5 Things Every Presenter Needs To Know About People from Weinschenk on Vimeo. People learn best in 20-minute chunks. There must be a reason for the successful TED-sized talk format. Multiple sensory channels compete. During a talk, you engage both the auditory and visual channels – because we'revisual creatures and the visual channel trumps the auditory, make sure your slides don't require people to read much or otherwise distract from the talk. What you say is only one part of your presentation.Paralinguistics explores how information is communicated beyond words – be aware the audience is responding to your body language and tone. Record yourself presenting to get a feel for those and adjust accordingly. If you want people to act, you have to call them to action.At the end of your presentation, be very specific about exactly what you would like your audience to do. People imitate your emotions and feel your feelings. If…
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"Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you — guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us" (2 Timothy 1:14). As I grow older, I'm more drawn to the idea of stewardship ... being a good steward of all that God has entrusted to me. This includes finances but is so much more than that. It also includes my family, time, talents, dreams, and influence. Paul tells Timothy to "guard the good deposit that was entrusted" to him. Have you ever thought of your talents as God's deposit in your life? God invested in you. Your abilities are not your own. God gave them to you. To be a good steward of the resources entrusted to me, I must guard them. This does not mean hiding them. I do not honor God by refusing to share what he has entrusted to me. I honor…
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"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline" (2 Timothy 2:6-7). I read that passage yesterday afternoon, surrounded by towering redwood trees. I had hiked up the prayer trail at Opportunity Camp, settling in on a bench that provided a great view of the trees (especially when lying flat on your back). My thoughts and prayers drifted to the kids who were then enjoying open recreation time. I wondered how many of them had someone who spoke into their life the way that Paul spoke into the life of Timothy -- because he believed in Timothy. Too often, those who speak into our lives do not speak the truth into our lives but lies. They tear…
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Every Father's Day since 1996 I have either boarded a plane or drove off in my car headed to the same destination: Opportunity Camp. The camp is located in the little city of Felton; the nearest "big" city is Scotts Valley (by "big" I mean that it has a Starbucks. The "coffee shop" in Felton sells coffee, crystals, and incense). For nearly 50 years, volunteers have come from points across the country to serve at Opportunity Camp. This year we will have staff from the Bay Area, New York City, Seattle, Dallas, and Denver. Among the senior leadership, I have the least seniority and I've been to camp for sixteen years. Our campers are in the Contra Costa County social service pipeline. For many of them, this will not be their first time at our camp. Opportunity Camp engenders tremendous loyalty among our staff for one simple reason: the kids.…
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“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning …” (Luke 12:35, ESV). In my last post, I wrote about the need to live with intention and purpose. As Christ-followers, we are not to be drifters. We're not the ball in a pinball machine, bouncing indiscriminately off bumpers and falling victim to circumstances. How do we "stay dressed for action" and "keep our lamps burning"? Spiritual preparation takes time. Too often, we're looking for the shortcut. What are the three steps that will get me out of this mess? What prayer will unlock this logjam? In order to get dressed, you must first take the time to pick out what you're going to wear. And even before that, you must first go shopping. The journey towards spiritual maturity takes a lifetime. In other words, we are always en route to growth and maturity. Spiritual preparation also takes discipline. In ancient days,…
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