IF the Truth Be Told ...

"The world has never gotten over its likin' of the truth. I’ve been a member of a church now for more’n fifty years. We must have had twenty pastors or more. I don’t know for sure. None of ’em stayed very long. Every one of them told the truth. In fact they could bore you for hours on end with the truth. There was only one out of the whole bunch that we ever really wanted to keep. He told the truth interestingly. One time he put on his bathrobe and played like he was King David. Sure was interesting. Another time he played like he was the innkeeper in Bethlehem. Then one time he smeared his face with soot—sure looked strange—and told us he was Job. We all knew better and he knew we did, but I never really understood the Book of Job till that sermon. One time he dressed up in a white robe and came in the back of the auditorium carrying a sign. He told us he was an Archangel. He seemed so convinced, we believed him. Darndest thing, he’d do per’t near’t anything to keep our attention. He always did. Big church down in Chattanooga hire him away from us. The good ’uns always seem to get away.

They arrested a man over by Greenville the other day. They threw him in jail. He was walking around town in a white robe, carrying a sign that said “THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END.” I don’t know why they arrested him. Most everybody believed he was right. As I saw it, he was telling the truth interestingly. Last week my preacher preached on that very thing.The way he told that same truth wasn’t all that interesting. They might have locked up the wrong man. It sure seems important to me to tell the truth interestingly. Not too many people do it. A bunch of us who listen to your sermons are wishing you’d do it. You might try the white robe and sign routine. Just don’t go outside." (Story by John Maxwell)

Funny story but what's the point:

• Attention: If you don't capture the attention of your audience at the very start, it doesn't matter how great or important the rest of the talk is.
• Perspective: Tell them what they want and need to hear from their worldview, not yours. What's going to help them or inspire them. What they think is important is the key...not what we think is important.
• Responsibility: We accuse audiences of 'being bad,' they were lazy and not interactive. It is your responsibility as the speaker to make it engaging. It was once said there are no bad audiences, just bad speakers.
• Intentional: Yes, it takes hard work and time to drive home points with words that stick. To create great experiences.

Remember, they will remember very little or none of what you say, but they will remember how you made them feel.