the Monday Morning Debrief: Body Language

The past few weeks, I’ve been listening to a lot of stuff from ESPN Radio and slew of other ESPN networks talking a lot about Cam Newton and his body language and tone of voice.  The bottom line of their discussions are they are openly questioning whether or not Cam is a leader based on his body language and tone of voice. Here is just 1 picture of some body language Cam has been displaying recently.

Ok Tom this is cool, but how does this apply to ministry?

I believe it applies a lot because how we communicate to students, parents, other staffers about our programs is vital.  It can either leave them feeling excited about the direction and progress of the program.  Or, it could leave them wondering if they will attend or if you are the right “leader” for the ministry.  It doesn’t matter if your ministry is going through a tough time or not, as leaders, people look to you for direction and guidance.  If what you communicate non-verbally is something that doesn’t line up with what you are saying verbally, the likelihood of them following and participating could be greatly diminished.

So right now, TAKE A MINUTE and think about it.  What kind of body language are you projecting to those you interact with in ministry?  Is it positive, upbeat?  Or is it down and out?  Or do you think it even matters? What you communicate non-verbally to those around you can be even more telling than what you communicate verbally to them.