8 Public Speaking Tips for Missionaries

Carrie Mills • May 15, 2017

As a missionary, a big part of your job is building relationships with supporters. Public speaking is a great way to share your story and invite a large number of people into partnership with your ministry at one time. It’s also a great way to make even the most outgoing person break a sweat!

Public speaking is one of the biggest fears people face. In fact, 74 percent of people admit to getting nervous before giving a speech. Whether you get a few butterflies or downright freeze in front of people, you’re not alone.

But you don’t have to let fear keep you from sharing your story with large groups of people. Here are eight public speaking tips to help you rock your next presentation.

Be Real

Unless you’re a head of state, no one expects you to give a flawless performance. Give yourself permission upfront to mess up. It’s okay to show emotion (you’re not a robot!), admit you’re nervous and stumble over words.

Focus on your message and share your heart. There is plenty of room here for grace, and the Lord can still use your presentation — sweaty palms and all — to open people’s hearts.

BONUS TIP: As your support team starts to form, you should keep track of your supporters’ contact information, their financial commitments and your communications with them. Download this Support Raising Excel Template to keep this critical information in one place.

Practice


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Rehearsing your presentation will allow you to become comfortable with your speech in a safe environment. Use practice time to familiarize yourself with the content of your speech.

Don’t aim to memorize your speech, but do create an outline. The more familiar you are with what you want to say, the more natural you’ll come across.

Maximize your practice time by getting feedback: Ask your friends or family to be a practice audience and to note what you did well and what you need to improve.

Or, try recording yourself with your phone or laptop. Then play it back as you take notes on both the good and the not-so-good parts.

Slow Down

When speaking to a group, you need to speak much slower than you would if you were talking to someone one-on-one.

There is a lot more space between you and your audience, so the physical cues someone would follow if you were talking individually (like lip-reading and body language) are lost on a large group.

Listeners are also intrinsically lazy. If you talk too fast, your audience has to work harder to comprehend what you’re saying.

Pause. Take a deep breath. Let your words sink in. And speak slower than you would normally. It will feel awkward at first, but your audience will retain more and even perceive you as more confident after you’ve finished.

Create an Outline

If you only follow one tip on this list, let it be this: Make. An. Outline. Please don’t wing it and go up there without knowing exactly what you need to cover during your presentation. There’s a good chance you’ll forget something and an even better chance you’ll get off track.

On the flip side, don’t write out your speech word-for-word. Nobody wants to listen to a speaker who reads straight from a script.

Using an outline will keep you focused while giving you freedom to be natural between your talking points. Jot down every point you want to make, and use it as a guide for presenting the material in your own words. Then, practice enough (see tip #2) that you can consistently cover all your points without referring to your outline too often.

BONUS TIP: Create visual cues on your outline with colorful highlighters or markers . Using a bright visual will let you remind yourself of something with just a quick glance.

Make Eye Contact

Eye contact produces powerful feelings of connection, so it’s a must if you want to engage your audience during a speech.

Make eye contact with one person at a time, across the entire room, throughout your presentation. Easier said than done, though, right?

Here’s a trick I use: Find a particular color, hair style, accessory or article of clothing to look for in the audience. This will keep your eye roaming. When you spot reading glasses (or whatever item you chose to look for), focus on those briefly to emulate eye contact. To others, it will look like you’re connecting with someone in the audience. Only you and the glasses will know otherwise.

Use Visuals Wisely


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Visual illustrations can greatly enhance your message. Try to find photos that reflect what you’re saying, and use a slide at the end of your presentation with contact information or a way to connect with you after you’re done.

Beware: There’s a fine line between using visuals to enhance a speech and letting them distract your audience. You want the audience’s attention on you, so choose slides that are visual and don’t have a lot of text (If the audience has to read, they’ll stop listening to you).

Also, keep the number of slides to a minimum so you don’t have to worry about frequently changing the slides or cueing someone else to make the change. A good rule of thumb is to use one to two slides per minute of presentation time.

Know Your Space

The more you know about the space you’ll be speaking in, the more comfortable you’ll be when it comes time to present. Learn as much about the space as you can.

Here are some questions to start with:

  • Will there be a screen for a slideshow?
  • Will I have a microphone? Cordless or corded?
  • Will it be recorded? What cameras do I need to be aware of?
  • Will the lights be up or down?
  • Will I be standing, or will there be chairs?
  • Will there be a podium?
  • Where will I be while I’m waiting to speak?
  • How will I get to the front/onstage?
  • How will I know when it’s time to go up? Will someone be introducing me?
  • Where should I go when I’m done speaking?

Wrap It Up


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What you say at the beginning and the end of your speech are what the audience will remember the most. As you conclude your speech, there are a few key components you need to cover:

  1. Thank your audience for their time and for listening.
  2. Give people a call to action: a way to connect with you after you’re done talking and to learn more about you and your ministry.
  3. Summarize what you’ve covered, especially if your presentation was on the longer side.
  4. Relax, because you did it!

The best way to get better at anything is to do it — over and over again. Even if public speaking makes your palms sweaty and knees go weak, you can do it and do it well. Take every opportunity you can to speak to others about your ministry, and you’ll find yourself becoming more comfortable and natural over time.

Have any more public speaking tips for missionaries to share? Tell us below!

