The call to serve God includes communicating the Gospel in spoken words or written words. Studying the principles of clear and effective communication can increase the minister’s effectiveness in this Great Commission. However, speaking and writing are skills that require practice as well as understanding. Rigorous thinking, clear expression, and adapting message to audience are skills that develop only through repeated and guided practice.
This module, Communicating with Spoken and Written Language, provides an introduction to the processes of composing and developing the skills necessary for each step. The course also introduces the student to the transactional process of public speaking. Writing and speaking share the principles of understanding and adapting to the audience, identifying the communication purpose, organizing discourse to accomplish that purpose, developing and supporting the main idea with specific data, and revising/practicing to prepare the communication for the audience.
This course is a learn-by-doing experience. Students will receive feedback throughout the composing process and the planning-to-speak process, and then will perform and publish final products. Both written and spoken assignments are sequential and developmental, growing out of typical ministry opportunities.
This module contributes to the development of the following abilities as defined in the U.S. Sourcebook for Ministerial Development.
CP1—Ability to communicate publicly through multiple methods (oral, written, media, etc.) with clarity and creativity for the sake of fostering meaning
CP2—Ability to write clearly and in a grammatically correct manner in the modes of discourse used in the ministry
CP3—Ability to speak coherently and cogently in the modes of discourse appropriate for the various ministry contexts
CP10—Ability to synthesize, analyze, reason logically for discernment, assessment, and problem solving, and live with ambiguity
CP11—Ability to analyze the validity of arguments and to identify their presuppositions and consequences
CX7—Ability to identify and apply principles of cross-cultural communication