I just knew I would eventually get some religion into this blog. I just didn’t know it would come from Matt Homann over at the (non)billable hour. Thanks to a post by Matt he calls "Sweat the Outline" when it comes to your next speech and to prepare weeks in advance, he led me to the source of those tips and more.

Turns out that the ChurchRelevance blog has a post that shares “Perry Noble’s 6 Preaching Tips,” as compiled by Tony Morgan while working under Senior Pastor Noble at the NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC.

Still with me? Nobody said religion is easy.

The point is that all six tips that Morgan learned from Pastor Noble are relevant to public speaking by lawyers as part of their business development efforts. The 6 tips:

1.      Prepare your message weeks in advance (it will give time for your thoughts to develop and take root or, as Pastor Noble would contend, give the Holy Spirit more time to help),

2.      Speak the truth (and what you are passionate about, as you will be more convincing and effective),

3.      Keep it simple (the more you cover, the less your “audience will retain”),

4.      Sweat the outline not the manuscript,

5.      Tell stories (Noble is right in saying “People will tune out unless you engage their emotions”), and

6.      Invite others into the process (it is a good idea to include others who may help in clarifying your message … and even make suggestions on your delivery).

Amen.