Strategy 6

Some cautions about introductions and closing speeches

We should define our presentations always with the purpose of influencing oral learners toward their committing themselves to follow Jesus.  We developers are developing a workable template or guide.  We must also develop a training program for the technicians in the field can form the audio files into the communication units.  Such a training program must be easily replicated.  That is, the few people we train should find it possible and desirable to train others to do this kind of communicating.  We suggest that even the native speakers of the languages of the recordings can be trained to develop the files on “Audacity”.  An experienced technician could review the results.

When the speaker introduces a unit or closes a unit, he should avoid “churchy” jargon.  Such language often puzzles the listeners.

•  As the speaker introduces a unit or closes one, he should avoid the jargon that people often use in church, such as:
  • Passive clauses (which are replications of in traditional translations that represent Hebrew custom),
  • Abstract phrases like “…in the name of…”
  • Unnatural subjunctive clauses,
  • Statements about future events as if they had already happened,
  • Presumptuous statements about un-evangelized people as “…waiting to hear”.
• Probably the most difficult task for speakers will be for them to intentionally avoid referring to chapters and verses.  Our traditional references to chapter and verse are very strong in our church jargon.  However, that concept of separating chapters and verses arises out of our literate thinking.  The problem is that it puts a kind of mental smoke or fog into an oral communication.  The reasons why many communicators want to insert in audio recordings the references to chapter and verse might be:
  • Tradition is strong.  Evangelicals have traditionally cited chapter and verse in order to authenticate theological communications.
  • There is an unconscious desire to make the audio recordings more credible by relating them to a book, especially “The Bible”.  Too often, people assume that the printed Scriptures are the only legitimate or trustworthy source of spiritual enlightenment.  From that, they assume that the audio recording must be indexed to a printed text in order to be credible.
  • Unconsciously, literate people assume that the whole world is literate.  Because literates enjoy their being literate, they assume that those who are not literate desire to become literate.  They naturally suppose that eventually everyone will become literate.  THEY ARE MISTAKEN ON ALL COUNTS!!  Thus, there is danger of indirectly tormenting illiterates, since their attitude implies that illiterates are something less than complete persons.
  • Most churched people are so accustomed to the references to chapters and verses, they unconsciously assume that God inspired them.  They are unconscious of the fact that they were later additions to the Scriptures and that many of the divisions were very unfortunate. 

The voice that introduces and closes the units should not speak in national or trade language (Spanish, Portuguese, French, or Chinese).  Think about how acceptable to you would be the news in English on the BBC, if it were introduced in Chinese.  Would you be even interested in listening any longer?  Such introductions in another language usually imply that the language of the audio recording is inferior.