The alarm clock went off at 3:30 am. And so began Peter Shankman’s long, tiring, but very…very surprising work day. What happened next was a masterclass in one of the most important parts of every church’s communications strategy: Listening.
The Peter Shankman Story
Morton’s Steakhouse didn’t do anything herculean or impossible for Peter Shankman. They simply provided dinner for one. The reason it was so amazing was the context in which they did it. They were listening.
Because of their listening and personal touch, Morton’s earned a follower for life in Shankman, and he has gone on to tell thousands of others about how awesome Morton’s is and what they did.
The Power of Listening
Listening is one of the most powerful skills that can help churches grow, evangelize, and communicate.
When you think about your communication strategy, how much does it include listening? Try approaching your communication tools thinking less about how you can use them to tell your people something, and more about how you can use them to better listen to your members.
I Hear Too Much!
You might be thinking: I’m already listening a ton, I listen to constant criticisms, complaints, and unsolicited advice from my people.
While it’s true that church leaders already get constant (often negative) feedback from members and this might make it seem like you’re hearing everyone, this is actually a skewed sample as it only includes the super engaged and squeaky wheels.
It takes deliberate effort to listen to the disengaged people you are trying to reach. This isn’t to encourage creeping around online, social media stalking, or data harvesting — that’s not really listening and doesn’t build trust.
Digital tools can help you ask questions and listen to your members, but they should always lead toward building real relationships with them. It’s by deliberately getting outside of your bubble, asking members questions, and building connections with new people that you can discover the real problems they are facing and how you can better serve them.
Often, church leaders use language very different from what their members are familiar with — so their communications miss the mark. By listening to your people, you can learn their language, hear their struggles, and discover the desires in their hearts. You can then adjust the way you speak so they can better understand you and actually want to listen.
Make sure listening and paying attention are central to your communication strategy.
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