Helping others understand what you understand
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"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive" (Proverbs 16:21).
Winning friends and influencing people is frequently a matter of understanding what is going on and finding a pleasant manner of explaining it to others.
People think you are wise when you understand and explain things simply and pleasantly.
One of the first college classes I entered was under the instruction of a man who apparently hated students. He talked to us as if he could not believe how ignorant we were. He was altogether unpleasant in every way.
A wise bit of advice from another professor noted how professors are people too. She said we should make an appointment early in every semester with each of our professors.
We were to ask what the professor's goals were for the class. We were to get to know them as individuals with hopes and dreams and hobbies.
This was, and is, good advice. The communist political science professor made this more challenging than it had to be. So did the aforementioned professor who did not care for college students.
He was not only unpleasant in class, he was at least as unpleasant in person as we sat in his messy office. I got the feeling I was wasting his time by breathing his air. I waited in vain for words of wisdom.
A couple of other professors came to my rescue. They gave positive, focused attention. They wanted to know me and my hopes and dreams.
They helped me believe I could learn and master the subjects that would turn those hopes and dreams into reality. There was never an unpleasant encounter with either of these professors, even when I turned in less-than-inspiring work.
You are the teacher now. What you say and how you say it makes all the difference in the world. Help others understand what you understand. Find the kindest, most pleasant way to do it. This is simple truth. Simple truth is doubly powerful.
Our Father, please deliver me from superiority and irritability. Empower me to gently instruct those who do not know what I have come to understand. Empower me to do so with kindness and pleasantness. Thank you for your gentle whisper. It is ever so much more influential than angry shouting. Amen.
 | David Bowman, (DMin, PCC) is the Executive Director of Tarrant Baptist Association in Fort Worth, Texas. He also serves as a Multiplying Trainer for Future Church Co. Learn More » |
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