Alban Weekly from The Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina, United States "PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR LEADING CONGREGATIONS: Steve Spurrier and Communicating 'On the Record'" for Monday, 30 January 2017

Alban Weekly from The Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina, United States "PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR LEADING CONGREGATIONS: Steve Spurrier and Communicating 'On the Record'" for Monday, 30 January 2017

Steve Spurrier and communicating 'on the record'
WHY THE DIGITAL AGE HAS MADE 'OFF THE RECORD' A THING OF THE PAST

Dan Wunderlich: Steve Spurrier and Communicating ‘On the Record’Growing up a fan of the Florida Gators in the 1990s, I had a front row seat to watch "the Head Ball Coach," Steve Spurrier. Of course, we all loved the fact that he had an exciting offense and knew how to win, but he was entertaining as well. While his barbs aimed at your team might sting, it was usually pretty easy to laugh too.
Recently, while at ESPN to promote his new book, some college football journalists asked him about some of his funniest lines. My personal favorite was following a fire at an Auburn University library. Coach Spurrier said the real tragedy was that 15 of the books hadn't been colored in yet.
A few years into his term as coach at South Carolina, their game against Georgia was moved from the second week of the season to the fourth week of the season. When asked what he thought of the change, he said he didn't like it. Why not? Because Georgia usually had two or three key players suspended during the first two games of the season.
Every college football team, Spurrier's included, always has a few players suspended early in the year due to off-season incidents. So, when the Athletic Director at Georgia was asked what he thought about the comments, he reportedly said, "Well, it's true. How can I be mad at him if it's true?"
What took this interview from something that I was enjoying on a walk with my dog to something I wanted to share with you was what came a few minutes later. The reporter who had asked the question about Georgia said that, after having a good laugh, he asked Spurrier, "Do you really want me to use that [in the article]?" and Spurrier said to put it in. The reporter went onto to say that he could never recall a time when Spurrier ever asked for something to be off the record. Spurrier responded: "I learned a long time ago, there's no such thing as 'off the record.' So, anything I say, I think you ought to be able to repeat."
As more and more of our communication becomes digital - and especially as it passes through apps, servers, and devices over which we have little to no control - this is a reality for anyone involved in church communication.
Everything is on the record. And just about anything digital is on a permanent record. Once things are on the web or in the cloud, it is hard to ever fully remove them. Even things sent via a private message can be stored, screenshotted, printed, or forwarded somehow.
Read more from Dan Wunderlich »Growing up a fan of the Florida Gators in the 1990s, I had a front row seat to watch “the Head Ball Coach,” Steve Spurrier. Of course, we all loved the fact that he had an exciting offense and knew how to win, but he was entertaining as well. While his barbs aimed at your team might sting, it was usually pretty easy to laugh too.
Recently, while at ESPN to promote his new book, some college football journalists asked him about some of his funniest lines. My personal favorite was following a fire at an Auburn University library. Coach Spurrier said the real tragedy was that 15 of the books hadn’t been colored in yet.
A few years into his term as coach at South Carolina, their game against Georgia was moved from the second week of the season to the fourth week of the season. When asked what he thought of the change, he said he didn’t like it. Why not? Because Georgia usually had two or three key players suspended during the first two games of the season.
Every college football team, Spurrier’s included, always has a few players suspended early in the year due to off-season incidents. So, when the Athletic Director at Georgia was asked what he thought about the comments, he reportedly said, “Well, it’s true. How can I be mad at him if it’s true?”
What took this interview from something that I was enjoying on a walk with my dog to something I wanted to share with you was what came a few minutes later. The reporter who had asked the question about Georgia said that, after having a good laugh, he asked Spurrier, “Do you really want me to use that [in the article]?” and Spurrier said to put it in. The reporter went onto to say that he could never recall a time when Spurrier ever asked for something to be off the record. Spurrier responded: “I learned a long time ago, there’s no such thing as ‘off the record.’ So, anything I say, I think you ought to be able to repeat.”
As more and more of our communication becomes digital — and especially as it passes through apps, servers, and devices over which we have little to no control — this is a reality for anyone involved in church communication.
Everything is on the record. And just about anything digital is on a permanent record. Once things are on the web or in the cloud, it is hard to ever fully remove them. Even things sent via a private message can be stored, screenshotted, printed, or forwarded somehow.
One of the biggest and most common tips for social media success is to remember that it is all about relationships. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and the like should not simply be outlets for broadcast. We should be using them for interaction, conversation, and connection.
But interaction, conversation, and connection are unpredictable and, at times, messy. You can carefully craft a broadcast, but if you ask a question, you give up control by allowing others to respond. If you engage a topic, you open yourself up to both support and criticism.
It can be easy to be lulled into a false sense of security for some pastors or church staff. We can be trusting and assume that others reciprocate the trust because we’re “good people” who “work for God.” We can make jokes, be flippant, or give out information that maybe doesn’t need to be public.
We are also human, so we are subject to emotions. While authenticity is vitally important, it doesn’t mean we should share things we haven’t thought through or may regret later. Sadly, during this time of tension and conflict in both my country and my denomination, I have seen pastors and churches post things that appear to be the result of anger, fear, suspicion, or worse.
So, how do we move forward? How do we live in this digital world without making mistakes? How do we maintain authenticity and keep from being an impersonal, highly-polished platitude machine? And what do we do when we have that itchy trigger finger ready to hit send on a post or message we know we shouldn’t send?
First, we need to constantly remind ourselves and our ministry teams that there is no such thing as “off the record.”Even offline, things we say can be repeated. Communication is a responsibility — especially informal and social channels that can lower our guard. Nothing can be unsaid, only apologized for. Which leads to…
Second, we must acknowledge our need for grace when we mess up.We all have, do, and will continue to make mistakes. Sometimes you have to delete a Tweet. Sometimes you have to pull a post. Sometimes you have to admit that what you said or did was wrong and that you are sorry for the impact it has had. And what’s the best way to build up grace and a benefit of the doubt in your congregation or online audience? Offer it to them and others — repeatedly.
Third, we need to work to live lives and lead ministries that are actually authentic and transparent in good ways.Which churches receive the highest level of suspicion? The ones who hide things. Which leaders seem the most polished or inauthentic? The ones who clearly craft everything based on how it will look to others.
Communication is a responsibility, and we should be strategic, but if it doesn’t represent who you actually are as a leader or ministry, people can tell, and they won’t trust or follow you. I had a seminary professor who used to say, “I committed a long time ago to try to make sure my inside and outside were the same. My outside got a little worse, but my inside got a whole lot better.”
Finally, we need to find safe places where we can actually be off the record.No one can truly live their entire life on the record — it’s too much pressure. Even if we are honest and authentic in everything we do, sometimes we need places where we can confess things, work through ideas, seek counsel, or simply blow off steam. We all need the people to whom we can text that snarky comment instead of Tweeting it. The more supportive and safe our off-the-record relationships are, the easier it will be to function and communicate on the record.[Dan Wunderlich is a United Methodist pastor and the principal at Defining Grace. This post originally appeared on that website at http://www.defininggrace.com/communication/steve-spurrier-and-communicating-on-the-record/. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.]
IDEAS THAT IMPACT: PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
The audience comes first

