Communication is a lost art and we need to resurrect it

Look around you.  In our culture, we often fail at the fundamentals.  Having a conversation without an electronic device involved.  Writing a thank-you letter.  Listening in earnest to a friend in need.  On the other hand, authentic human exchanges will lead us to learn, transform, revolutionize, innovate, connect and love.

The gap is crucial for leaders to understand

Those who learn how to connect with and harness the potential of this new generation will have a decided advantage as the Boomer generation retires over the next fifteen years.  If we fail to figure out this dilemma, our prospects are dim.

Habitudes for Communicators

Like the other books in the Habitudes series, this book is filled with images to represent timeless principles, to be read, discussed and applied with a team.  The images in this book revolve around engaging and communicating with the next generation.  You'll learn how to communicate effectively through images like Windows and Mirrors, #3 Pencil, House on Fire, The Faded Flag, School Yearbook and more.

Here's to mastering the art of communicating with the next generation!

For more information regarding the Habitudes and specifically the Habitudes for Communicators visit growingleaders.com.

Hope everyone had a nice long MLK weekend and is ready for the new semester to kick off, if it hasn't already.  The following blog was written by Guy Chmieleski regarding the wisdom found in encouraging new students in your ministry to not immediately rush into leadership positions.    As most everyone is just starting up their semester, I thought this would be a timely reminder to many of you.

Guy's blog site is faithoncampus.com and the following article originally appeared on the blog on Sept 8, 2011.

I have very few “pocket speeches” that I pull out and use over and over again.

I find that every student is unique, as is their situation, and it (and they) deserves to be treated as such.

However, at the start of every new school year there is one speech (conversation is probably a more accurate description) that I seem to present over and over and over again…

When new students approach me about finding a place to lead (and more specific to our campus — to lead worship) I tell them all the same thing:

Find a place to belong first, then look for ways to invest your gifts.

I’m sure I burst the bubble of many of these well-intentioned students — especially those who come from contexts back home where they have held significant leadership roles — but I firmly believe that too many students jump in to the first leadership opportunity that presents itself (believing that this will be how they distinguish themselves in their new community), and end up struggling because it the leadership opportunity turns out to not be a place they themselves can grow, learn, be stretched or belong.

They end up fulfilling a role — half-heartedly so — and not leading out of passion and purpose.

It may seem counter-intuitive to turn eager students away — or even delay them the opportunity to bring new life and ideas to your ministry (in an official leadership role) — but I think it’s for the best.

Even if it means they end up finding somewhere else to lead and serve.

These new students, who had risen to the top of the leadership ladder in their respective schools and churches, need to be reminded of the importance of being led — especially in times of transition — and allowing the right leadership opportunity to reveal itself to them.

They need to know that it’s OK to not lead — even if just for a season.

I think this has the potential to shape them — and their future leadership — in some significant ways.

What do you think?

Below is a recent blog article by Tim Elmore regarding how communication is changing among Americans today, and I believe college students as well.  He reminds us that for many people communication occurs through their cell phone or ipad and advises us not to reprimand college students for using them during your lesson, but prepare ourselves for their usage during our lessons.  For more blogs by Elmore visit his blog site blog.growingleaders.com.

Join us today at 10:30 am to hear Nate Stewart, College Minister at Houston's First talk through things to focus on and remember at the start of a new semester.

As you start up the new semester it is important for you to think through new ways to reach new students and ways to challenge them to grow in their spiritual maturity while attending college.  This webinar will help you think through some new ideas while also touching upon some of the basic thoughts to remember when a new semester starts.  Join us to brainstorm for the new semester and to get some direction in how to start the new semester off right.

We hope you can make it for the webinar.  For more information on how to attend the webinar please visit www.sbtexas.com/webinars

In preparation for our bi-monthly webinar coming up on January 9th (next Monday), I thought it would be helpful to provide you with some questions provided to us by Guy Chmieleski's blog, FaithonCampus, titled 12 questions to help shape your 2012.  These questions focus on reflecting on 2011 while helping you think through where you want to go in 2012.  Hopefully these questions will get you thinking through your methodology for your upcoming semester.

Looking back…(2011)

1. How did I get here? More specifically… what were the events, experiences, relationships  and ideas that served to shape me over the past year?
2. Where did I see God at work? At home? On campus? In my life?
3. How did I experience “success?” Personally? Professionally? Relationally?
4. How did I experience pain or loss? How have I dealt with this? Is there more work to be done here? How will I keep from getting “stuck?”
5. How was I obedient to God’s call? Did I readily make myself available God’s leading? Did I seek it out? Were there times I turned a deaf ear to God’s lead? If so, why?
6. What could have made the past year better? There is a lot that could be considered here, but for the sake of making this a profitable (and not harmful) time, allow God to bring things to mind… take some time to reflect on each, maybe write somethings down, and then move on.

Looking ahead (2012)

1. Where is God leading? This is different from our own hopes and dreams… it requires listening for God’s direction. It involves a willingness to hold a blank calendar and/or agenda — our lives — before God with the intent of allowing God to fill it and use it.
2. What changes do I need to make? Based on the past, what intentional changes need to be made — because if we’re not intentional about our past, we’ll likely repeat it.
3. Who are the people I need to spend time with? Who are the mentors I need to seek out and sit under? Who are the peers I need to sharpen and be sharpened by? Who among the next generation do I need to spend significant, intentional time investing in?
4. What are my hopes and dreams for the year ahead? If it fits with what God desires, what are the things I’d like to accomplish? What are the personal and/or professional dreams that I’d like to see take root and produce “fruit” in the year ahead?
5. How do I need to prioritize my time? This might be the biggest question of them all… because time is probably the greatest commodity of our age! As I desire to be the person God wants me to be… how do I need to spend my time? What needs to become a priority for me this year? What needs to remain a priority? What needs to be cut from life? I must remember that I can’t do it all. And if I attempt to do “too much” of it… I will likely do very little of it well.
6. Where do I hope to be a year from now? This question might be a bit of a stretch, but I believe it to be worth spending some time with… Personally, what changes might I hope to see in myself? Professionally, is there a promotion, transition, new degree or something else I might hope to start or complete or achieve? Relationally, where do I hope to be with some of my most significant (or even new) relationships? The skies the limit on this one!