A survey revealed that people fear public speaking more than death. So Jerry Seinfeld quips, “Most people would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.”

Public speaking frightens us with good cause; it is really hard to do well. But keeping a death grip on one rule will give you a great opportunity to not only be heard, but to actually change the way people think and act.

I recently heard Andy Storms preach from Acts 9. The lengthy chapter is bursting at the seams with biblical themes. A rookie would try to give them all equal weight. But not Andy. He chose one. He hit it early. He added depth to it throughout. He illustrated it. And then he made it personal.

Brilliant.

Public speaking rule #1: Say one big thing!

Andy touched upon other themes, but he kept bringing it back to one big theme. Each time he circled back, he added depth. He never lost my attention.

Andy nailed about a dozen other things (notice his placement of stories), but none of them would have mattered if he broke Rule #1.

Following this rule demands back-breaking work. But good speakers endure the pain of hitting the delete button multiple times, because the payoff is changed lives.

I can tell you in one sentence the main point of Andy’s sermon; I can quote the surprising verse that he highlighted. Win, Win.

Hearing Andy was a great reminder of the value of this rule. I dread the thought of spending tons of time preparing for a talk, but failing my audience by breaking this rule. Thanks, Andy.

Related Post: Peter’s repetitive sermons

 

andy storms Bible preaching public speaking rule