Preaching to Visual Learners: 17 Ideas for Demonstrations

Of the four learning styles (visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic), 65% of people are visual learners. 65% are visual, but we see most sermons designed around auditory and reading learners.

Scroll down to see some ideas for effectively preaching to visual learners using demonstrations and props.

If you are unconcerned about your audience understanding what you are preaching, then skip this article. If you are interested in getting ideas about how you can effectively communicate to visual learners, keep reading.

Physical Demonstrations

For demonstrations, the bigger the better! Think "make the Statue of Liberty disappear" instead of "pull a quarter from their ear". Many physical demonstrations could also be done as a pre-recorded video. Just make sure that you choose the most effective method for reaching your audience.

1. Use visually interesting demonstrations.
2. Use a dry erase board with giant, fat markers.
3. Put a huge TV on a stand next to the preacher, with different slides than the big screen.
4. When talking about stoning, drop big rocks on the stage or ground. Throw stones at a watermelon.
5. Francis Chan used a piece of red tape and a very long rope to demonstrate the difference between our life on earth and our life in eternity.
6. I saw a preacher use a pen to demonstrate where we fit in eternity. Hold the pen in the middle, and where we touch our brief life. God exists before and after. Move the pen around and observe it from all of the angles, similar to how God can see all of eternity at once.
7. A church used dozens of shopping carts filled with plastic balls to demonstrate the number of hours that parents had with their children versus the church's time
8. A pastor used big boxes labeled with stressors as a metaphor for Jesus supremacy over our problems and walking on water.
9. Preaching on Ezekiel? Cook up some food right at the pulpit.
10. Teaching about sacrifices? Lay a canvas dropcloth down and demonstrate how messy this would have been. Wear a white painter's suit so that the splatters can be seen clearly.
11. Teaching about Elijah at Mt. Carmel? Get a kiddy pool and dump buckets of water on a "sacrifice" to bring this idea home.
12. More Ezekiel: Dig a hole through a wall while you preach.
13. Wedding at Cana - have helpers carry big jugs of water
14. Some more Ezekiel: pack and unpack a suitcase while you preach.
15. Preaching about the throne room of Heaven from Daniel or Revelation? Include a smoke machine, thunder sounds, and plenty of colorful lights.
16. If you are referencing shepherds, have someone demonstrate how a shepherd's crook could be used
17. I saw a sermon where the pastor preached about who their church ministers to, and had that represented by 4 chairs around a table and a 5th "I" chair.