Great breakout this morning with Jamey Dickens, the High School Pastor at Buckhead Church, on how to become a better communicator with students. Here is the direction Jamey went this morning here at the Orange Conference…

If you want to be a better communicator BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
Teens listen and buy in when they trust the people around them. They will listen to you when they know you or they know someone else who knows you!
If you want to be a better communicator FUNNEL YOUR PROGRAM
Make sure everything in your environment is helping teens move toward what is going to be taught.
If you want to be a better communicator FOCUS YOUR CONTENT
Say less to communicate more.
If you want to be a better communicator WORK ON YOUR SYSTEM
Make sure you have a system that works to help you plan and prepare every week.

What really stood out to me this morning was the power of building relationships as a enhancer in our communication. When people know you and trust you they buy into what you are communicating. Most of the time teens will not trust a communicator that they don’t know or that one of their friends will not endorse. RELATIONSHIP helps every teenager let their guard down and trust us. The relationship factor is not about the student pastor knowing every kid in the ministry…it really is about creating  a culture of relational health throughout your entire leadership team. We have to empower small group leaders to KNOW KIDS, to be INVOLVED IN THE LIVES OF THEIR KIDS. Youth pastor…you have to build relationships with students, not just plan your program and  hope for better attendance and information transfer. We communicate because we want to see lives transformed. Transformation is relational…go for it!