churchrelevance.com

As I promised to those attending the Friday morning session I taught about ”Communicating Without Words” at The Internet Ministry Conference 2007, here are some rough notes and links to sources: 

Actions speak louder than words.

• St. Francis of Assisi is credited with the quote: ”Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.”
• For history’s sake, he actually told friars to “Let all the brothers… preach by their deeds,” but the quote has evolved over the centuries. (source)

Every point of contact that your ministry with an individual is communicating something.

Three ways that we can communicate without words are:

1. Art
2. Environment
3. Behavior

Church consultant Lyle Schaller says, “People can hear in 15 seconds what it takes us 2 minutes to say. So if we want to effectively communicate to or audience, our preaching and teaching needs to always use multiple channels of communication.” (source)

THE POWER OF ART

The medieval and renaissance Catholic church employed the finest artists to create paintings and stained glass to:

1. Illustrate the Bible to their congregations. 
2. Create a “wow” factor to help draw the public away from the Protestant Reformation.
   • “Wow” does not last forever. Even good things become boring with time.
   • The “wow” factor is important. As society becomes more saturated with media and advertising, the art most likely to cut through the clutter and then actually be effective is art that is appealing.
   • According to a market research firm called Yankelovich, 30 years ago a person living in the city saw up to 2,000 ad messages per day. Now they see up to 5,000 ad messages per day. (source)

Art is much more than subject matter and “wow” factors. The elements and principles of design will also communicate a message.

• Our brains recognize shapes first then colors and then content because it takes longer to process language. (source)
• Alina Wheeler says, “Reading is not necessary to be able to identify shapes, but identifying shapes is necessary to be able to read.” (source)
• • Illiterate people see an arrow in the FedEx logo.
• Erik Spiekerman, author of Stop Stealing Sheep, says, “Type is magical. It not only communicates a word’s information, but it conveys a subliminal message.” (source)
• Emotional Effects of Colors (source)
  • Pink = calmness, nurturance, kindness, unselfish love
  • Red = vitality, strength, warmth, sensuality, assertion, anger, impatience
  • Orange/Peach = joy, security, creativity, stimulation
  • Yellow = happiness, mental stimulation, optimism, fear
  • Green = harmony, relaxation, peace, calmness, sincerity, contentment, generosity
  • Turquoise = mental calmness, concentration, confidence, refreshment
  • Blue = peace, spaciousness, hope, faith, flexibility, acceptance
  • Indigo/Violet = spirituality, intuition, inspiration, contemplation, purification
  • White = peace, purification, isolation, spaciousness
  • Brown = nurturance, earthiness, retreat, narrow-mindedness
  • Gray = independence, separation, loneliness, self-criticism
  • Black = femininity, protection, restriction
  • Silver = change, balance, femininity, sensitivity
  • Gold = wisdom, abundance, idealism
• Visual elements can steer where we look.
  • Line
  • Composition
  • Photos
  • Color
    • Bright colors attract the eyes, but if overused, they can cause visual confusion. (source)
    • Warm colors are good for emphasis, and cool colors can minimize emphasis. (source)

THE POWER OF ENVIRONMENT

Your environment controls the way you perceive things. It affects your behavior and how you receive a message. It influences your thoughts, feelings, and actions.

According to research on juvenile delinquency and high school drop-out rates, a child is better off in a good neighborhood and a troubled family than in a troubled neighborhood and a good family. (source)

All five senses - your sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell - can be used in communication.

In marketing, the effects of the environment are called atmospherics.

Understand the “why” behind an environment before you imitate it.

• Malls quite often use hexagonal floor plans because they are difficult to navigate, which leads to more sales. (source)

Sight

• Art should be considered within the context of its environment.
  • Paco Underhill says, “To say whether a sign or any in-store media works or not, there’s only one way to assess it - in place. On the floor of the store.” “When it comes to positioning a sign, the difference between an ideal viewing spot and a terrible one is often just a few feet.” (source)
• People slow down as aisles become wider. (source)
• “People slow down when they see reflective surfaces, and they speed up when they see banks.” (source)
• Retailers use different types of flooring to control where shoppers go and at what pace. (source)
• Lighting affects how long a shopper shops. (source)
• Researcher Henner Ertel discovered that children’s IQ scores rose by up to 12 pts when surrounded by yellow, yellow-green, orange, and light blue. IQ scores fell around white, brown, and black environments. (source)

Hearing

• Music’s tempo affects how quickly people do things. (source)

Touch

• Temperature affects how long a shopper shops. (source)
• Hard pews vs. plush seating

Taste

• Psalm 119:103 (NLT), “How sweet are your words to my taste; they are sweeter than honey.” Tasting honey would make a good sermon illustration.

Smell

• The smell of Cinnabon cinnamon rolls makes people more cooperative
• Citrus scents awake.
• Woodland scents relax.
• Floral scents encourage relaxation. (source)
• The smell of peppermint stimulates the mind.
• A movie theater in Japan synchronized seven different smells with a movie to enhance the movie.
• Scents can be used to trigger emotions such as joy or anger.
• Bloomingdale’s has used a coconut scent for their swimwear department. (source)

Create a User Friendly Environment

• People tend to walk to the right. (source)

ART & ENVIRONMENT ON THE INTERNET

If you build it, they will come - maybe.

• Marketing attitude of Industrial Revolution = production
  • Mid-20th century shifts to promotion
  • Then relationships
  • Then branding
• “If you build it, they will come.” is more likely to happen if you are a first entry in a marketplace and even then it is not guaranteed.
  • Netscape
  • Friendster

Art on the Internet works hand in hand with environment on the Internet

1. Create a “WOW!”
2. Use branding.
3. Create a User Experience. 
   • Site architecture.
   • Timing.
   • Technical quality.
   • Guide users with design 
   • Have excellent moderators and managers. Don’t let your site deteriorate.
   • The human factor.

THE POWER OF BEHAVIOR

Francis A. Schaeffer said, “Christian life itself should be our greatest work of art.” (source) 

49% of formerly unchurched people chose a church because of the friendliness of the members. This was the third most popular answer after “the pastor/preaching” and “doctrines.”

BEHAVIOR ON THE INTERNET

It is all about relationships 

On a Traditional Site (you and the user)

1. The Human Factor.
2. Personalization.

On a Community Site (you and the user and other users)

1. Define your purpose.
2. Define the user experience you want
3. Evaluate your system.
4. Tweak it.
5. Observe.
6. Tweak it.
7. Observe.

On a community site you must protect the community and online culture like a pastor protects his flock.

CONCLUSION

Do not merely rely on words to communicate. If you were not before, you are now aware of the communicative power that lies in art, environment, and behavior. And you are responsible and accountable to use them in your ministry.