Delivering the Message: How It is Done is Just as Important

Pastor pulpit — Phil Cooke says how you deliver your message is just as important as the message itself. (Lightstock)

Now before you crucify me for heresy, let me explain. My father was a pastor back in the 1950s and 1960s, and compared to today, getting his message out was easy.

Church was a big part of life back then, and the distractions were very few. But, what about today?

Here's a few stats to put it in perspective:

The average cable network has 180 channels—some up to 500 channels.
Facebook has more than a billion users.
Social media is now the No. 1 activity on the web.
Some researchers indicate that the average person is bombarded with 5,000 media message every day.
You can hardly go anywhere on the planet without receiving some type of signal—cell, wifi, radio, TV, short wave, etc.

The challenge you face today is competition. Hyper competition. Which means that with so many choices out there for a person's attention, how your message is delivered is more important than ever. My experience is that it only takes a few seconds to decide what TV program to watch and it only takes 1 second to decide which online article to read.

Delivery matters today—and it's not just about media. I have a friend who refuses to visit a dentist. It's not about the treatment or even the pain. But an incompetent dentist in the past keeps him from ever trying it again. There are millions of those stories related to bad experiences purchasing a product, attending church, and more.

There are simply a million reasons for people to do something else rather than watch your TV program or movie, read your book, blog, or article, listen to your sermon or hear your presentation.

What about your delivery could you improve so that your chances of success go up?

What can you do to make it easier to watch, listen to, or read your message?

How can you increase your audience's desire?

How can you get on their radar?

How can you make it urgent?

Think about it: Master your content and be an expert. But even genius won't matter if you don't have an audience. It doesn't matter how great the message—if there's nobody listening, watching, or reading, you've failed.

Simple as that.

Phil Cooke is a filmmaker, media strategist and the author of One Big Thing: Discovering What You Were Born to Do. Find out more at philcooke.com.

For the original article, visit philcooke.com.

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