A guest post by John UpChurch.
John UpChurch is a shotgun riding Jesus-follower who blogs at johnupchurch.wordpress.com.
In my defense, I ducked into the room without glancing up at the gray sign with the room number. I followed the glow of the iPads, drawn by the smooth cases and shiny apps.
Expecting Ed Stetzer, I stumbled onto a group of planters preparing to give 90-second pitches for raising money for their church plant. Of course, I didn’t realize this until the door closed and the session started.
Did I mention that everyone was expected to give a pitch?
Coming into the second day of a preconference intensive was disorienting enough. Facing a firing squad without preparation was completely discombobulating. But I wouldn’t trade the experience.
If you’re not familiar with Exponential, it’s a conference that bills itself as the world’s largest for church planters, wannabe planters, and already-planters. And I believe it (there were perpetual lines to every men’s bathroom). Over 4,000 of us squeezed into classrooms to absorb insight from Alan Hirsh, to watch Francis Chan burn with passion, and to get drenched in the gospel.
As for me, I got a trial-by-fire education in communicating vision.
Answering the Questions
I’d love to tell you that I pulled out my impromptu speechmaking skills from college and gave the 90-second pitch to rule them all. I didn’t. Not even close. But, thanks to the guys at Generis, I did get dunked into the best ways to share your vision as succinctly as possible—whether you’re speaking, churning out a video, or writing.
You need people to follow and help resource what God’s given you to run with. To help make that happen, keep in mind these questions:
- What? Don’t be afraid to spell out the project at the start. If you need help moving to a new city, say it. If you’re looking for people to pitch in a donation, let them know. Be specific—and, most importantly, be creative. For example, tell them you want to “shut down” a government agency by finding adoptive parents for all the children in your area.
- Why? After you’ve laid out the vision, help your audience understand the importance. Tell personal stories that help them relate. Perhaps you’ve seen teens in a community avoiding any hint of a church building. Maybe assault is high in your town. Show them a face and not just stats.
- Why now? Motive isn’t always enough. Show your audience why your project is urgent or why now is the time to address the situation.
- How much? After you’ve revealed the project, the reasoning, and the urgency, tell them what you need. Explain that you and your family are all in, provide several means of entry into the project (giving levels, material donations, time investments), assess your audience to make sure your ask is suitable, and understand that “no” can really mean “not now.”
- So what? Make it easy to get involved. If you’re speaking, provide cards or brochures that explain how to help. If it’s on the web, make it easy to click through to give or sign up. Just don’t build people up to follow you and then fail to provide a means to keep the momentum.
Also—and this is just a freebie—make sure you’re in the right room.
