Ernest Smith

Let It Flow

Creating a message is not an easy task, at least not if you want to create a dynamic, relevant, and transformational message.  It is the intent of this 5 part blog series to give a glimpse at the world of message creation. We have already discussed three essential steps to writing a message, (1) asking the right questions, (2) picking the right biblical passage, (3) creating the hook, all three of which can be found in early posts.

Once you have walked through these three steps the next crucial step, in creating a message that will be transformational, is to (4) design the appropriate flow.

Each message has a particular flow, one that is usually designed around the personality and creativity of the communicator.  Whether an individual wants to use a popular method like HBLT (Hook, Book, Look, Took) or Andy Stanley’s MWGYW (Me, We, God, You, We), or one wants to create their own method, the crucial point is that there must be a flow that allows the message to be effectively communicated to the audience.

When designing the flow of the message, keep three things in mind.

1.       Make sure your flow actually flows.  You don’t want to be scattered in your thoughts or in your words.  Your audience needs to be able to follow you easily, without having to think too much about where you are going or where you have been.  I have seen many communicators who have no real flow to their message, therefore their audience leaves confused about what they have just heard and less willingly to engage the next time they hear that same communicator.
2.       Make sure your flow matches your personality.  When you are teaching or preaching a message from God, the truths are from God, but the way these truths are presented should be based on who God has made you.  Don’t try to be Owen Wilson if humor is not your thing.  Don’t try to be Kim Ung-Yong if you aren’t an intellectual.  Don’t try to be Max Lucado if you can’t tell a story correctly.  Be you and communicate the way that God created you, whether that is with humor, intelligence, story-telling, etc.
3.       Make sure your flow is held together by great transitions.  Many communicators forget about the importance of transitions.  Transitions are what help tie everything together.  You can’t have a message that is coherent without having proper transitions to help.

If you want to be an effective communicator, meaning you want to teach in such a way that lives are changed, then one of the crucial steps when creating your message is to make sure that it flows.  If it doesn’t, people will not be engaged and
their hearts will not be receptive to change.