousands of talks, and I've helped others like you do the same. If I can help you with content creation or public speaking, get in touch or leave a comment below.
