Saying It Well by Charles Swindoll
Near the very end of Saying It Well, Chuck Swindoll shares a piece of wise advice that summarizes the preceding pages…deliver it broken. In a moment of personal crisis for the Swindoll family, pastor Chuck considers how to put on his game face and step into the pulpit to deliver his message. Mrs. Swindoll leans in suggests that he not be anything but who he is at that moment and trust that God will use it to hone the edges of His Word to a razor point.
Pray that we should all deliver the Word from our brokenness.
Swindoll’s latest book is for those of us who speak to the public, whether in church or in a secular setting. Rather than a primer on how to craft a three-point message or rousing speech, Saying It Well emphasizes that who we are as people lies behind the most powerful messages. Without the use of the terms, Aristotle’s three conditions for persuasion (Ethos, Pathos, and Logos) are infused on every page.
The structure of the book mystifies the reader at first as it it largely biographical. What might this have to do with public speaking, one wonders, and then it dawns on you. Who you are so colors the delivery of a message that we are drawn to consider our own biography. The credibility (ethos) of your words is measured by the life that you lead. Your words will ring hollow if the listeners know you to be a man lacking integrity in your personal life while you talk about the importance of honest dealings. If you have no bond (pathos) with the people you are addressing, many will wonder why they should listen to you. You will be left with only the logic (logos) of your arguments to make your point. Many speakers bank on this aspect of their message but are disappointed to find little change in the listener afterword.
Swindoll does include a good deal of practical material in the book but none of it hits like a text book. In his homey way, Pastor Chuck suggests that this is his method for building a message, but that the reader should adapt rather than copy the process to their own workflow. We may be tempted to copy given the enormous success of Swindoll’s ministry but then remember that this success comes from who he is and not just the words themselves. Excellent advice for all of us to apply.
Grace and peace to you…
I am grateful to Hachette Book Group and Faith Words who provided this book for review.
LOVE | ACCEPT | FORGIVE 