Do you recognize your own voice? Not the way the sound when you talk, but the voice you teach with? Your teaching voice is your speaking personality, and it should be as unique as your actual one.
If you’re not careful, it’s easy to lose your teaching voice in the sea of preachers and communicators. We have instant access to great sermons and great preachers these days. We can listen to anyone anywhere. It’s helpful when we learn from them, but not when we emulate them! Here’s the deal though: God didn’t create you to be your favorite speaker, He created you to be you. I would love to teach like Andy Stanley or Steven Furtick, but no matter how hard I try I will never be them. I’m at my best when I’m myself and embrace who I am as a communicator, and I bet you are too.
The best communicators know their voice and stick with it. So how can you find yours? Here are three practical ways to find your teaching voice.
“God didn’t create you to be your favorite speaker, He created you to be you.”
3 WAYS TO FIND YOUR TEACHING VOICE
1) BE YOURSELF
Who you are when you’re teaching should resemble who you are with your family and friends. Are you funny? Then be funny. If you like research and information, teach the scripture clearly and thoroughly. If you’re creative, find a creative way to teach it from a new angle. On the flip side, if you’re not very funny, you should probably steer clear of jokes when teaching. And if you’re lacking in the creative department, don’t try to do something brand new or make your talk a production. Be you, because finding your teaching voice begins with being yourself. When you teach, be who you are. Be real instead of trying to sound like someone else. Your students will thank you for it, and you will begin to find your own voice.
“When you teach, be who you are. Be real instead of trying to sound like someone else.”
2) EXPERIMENT
One thing I try to do often is listen to other communicators who are better than I am. Some are preachers, while others may be motivational speakers or leadership gurus. Regardless of who they are, the reason I listen is to learn! I want to get better at my craft, and one of the best ways to get better is to learn from others who are ahead of me. When I listen to a good communicator, I try to take notes on good things they do and new ideas. If I really like an idea or something they do, I will experiment with it in my own sermons. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t. Some ideas never make it past practice, while others become a part of how I teach and make me a better communicator. The point is you will never know what works for you until you experiment with different styles. If you try something that feels really uncomfortable, then you can scrap it. However, the more you listen to and learn from others, the more tools you will find for your own teaching toolbox. Want to teach better? Then listen, learn, and experiment with new things until you find what works for you!
“The more you listen to and learn from others, the more tools you will find for your own teaching toolbox.”
3) MAKE IT PERSONAL
One of the best ways to find your voice, and perhaps the easiest way, is to make it personal. You can make it personal by telling your own story, or by sharing what the Lord is teaching you currently. When you make it personal, people see the real you. Think about it, no one tells your story better than you. You are an expert on your own story! Telling your story takes the pressure off, and it’s a great way to get comfortable in your own skin on stage. Use your testimony, what God is teaching you, and personal stories that illustrate Biblical principles to find your voice. Jesus was a master storyteller. He often used parables and stories to help people make personal application. It’s a great way to teach, and an even better way to find your voice! The odds are that your voice when you tell a story is the voice you want to teach with all the time. If you want to find your voice and teach better, it’s time to make it personal!
You will never be a great communicator until you find your own voice. The good news is it’s easy to find yours! If you want to find your teaching voice and become a better communicator, then be yourself, experiment, and make it personal. The rest will take care of itself.
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