by Troy Page, The Unstuck Group
Many of us grew up in a church where children and student ministry was fun, creative and caught our attention. Then as we grew older and started attending “big” church, everything seemed to get boring! Thankfully during the last twenty plus years, there has been a wave of new churches who place a value to make things more creative, exciting and interesting. One way this is done is when speakers use visuals such as props and videos to capture the attention of the audience.
While using visuals can be a great enhancement to a message and make it much more memorable, they also can derail the message and cause the main point to be lost.
Here are 10 Things to Consider When Using Visuals
- Don’t waste time/money on a visual that supports a minor point. Use it to create an impact that supports the entire message.
- Practice with your props to make sure they work. You don’t want to embarrass yourself.
- Communicate with your production team. Sometimes special lighting, specific camera angles and audio adjustments are necessary.
- Allow the visual to speak for itself. If you have to explain it too much, then it probably isn’t working.
- Put on your “cheese-dar.” Ask for opinions from the “cool” people and make sure others respond the way you intended.
- Don’t try to force creativity. You don’t want to come off as gimmicky, contrived, or out of character.
- Consider a visual that flows through an entire sermon series. This brings creativity each week and makes the entire series memorable.
- Know the purpose of the visual. Is it an attention getter or an ice breaker; an emotional connection, or something designed to bring greater clarity?
- Delegate the work. Visuals can take a lot of time to create. Ask a staff member to help so you can spend your time in message preparation.
- Don’t be predictable. Consider how often you have used visuals, especially the same type, and don’t overdo it.
Photo Credit: stuartpilbrow via Compfight cc
