I found this link to Tim Keller’s preaching notes here, thanks to a link from DJ Chuang’s site who compared them to something belonging to Jason Bourne.
It’s just fascinating to me to see the many different ways preachers, speakers, teachers, etc. prepare speaking notes. Everyone has their own method that works for them. More recently I have been getting into arranging my talks and teaching ideas around a mind map. I have been using tools like Mind Meister to help me with the process. Thanks to Tony Steward for helping me with this stuff. He is great at mind maps.
It’s amazing for me the connection between therapy, ministry and social media when using mind mapping. Therapy often involves genograms and family systems thinking that is helped by maps and symbols; social media and technology often flows out of ideas that are represented in charts, symbols, graphs….think white boards everywhere. Only makes sense to me that I should carry this creativity over into ministry and move away a bit from the number, bullet point, bullet point, number, bullet point, bullet point method. Know what I mean?
What types of notes do you prepare for preaching, speaking, teaching, etc.? Does it work well for you? Any suggestions for us?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Help me here. I am not sure I understand what the Mind Map idea is. I followed the links and did not fully understand. I like you am interested in the way speakers prepare notes. I personally just use key words, so my notes would just be about 4 or 5 words with the corresponding reference (scripture). What would your notes look like?
I have not done any preaching or teaching, but the method I employed in business was pretty much what josh outlined above. I am interested in his question as well, not being familiar with Mind Mapping.
Good question.
It’s more comprehensive than what I will say or how I use it.
But I have been usually placing an idea in a middle of a paper (circled) and using symbols, drawings, etc. to expound on that idea.
So for example. Say I want to do a sermon on creation. I might start with Creation in the middle, circled. From there I might diagram out from there the concept of “imago dei”, or sin, or redemption. Each of those have strands that shoot out from those.
I guess what I’m really getting at, and not explaining, which is probably the point..is that mind maps is a more creative way to plot out our thinking. It really combines the best of our left and right brains.
For me it’s a work in progress. But I find myself drawing more of these ideas visually out in my Moleskine than I do writing out lists, etc.
Sorry, not helping you very well.
http://www.tonystewardblog.com/2007/02/28/mind-meister-feature-1-publish-your-mind-maps/
rhett