Q&A
With Jedd & Erik - revised
10/09/04
What
is the need for a book like The Revolutionary Communicator?
Most all of us want to build fuller, deeper connection with the people around
us, and to have an enduring impact on our world. We also desire to see more
a tangible bond between spiritual truth and the humdrum of our workaday lives.
The Revolutionary Communicator explores practical paths for pursuing this way
of life as apprentices to Jesus in the way we communicate.
What are
the “seven communication principles Jesus lived”?
Jesus practiced deep attentiveness (Chapter 1). He met people on their turf
and in their terms (Chapter 2). He frequently built his communication around
question-asking (Chapter 3). He offered himself with transparency (Chapter 4).
He expressed ideas through stories (Chapter 5). He viewed time away from the
crowd as more important than time in front of it (Chapter 6). He set his course
by defining true communication success (Chapter 7).
Isn’t
what Jesus communicated and who he was more important than how he communicated?
Definitely. But we also need to see that Jesus’ way of communicating was
itself a critical aspect of what he desired to convey. In Jesus, the medium
was inseparable from the message. His person and character blazed in his approach
to human interaction, teaching and relationship. If we desire to “walk
as Jesus did,” few things would seem as important as learning to take
on his way of communicating.
Who is your
primary audience for this book?
We certainly hope professional communicators—teachers, executives, pastors,
consultants—will be captured by Jesus’ way of communication and
find a great deal to put into practice. But even people who’d rather be
electrocuted than speak publicly communicate continually with their spouse,
co-workers, children, and friends. This book is written for all who want to
carry more meaningful influence in others’ lives, who desire deeper connection
with friends and family, and who hope to impact their world with a vision larger
than themselves.
Is The
Revolutionary Communicator only for Christians?
No. Inevitably, the book reflects the deep faith in Jesus we hold. But we also
sought to steer clear of the religiousity, culture-based assumptions, and warm-and-fuzzy
platitudes that often obscure him. We wrote hoping that this book would be drawing
to people who currently look at Jesus only from a distance. They respect Jesus
and his indelible effect on history, but don’t know quite what to make
of him. The flow of the book invites these individuals to encounter Jesus much
like the people of Jesus’ day. He is the great rabbi, a teacher, yet somehow
undeniably more, both disturbing and inspiring, subversive yet teaching with
resounding authority.
In short, we hope the book will allow those who know Jesus well and those who
do not to encounter him in a way they never before have.
Has writing
this book impacted your own communication?
Absolutely. Communication is our vocation, and we’ve studied the subject
on the academic side as well. But to write this book with authenticity, we couldn’t
just impute to Jesus our own long-held assumptions about communication. We wanted
to dig into the Gospel accounts as sincere learners—asking, “How
did Jesus communicate, really?”—even if his way ran counter to our
own.
In truth, confronting Jesus’ skill in this realm has one of the most rousing
experiences of our lives. Both professionally and personally, it’s reshaped
our approach to communication. Seeing the power of question-asking, the desperate
human need for attentiveness, the tremendous significance of story-telling,
and other aspects of Jesus’ way has given us an overwhelming sense that
every human interaction carries far more potential than we once imagined.
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