By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
By Suzanne Pearson 23 Feb, 2024
Justin Burkholder, pictured here with his wife Jenny and their daughters Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey, has recently been named as TEAM’s next International Director. On February 19, 2024, with much excitement and gratitude to the Lord, TEAM announced that Justin Burkholder will become our organization’s new International Director, effective July 1, 2024. Justin, who is currently TEAM’s Executive Director of Global Ministry, will assume his new role upon the retirement of the current International Director, Dave Hall. ( Read the full press release here. ) We sat down recently with Justin to learn a little more about his background, his family, and the journey that has led him to TEAM. Q: Tell us a little bit about your “origin story” - Where did you grow up? What was your family like? A: I grew up in Mexico City as a missionary kid. My parents were focused on church planting. We were very close as a family. Both of my parents are still alive, and my dad serves as a pastor in southern Florida. I have one brother who is a pastor in Wisconsin, and the most special individual in my family is my sister, Amber. She was born with a very severe case of cerebral palsy and is entirely dependent on my mother...who is extraordinary! The three most impactful forces that have shaped who I am (outside of God’s grace) are growing up in Mexico, having parents who loved and planted churches, and sharing life with someone with a severe disability. My parents belonged at the time to a church and denomination that came with quite a bit of legalism and performance-oriented Christianity. Grace was a challenging concept to grasp. While I had an awareness of my sin and need for redemption, it wasn’t until I attended Moody Bible Institute that I began to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and His delight in His children. I have continued learning and trusting in the Gospel through formal education, like completing my M.Div., and through spiritual practices in community. Learning the Gospel and believing the Gospel has been a daily exercise. The Gospel is as beautiful and multi-faceted as a diamond! At an individual level, it is simple enough for us to live convinced that “Jesus loves me, this I know.” At a corporate level, it becomes the foundation that forms and informs our life as a spiritual family. At a cosmic level, it is redemption that reaches as far as the curse is found. It is hard to even grasp the multiplicity of goodness found in the Good News. Q: Share a little bit about your family life now. What does a typical day look like in the Burkholder household? A: My wife Jenny is my high-school sweetheart! She brings joy and kindness wherever she goes. She’s the best listener I’ve ever met, and we love spending time together. We have three daughters. Isabella is ten, Olivia is seven, and Zoey is four. Each of the girls is unique and has taught us a lot in our process of following Jesus together. We like to go out on walks and go to the park together. Once a month I try to get some alone time with each of my daughters which usually includes bowling or trampolines. A typical day in the Burkholder house starts around 5:00am. Because of traffic here in Guatemala City, we have to leave early for school. After school, the girls come home to different activities - sometimes swimming class, sometimes piano lessons. Four or five nights a week we have dinner together where we usually talk about our high and low moments of the day. On weekends, we enjoy time together, playing outside, or watching sports together. Go Cubs and Go Buckeyes! Q: What are your interests and hobbies? If you have the day off, what are you likely to be up to? A: I enjoy physical activity, running, strength-training and following sports. I also love music and, truth be told, am a bit snobby about my taste in music! I also am a very curious person and love reading just about anything that passes through my hands. A day off is usually an opportunity for time with family. Jenny and I like to cook something interesting together on our days off. Often there is time for some reading and watching some type of athletic event. Q: How did God lead you to TEAM? A: My wife and I were working in the Chicago suburbs. I was a youth pastor and she was a Spanish teacher. When we got married, we had already sensed God’s direction to serve cross-culturally, but it was a matter of discerning when and where. There was a driving desire in me to see a church deeply love the Scriptures and at the same time, be deeply engaged in loving and serving their city and the most vulnerable among them. As God directed our paths, we visited a variety of places and made some friends in Guatemala who opened up the path for us to serve here. While we were exploring, we knew that the International Director of an organization called TEAM happened to go to our church, so I decided I should probably invite him out for breakfast - his name was Charlie Davis. Charlie was extremely thoughtful, passionate about disciple-making, and very gracious in creating space for us as we stepped into this endeavor. Charlie connected me with Steve Dresselhaus, a fellow TEAM global worker who was at that time serving as the Senior Director for the Americas. I cannot express the debt that I owe Steve. He walked closely with me in the transition, encouraged courageous thinking about the church and her role in society, and blasted open the doors for us to serve in Guatemala. After meeting Steve, we spent some days praying about joining TEAM. One thing I will never forget – one night during the process, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. A peace like I have seldom experienced passed over me confirming that we should join TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind that God tied all of these pieces together to bring us into the TEAM family and community. Q: What roles have you held in TEAM? What have been the milestones in those roles? A: The most important role I have held in TEAM is that of a global worker. God in His grace has allowed us to help plant two churches here in Guatemala, serve in leadership development, counseling, and discipleship. Our greatest joy has been found walking with those who are learning to follow Christ more deeply. I served as the Ministry Area Leader in Guatemala from 2016 to 2019. We helped to establish and lead this ministry area as it grew from just four global workers to over 15. I then served as Senior Director for Mexico and Central America from 2019 to 2021, Regional Executive Director for the Americas in 2021 and 2022, and then transitioned to the role of Executive Director of Global Ministry which I’ll continue in until the end of June. Q: What do you love most about being a part of TEAM? Why TEAM rather than other organizations or job opportunities? A: The TEAM community is full of people who have faithfully served God’s mission and have given up a lot to do so. It is a privilege to know many of our global workers and be counted among them. I am also fascinated by the fact that TEAM has existed now for more than 130 years! There is something to be said about the resilience and faithfulness of an organization that has continued to impact the world for so long. The rest of our conversation with Justin will be coming soon on blog! We’ll hear more about how God called Justin to the role of International Director, and what Justin sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church.
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