I hate being captive in an audience when the people on stage don’t have a feedback loop going with the audience. We’re used to living a two-way life online and expect it when in an audience too. Our expectations of speakers and people on stage have changed, for better or for worse. Robert Scoble
I just finished reading the article by Olivia Mitchell, How to Present While People are Twittering, which can be found over at Laura Fitton’s blog. THIS IS A MUST READ IF YOU SPEAK!
And now I’m asking that question, “Do you have a feedback loop when you speak?”
It’s a question I have been wondering about for a while…and not just in conference speaking, but in preaching. The conference speaker and the preacher are essentially the same…not in content of message…one is evangelizing the gospel of Jesus Christ and the other is evangelizing a product or idea. BUT, they both come into the engagement with the expectation of a one-way conversation. Though honestly it can’t be a conversation if it’s one way…CORRECT?
Whatever the scenario, the pulpit or the podium, those who stand behind it expect the audience to sit, listen and be attentive.
I think those days are over, or at least coming to an end. Both the audience and the congregation want more engagement and interaction with those who speak from up front. They want more of a conversation…more of a dialogue.
The reality is this. I think some conference speakers will get it and some preachers will get it. They will seek methods and tools to engage the audience and provide more of a real time experience through the use of a feedback loop such as Twitter that is mentioned in the article above. And others will not get it. They will continue to speak to an audience and congregation, demanding one way conversation.
Why is that? Their theology? Fear of losing power and authority? Difficulty in doing it? Tradition? Training?
I’m not saying this needs to be mastered now, but it’s something to be thinking about. It will take a very different kind of leader and speaker to engage audiences in the future whether you are evangelizing ideas or the gospel.
What do you think?
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I do think there is an important distinction between a conference speaker and a preacher on Sunday morning. On Sunday’s we gather for worship. With minds, hearts and body (sacraments, corporate body) we are specifically worshipping the Lord. It is one-way – we worship the Lord God. Matthew 4:10 “…for it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
If we too are to be fully engaged in worship, listening to the Word preached (as opposed to Bible Study, small groups where we discuss), singing songs of praise and worship, taking part in the sacraments of communion and baptism – fully focused on giving God glory. It’s hard to imagine twittering or text messaging.
On the other hand, if it is not specifically a worship service, I can see a place for 2-way engagement or a feedback loop. Engagement with the body, ministering to each other, encouraging one another, all this has it’s place and twittering, IMing, texting etc. may have it’s place.
Chris,
Good thoughts. Here is one of several posts I wrote a ways back on preaching, teaching, conversation, etc.
http://rhettsmith.com/2006/08/30/preaching-teaching-lecturing-dialogue-or-conversation/
I do see preaching as different than conference speaking…I was somewhat playing devil’s advocate. But I do think some of our forms need to change. I think there are other means/methods to preach and engage one’s audience than to continue the way it has been done for a long time…just because it’s always been done that way. Not that you are saying that.
As for feedback loops, it could be twitter or text messaging during the service. It could be a discussion or Q and A time at the end. I think pastors can more fully engage their audiences.
Also, I am going to say this. I think there is resistance to this also because of our egos and authority that we as pastors often hold in the pulpit. It is the one place where they have everyone’s attention. Supposed attention at least. And to give that up I think would strike a huge blow to many…There is too much power and authority in that moment and I don’t mean the text here, but power and authority for that person to just relinquish control. I may sound negative, but I think that’s a huge piece.
The church is often last to give up control and include others…that’s why I’m not surprised that secular culture may lead the way on this one.
rhett
Love your blog and thoughts! You are write/right on…pun intended. Question is how do you provide a feedback loop?
thanks,
S
moonmonkeycoffeecompany/blogspot.com
This has been a “not insignificant” topic of conversation at IBC in the past few weeks, with those who take a similar position as Chris, those who just think it’s impolite to not pay attention to the speaker and those who are wondering how to pack it all into 140 characters.
Seriously, there is some percentage (how’s that for not taking a position) of the IBC body who bristle at the idea of going into a big room, lining up in seats that face one direction and listening to one person talk “to” them for 35+ minutes.
Others have no problem at with it at all.
IBC spends a great deal of effort in making every aspect of the 80 minutes we have an element of worship. Some folks enter with that as their goal – but others don’t. We try to move folks towards that because we do believe in the benefit of a corporate worship time and a corporate time to be admonished, encouraged, taught and inspired . . . and that is as valid a reason for God to want us to gather as could be imagined.
Personally, I would just once love to see a “worship” service that didn’t rely on music, repetitive chorus, dim lights and a plea to my sensitive side. If for no other reason than to emphasize the diversity in which we can “worship” God . . . but I digress.
The topic at hand is how does one deal with, encourage, respond to, maximize the benefits of and minimize the distractions of a feedback loop during a message on Sunday – without being cheesy or come across as “trying to be cool”.
I would like to hear how others have tried it and if they feel that have succeeded.
Shannon,
Thanks, I really appreciate it.
Bill,
Lots of great thoughts. Thanks for sharing. We need to get coffee sometime. I would like to sit down and chat with you about this and many other things. I can imagine that there are a variety of opinions on what a service should look like. I too would like to see churches in general be more creative in their worship service and not rely simply on music, or the sermon, etc. I think what happens (cause I’ve been there) is that we get a bit lazy…lazy, not that we aren’t working hard, but lazy in that we get comfortable with a style or form, and we just sort of get stuck in that rut or form. We fail to take risks and try new things…safety tends to be the name of the game.
And I think we are afraid to change things up, fearing that we might lose congregants if we shake some things up, etc.
I’m just curious about the feedback loop….because it’s an important thing in many areas (therapy, couple communication, churches, speaking, etc, etc.)…I see many things through the lens of a system, and so the feedback loop into the system is important.
rhett
Even though twittering or text-messaging during a worship service may be a step in the right direction, I hope that it might convince many that there is also no substitute for the real thing: face to face interaction with others possessing the same basic God-given “embodied” spirits.
Yo Rhett,
I want to push back against this…
not because I don’t think feedback loops are good, I just personally think I can get along without them. And until we have a church full of young hipsters, which a lot of churches aren’t, then is this really a “must have”?
However
…. as I type this, I realize that I can’t stop twittering as I prepare to teach. When I come across fun stuff, I can’t help but finding a way to work it into a Tweet..
So I’ll keep mulling it over.
Petey,
That’s cool…push back is good and necessary.
I will also say that a feedback loop can be done in a lot of different ways, just not through technology, though this is what I chose to talk about in this post.
I work with couples in counseling talking about feedback loops in their marriage as well. And that’s very different than something like this.
So it can be done in lots of different ways, mediums, etc.
Just thinking ahead…thanks for you thoughts.
Rhett