Your
audience is living in a world of infinite choices and constant
advertising bombardment. They are overcommitted, over stimulated,
overstressed and just plain fed up. Many are existing day-to-day, going
through the motions of being alive, yet dying inside. They’re looking
for answers. Answers that will make a real difference in their lives.
But instead, they face a barrage of information that not only fails to
lift them up, it actually drains them – physically, mentally,
emotionally and spiritually.
How should the church respond? Not by dumping more information and adding to the confusion, or the Gospel will be lost in the torrential downpour of worthless information. We know that culture operates on the premise that more is better: “If we create more, we create more value.” And this societal impulse to create more and do more has resulted in information overload. So communication the church may intend to be helpful is just perceived as noise or junk mail. People shut down. Stop listening. Move on. Just because we’re the church, do you think we’re perceived any differently than any other advertiser or telemarketer out there? We’re not.
As a recovering spin doctor from the corporate communications industry, I’m continually reevaluating my ingrained ways of delivering a message. As a matter of fact, my role today is less about distributing a message and more about discovering how those messages are consumed – or not. It’s a responsibility I take so seriously that I’m considering changing my title from “communications director” to “consumer advocate.”
It’s time to turn down the volume. We have the opportunity to reduce the “noise” in people’s lives. By simplifying what our audience sees and touches, we can make every aspect of their engagement with the church easier and more rewarding.
We can craft a new experience for our guests. How? By addressing what they really need and want – not what we think they should need and want. And, believe it or not, we can help accomplish this by better organizing our bulletins, brochures and Web sites – and communicating in language that builds trust instead of walls. When they can sit back, take a breath and make sense out of things, our guests are more open to hearing about their next step toward Christ. And, when we remove the obstacles to their understanding God’s incredible love for them, they just might feel empowered to actually take that step.
How do you take your church communications and promotions from a tidal wave of "too much" to a steady stream of "just enough" to keep people informed and engaged? Come to the Communications (formerly LiveWire) workshop, presented by Kem Meyer.
Kem Meyer, Communications Director
For about 23 years, Kem Meyer thought church was for weak, out-of-touch people who just needed to "get a life." She thought she understood what the world had to offer–and what the church did not. And then, an unexpected, unpredictable and uncommon experience at a local church met her right where she was at. It changed her view of Jesus and her purpose in life forever. Now, as Communications Director for Granger, she draws on more than 15 years of marketplace experience in corporate communications and internet strategy to remove the barriers that keep people from connecting with Christ. In her workshop, Kem shares practical insights and best practices–with candor (you were warned). Kem and her husband, Mark, have three children–Erin, Emmi and Easton. They go to church on Saturdays, sleep-in on Sundays and watch Lost on Wednesdays.
How should the church respond? Not by dumping more information and adding to the confusion, or the Gospel will be lost in the torrential downpour of worthless information. We know that culture operates on the premise that more is better: “If we create more, we create more value.” And this societal impulse to create more and do more has resulted in information overload. So communication the church may intend to be helpful is just perceived as noise or junk mail. People shut down. Stop listening. Move on. Just because we’re the church, do you think we’re perceived any differently than any other advertiser or telemarketer out there? We’re not.
As a recovering spin doctor from the corporate communications industry, I’m continually reevaluating my ingrained ways of delivering a message. As a matter of fact, my role today is less about distributing a message and more about discovering how those messages are consumed – or not. It’s a responsibility I take so seriously that I’m considering changing my title from “communications director” to “consumer advocate.”
It’s time to turn down the volume. We have the opportunity to reduce the “noise” in people’s lives. By simplifying what our audience sees and touches, we can make every aspect of their engagement with the church easier and more rewarding.
We can craft a new experience for our guests. How? By addressing what they really need and want – not what we think they should need and want. And, believe it or not, we can help accomplish this by better organizing our bulletins, brochures and Web sites – and communicating in language that builds trust instead of walls. When they can sit back, take a breath and make sense out of things, our guests are more open to hearing about their next step toward Christ. And, when we remove the obstacles to their understanding God’s incredible love for them, they just might feel empowered to actually take that step.
How do you take your church communications and promotions from a tidal wave of "too much" to a steady stream of "just enough" to keep people informed and engaged? Come to the Communications (formerly LiveWire) workshop, presented by Kem Meyer.
Kem Meyer, Communications Director
For about 23 years, Kem Meyer thought church was for weak, out-of-touch people who just needed to "get a life." She thought she understood what the world had to offer–and what the church did not. And then, an unexpected, unpredictable and uncommon experience at a local church met her right where she was at. It changed her view of Jesus and her purpose in life forever. Now, as Communications Director for Granger, she draws on more than 15 years of marketplace experience in corporate communications and internet strategy to remove the barriers that keep people from connecting with Christ. In her workshop, Kem shares practical insights and best practices–with candor (you were warned). Kem and her husband, Mark, have three children–Erin, Emmi and Easton. They go to church on Saturdays, sleep-in on Sundays and watch Lost on Wednesdays.