How to put what we want to say
Posted: 20 Jul 2012 @ 09:07
Sarah Meyrick takes
lessons in the pluses and pitfalls of of communication
Who Needs Words? A Christian communications
handbook
Richard Littledale
Saint Andrew Press £14.99
(978-0-7152-0943-1)
Church Times Bookshop £13.50 (Use code CT926 )
RICHARD LITTLEDALE's name will be
known to many readers through his regular appearance on the BBC's
Pause for Thought. A Baptist minister, he writes a popular
blog (www.richardlittledale.me.uk) which has a following of
26,000.
His earlier books, Preacher's
A-Z (Saint Andrew Press, 2008) and Stale Bread (Saint
Andrew Press, 2007), have been all about upping the ante on
preaching. In this title, he takes a step backwards to address the
wider issue of communication.
Part 1, then, is all about the
fundamentals of communication. What is actually going on when
people use words? How much are we aware of the fact that every
conversation takes place in a particular context, cultural and
temporal, and between people who bring a lifetime of baggage with
them? How much are we aware of the limitation of words - and the
importance of other factors, such as body language and gesture? How
does "the word made flesh" inform our understanding?
From the theory to the practice. Part
2 is all about communication in action, through preaching, worship,
pastoral conversations, learning and teaching, mission, written
media, broadcast media, and social media. In every chapter, the
author considers the particular elephant traps and opportunities in
each, and offers practical ideas, all interlaced with examples from
his own ministry.
Part 3 is called "Making Progress",
and is all about raising one's game as a communicator. So there are
chapters such as "Has Communication Happened?" and "When It All
Goes Wrong". We may easily be derailed by, for example busy-ness,
arrogance, fear, or habit. Littledale's mission is to ensure that
we are aware of the pitfalls - and aware of the things that let us
down. But his message is one of encouragement: his final chapter
("Just Do It") has sections on taking risks, embracing
vulnerability, and enjoying our humanity.
At 141 pages, this is not a long book,
and neither is it a sophisticated or academic one. Quite the
opposite, in fact: it is an easy read, accessible, and down to
earth, and probably of most use to those who haven't given much
thought to the subtleties of communication be- fore.
Above all, it encourages the reader to
be self-aware, to reflect upon the way we communicate - and to keep
on learning.