Mike's April Review RI chapters 5 and 6

Chapter 5 is entitled the Compelling Relator. The chapter starts with the topic of boredom and how we should work at overcoming it. We need to put ourselves in the place of our audience and become a person they want to listen to. Two items that the author tried to merge together was the value of becoming a compelling person, and being able to relate well to others thus the title of the chapter. We need to realize how important it is to engage peoples interest in our relational spheres. When we don't, we can become boring. The author made a comment about pastors - what if they worked harder to compel their audience to seek something meaningful and stopped assuming that people are automatically interested simply because what they are saying is "true"? This could be said for each one of us for whatever area we serve in within the church body. The author then points out 4 ways to help become a better compelling relator. Dare to be controversial when the moment calls for it, refuse to be irrelevant, change the way you communicate (begin with the other person in mind), and activate your passion (the more passionately you care about what you are saying, the more people will desire to listen to you, be around you, and take part in your mission.

Chapter 6 was entitled the converational futurist. One of the main ideas in this chapter was improving in the ability to see where a conversation is going and get ahead of it. Sometimes this may involve looking beyond what is right in front of me, considering what isn't an obvious response but instead one that addresses a deeper issue than what is simply on the surface. Some points that were brought out in this chapter - think before you speak, keep one ear to earth ( listening to whom you are talking to and being engaged on a human-to-human level). Keep one ear to heaven (listen to how and where God is guiding you). Interpreting the signs - sometimes when we interact with people, we can see signs pointing toward where they are heading (help connect the present with the future). Reversing the assumptions - when we let the wrong assumptions drive a conversation, we put our mind in neutral and therefore are reactive rather than proactive. But if we address wrong assumptions that people make, artfully and meaningfully, we can immediately change the momentum of a conversation.