Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter.
-Gilbert Amelio,
President and CEO of National Semiconductor Corp.
Educators take something simple and make it complicated.
Communicators take something complicated and make it simple.
-John C. Maxwell
Pg 23 John Maxwell's Quote: Educators take something simple and make it complicated. Communicators take something complicated and make it simple. I really like this quote. There's a difference between knowledge and wisdom. (I'm identifying knowledge with the educator and wisdom with the communicator.) All through out the scriptures I find wisdom and understanding go hand in hand as if they walk together.
ReplyDeleteProv. 3:21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight. This can also be applied when your asking yourself the "5 W's" ,becoming audience oriented on pg 26, See The Person. Two other statements that I loved was pg.27 Show the Truth - "The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." I'm going to believe for myself that the "fire" spoken about is the fire of the Holy Ghost, and that is a powerful weapon. And finally to Live your message pg 29, and seek to find if there are any discrepancies in your message. Awesome! Hey Jody & Bev, Thank you for allowing me to have this accountability, I love this book. And if any of you see a discrepancy in my life please approach me so I can correct it. X O X O
Here are my favorite quotes on Commitment: "Without commitment we will have no influence." This makes me realize that if I am not a woman of my word, why would anyone want to follow me as I follow Christ? "Even if no one else sees my commitment, God will see." If God can't even trust me, how will He ever be able to use me?
ReplyDeleteThe Communicating chapter was good but left me wanting more. I need to study this chapter over and over, take a class and/or read a book on just communicating. I feel I am a terrible communicator...Thank God for Bev! :) The only time I feel like a good communicator is when I'm counseling. Then it's the Holy Spirit who is doing the communicating so it's really Him who is the good communicator. "The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." I want us all "ON FIRE for Christ!" Then we will be contagious and other women in the church will become on fire...and before you know it it will become an epidemic! "And we will shine like jewels in His land." Love you girls!!!! :)
I have to LOL what Jody said about "wanting more" from this chapter. Why? Because we are women. It takes most of us women so much longer to say what it takes men to say.
ReplyDeleteThe best comment in this chapter on communicating I believe was President Abe Lincoln, whom I love BTW, who said, "Let the thing be pressed." I mean we are talking about the President of the United States speaking to the head of his Union Army, General Ulysses S. Grant, about moving in full force against General Robert E. Lee commander of the Confederate Army, whom he loved and respected (and me too BTW), during the Civil War in which millions had died and thousands more would die at his simple words, and thats all he had to say," Let the thing be pressed." ......Brilliant
Well I am NOT brilliant, so do not expect that form me,LOL, but I will walk away trying to be a bit more concise.;)
I will never forget what Devan, my daughter's "friend" said to me one day this past summer; I had asked him to pick the Mangos from my tree and i was telling him to pick the yellow ones not the green, and not the ones with brown spots because they had bees and wasps and the bees wouldnt sting but the wasps would, and I was going on and on while he stood on the ladder in the blistering sun with sweat dripping down his face. He waited patiently till I was finished and said,"Ms. Bev, Do you want we to pick the yellow mangoes?" and I answered yes, and He said,"thats all you had to say". hahahahaha...poor kid.
Lets try to be considerate of people when we communicate and think if what we are saying is valuable to them and their time. Please pray for me, too......because obvious by my blog, this is a weakness of mine;)
I love the comment "communicators take something complicated and make it simple". Communication is so key for us to succeed in growing the women's ministry. I think most ladies have the gift of gab, but communication is more than talking, I don't want my lips moving and the person listening hears "blah, blah, blah". The art of communication is a gift, and we need to make sure our message is simple, speak the truth, and engage people. We need to listen, remember God gave us two ears and one mouth.
ReplyDeleteOur communication must inspire, motivate, guide and direct the ladies of the journey. I personally love to speak in front of crowds, but ONLY when I am passionate and commited about the subject. Not everyone will speak to crowds, but the same passion and truth needs to show when you are talking to one person.
I love the last comment, we need to "live our message". If we are saying one thing but living another, people will see, and you lost all crediabiltiy. In the same token, I know we are not perfect, and thanks to God's grace He forgives us, but our goal should be to put forth the effort of living His message.
Hahah uhh ohhh.... this is another struggle of mine. Man this book is really making me take a close look at myself. If I just keep my message simplified then that will be a good start. I'm just going to continue with "bringing it home".
ReplyDeleteThis is my first one and honestly this spoke volumes to me!! Fear is something I have been driven by my whole life...To the point that I have not done so many things : writing(LOL!), jobs, helping people, relationships, love, and many more. I think it's great that we don't really have the choice to fear but we have the choice to choose to listen to that fear or not. Even more so, to walk through that fear and believe that God has us there for a reason! That is amazing to me! Courage is not about approval seeking... it's not about what others will think or say but about listning to God the father. Its definitly not comfortable!! I feel so overwelmed by fear when about to make a change I can actually convince myself that this is definitly not worth it. That is so Satan!! The miricles in my life weren't always easy but that's why it's all the glory to God. He is the only one who could of ever pushed me through those fears!! He is so Good and I really want to have more COURAGE!!! Not my courage alone but his COURAGE inside of me...little broken me!!!
ReplyDeleteSo many excellent quotes from this Chapter on Courage!!!! I love this one,"Courage is fear that has said its prayers". So true!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lisa, this one spoke so much to me! When John Maxwell wrote," Courage isnt the absence of fear;its doing what you are afraid to do", and when I read Eleanor Roosevelt's, "...You must do the thing you think you cannot do." it so encouraged me to move forward and do the "thing" i think I cannot do this month: confront a friend in love and speak to a crowd of women about LOVE. ugh! Im doing it Lord!!!