| 1. |
Record stories |
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To help you remember - keep a journal. The sounds,
smells, sights and conversations will quickly be forgotten
without it.
|
| 2. |
Prepare a one-minute summary. |
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People, not remembering where you went, will politely
ask, “How was your trip?” Use that chance
to share your experience in brief. Use a short story.
|
| 3. |
Take the initiative. |
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Arrange for settings where you can share your experience
- Sabbath school, youth meetings, prayer meetings - invite
people to your home.
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| 4. |
Speak up. |
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Speak as clearly as possible. A story told well in
a clearly audible voice will convey your excitement.
Practice diction.
|
| 5. |
Start strong. |
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In your opening, aim at arousing interest with curiosity.
Never start with an apology. Try to create anticipation.
|
| 6. |
Paint verbal pictures. |
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Help your audience visualize the scene (the squeaky
chair, the smell of incense, children splashing in a
puddle, your own feelings at the time). Select important
things. Remember the basic five: who, what, where, when,
and why. Avoid jargon your audience will not be aware
of.
|
| 7. |
Illustrate your story. |
| |
Dramatize. Act out a conversation with facial expressions,
verbal inflections. Use your photos, but only the best,
and keep them moving fairly quickly and in the sequence
of your story. Don’t just flash slides on a screen
with a running commentary. Using objects may be appropriate
when making a point.
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| 8. |
Focus on People. |
| |
Stories that touch the hearts of listeners are stories
of people. Programs, plans, and policies are important,
but they are to serve people. In your stories and pictures,
focus on people, their faces, thoughts and emotions.
|
| 9. |
Convey important lessons. |
| |
Stories can hold the attention of an audience. But
you are not there merely to entertain. Every experience
can serve to illustrate a biblical principle. “You
can’t outgive God!” or a quotation from scripture, “And
the greatest of these is love!” is helpful. But
don’t belabor the point.
|
| 10. |
Accentuate the positive. |
| |
Relate the challenges you have faced in a hopeful
spirit. Don’t bemoan your trials - use a little
humor. Your isolated conditions were not the end of the
world, but you could see it from there! Rather than condemning
your listeners for their materialism, challenge them
to see the tremendous opportunities to invest in the
Lord’s work around the world.
|
| 11. |
Encourage interaction. |
| |
Give opportunity for questions, and listen. Answer
specifically, even if your answer is “I don’t
know.” Supportive comments, such as “That’s
a good question,” or “Did you catch the significance
of Jack’s comment!” set a good tone.
|
| 12. |
Stop on time. |
| |
You may be asked to give a “short report.” Don’t
despair. Just give a condensed
version. Don’t go beyond the time limit.
|
| |
To sum it all up:
Don’t miss the opportunities to tell your
story.
God uses people with a story, like Hudson Taylor,
to spark modern missionary movements.
He can use you, too!
|
| |
Based on “Tell the Story:
How to Communicate with Others When you Return,” in
Stepping Out: A Guide to Short Term Missions. Seattle,
WA: YWAM Publishing 1992.
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