Communications, Leadership
Sticky Messages: 5 Ways to Make Messages Stick
It’s a universal truth among churches; everyone who has anything to do with Sunday mornings puts hours of work into making them perfect.
All of that work has to amount to something right? With so much time and importance placed on our time of gathering it’s critical that what we communicate during this time sticks. Here are 5 ways to make sure that we can rise above the noise, that we can communicate truth that changes life, and that this truth sticks far past Sunday service.
It's critical that what we communicate on Sunday sticks... @TravisWalser Click To Tweet
PLANNING
Nothing can take the place of good old fashion planning.
While poorly planned events are memorable they aren’t all that effective. No one walks away from a bad experience thinking, “Hey! Let me remember those points so I can apply it to my life!” In fact, if we want people to remember what we’re communicating and apply it, we have to plan so that their focus is centered on the message we’re sending. No distractions, no hiccups, no “off-the-cuff”. We have to say “yes” to strong and accurate execution that delivers with precision and finesse.
The other side of planning is innovation. If we want the congregation to walk away with a memorable experience we have to differentiate it from everything else they experience on a weekly basis. Critical brainstorming during planning can work to make an experience that transcends “the usual”. When the music, the environment, the visuals, and the atmosphere come together we can break down people’s walls and open them up to the message in a new and exciting way.
While poorly planned events are memorable they aren't all that effective. @TravisWalser Click To Tweet
REPETITION
How often is your message seen before it’s heard?
Is it encountered on your members’ facebook and instagram days or weeks before? Is it on their refrigerator? We want people to not only retain a message, but study it further, live it out, apply it, and share it.
Most people won’t respond to a message when it is first communicated to them. They have to be “opened-up” to the message over a period of time. Well planned advertisements pushed over social media weeks before, posters that communicate the heart of the message and prepare people to receive it, and filmed shorts that lead people to a place of openness beforehand are the beauty of media in the modern church. The trick is using a variety of channels effectively. That brings us to the next few points…
THE SHORT VERSION
When we talk about the short version, we’re talking about words that stick in people’s heads.
A short phrase or certain words that are etched into people’s thoughts making the idea of the message easily memorable is one method that we can use to help people recollect what we’ve communicated. This goes for anything we do such as baptisms, communion, or even the overall message of our churches.
One of my favorite examples of this is Crosspoint Church in Nashville, TN. You only need to glance at their instagram and see their photos of baptism to understand their message. Members are handed T-Shirts to wear during baptism with their church’s message. It reads “anything’s possible” and that corresponds with their church message that “Everyone’s welcome because nobody’s perfect, but we believe that anything’s possible.” The short version is a tool used to recall the message of the church. They repeat it in every baptism ad, and they use it very effectively.
WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
Visuals stick. Our minds attach words to images.
We use flashcards in school with images that help us learn and recall information, so why should our advertising and illustrations be any different? When we create visuals that engage and enrich the idea of the message we’re also creating visual triggers that help prepare people to hear God’s word. Having a consistent visual image that is tied to what you’re doing is key in building the identity of your subject in people’s hearts and minds that sticks. Create your visuals, tie them to an identity, and repeat away.
With visual media, we are creating triggers that help prepare people to hear God's word. @TravisWalser Click To Tweet
POST-MESSAGE
Don’t let Sunday Morning be the end of your series!
I am and always have been a huge fan of following up with material after Sunday Morning. If we want messages to stick it takes repetition, visuals, and triggers that help cement the message in hearts and minds. Try using pieces of the event in the weeks following to help keep it at the forefront. Here are some examples of good post follow-up:
• photographs and images of the message highlights
• visually represented quotes from the message’s main speaking points
• engaging artwork that can be shared by your members and encourage interaction
• mention it in email newsletters or during announcements
• create a post campaign schedule that uses the same visuals with follow-up questions
If we plan well, create repetitive sticky phrasing and visuals, and have good post-message follow-up, we can create messages that are quickly remembered, powerfully engaging, and easily retainable. I hope this will help you keep the next sermon series or special event at your church “sticky” and memorable.
TRAVIS WALSER
Graphic Designer
Olive Baptist Church | Pensacola, FL
olivebaptist.org
Since Travis began a relationship with Christ at the age of 16, he has served as a Worship Leader, Event Coordinator, Ministry Director, and public speaker. After seeking a degree in Computer Engineering for several years, he eventually pursued a major in Studio Art at the University of West Florida where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree. Previously, he was a Marketing Director and Administrative Assistant at a nationally recognized liquidation and salvage corporation where he worked for several years before choosing to fully invest himself into church media and communications.
He currently serves as a Graphic Designer at Olive Baptist Church, one of the largest churches in the Florida panhandle. Travis has a passion for developing the next generation of creative leaders and maintaining the relevance of the church in today’s visual media. In his free time he also enjoys dabbling in other forms of visual media including video production and effects, as well as web design.
