I wouldn’t normally do this but, I thought it was important enough to share with you. For several years I worked in a church office environment, and created more than my fair share of documents, calendars, bulletin pieces, programs, posters, newsletter, letters to parents and the list would go on and on if I let it. I have written pieces I was very proud of and others that I am not. And it wasn’t because I didn’t know how to write or that I didn’t put time and effort into what I was creating, but it was because it didn’t communicate what I was trying to say.
Kem Meyer is the Communications Director of Granger Community Church in Granger, Indiana, and has years of experience with business communications strategies. What she writes in her new book Less Clutter. Less Noise.: Beyond Bulletins, Brochures and Bake Sales
People are stressed out, fed up, over committed (in time and money), and over stimulated. Under any kind of stress (i.e., traffic, deadline, crying kids, finances), the loudest signals your brain sends out are about what’s happening right at this moment and how to survive it. Anything that is not critical to this moment physiologically is drowned out. Its how God designed the human brain to prioritize People need inspiration first, so the information will sink in. Many times that inspiration will come from how you make them feel not by what you have to say.
This is one of the best books I’ve read on communication and if your writing newsletters home to parents of students, blog post of family updates, or you are writing a bulletin, this is a book for you check it out on Amazon. I absolutely loved it and so will you!