Faith & Leadership

MANAGEMENT, COMMUNICATION

Dave Odom: The audience comes first

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An effective communications strategy begins with knowing your audience -- its demographics, needs and habits -- before figuring out what and how you want to communicate, writes the executive director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.Time and again, an influential leader will approach me with an idea he believes Christians need to hear. The executive wants my opinion on how to build a website to communicate the idea.
I always respond with a question: “Who would come to this website?”
Wealthy donors, passionate advocates, creative educators and others have plenty to say, but who is listening? How is it possible to attract an audience already swimming in information from Google, emails, tweets, feeds, newsletters and status updates? Given how easy it is to give in to a short attention span and click around and away, what strategies help keep an audience’s attention?
In working with the amazing group of communicators that produces Faith & Leadership, I have learned that effective communications strategy begins with understanding the audience. Who are they? Are you in touch with them now? What do they need? How do they consume information?
It is very easy to get caught up with the message I want to communicate and just assume that an audience will want what I have to offer. That mindset is all about me, my project, my work. But effective communications means cultivating a relationship with the people you’re trying to reach and putting yourself in their shoes -- thinking clearly about the intersection of their needs and your message, as well as your goals for what the audience will think, feel or do.
Occasionally, a leader will tell me she wants to hire a marketing consultant or communications director. “Make sure you are ready to work,” I always warn. Excellent communications professionals come loaded with questions, creating more work for the organization by demanding clarity about the audience, the message and the impact.
My church is getting ready for a building project that would demolish and reconstruct the sanctuary, which is connected to the building housing the church’s award-winning child development center. I was asked to help draft a document for the parents.
To assist in this task, we were given the materials drafted for the church’s fundraising effort. Of course, parents who bring a child before dawn to the back door of the education building don’t have the same questions in mind as donors who enter through the sanctuary porch. The building project was the same, but the differences in the audience meant that 90 percent of the document had to be rewritten.
The discipline of building a relationship with the people you are trying to reach recognizes that having the attention of an audience is a precious gift. It takes a long time to build a loyal audience -- and consistent effort to keep it. A single story or essay can go viral and attract tens of thousands of readers, but loyal readers are needed for long-term impact.
I was once part of a denomination that shifted the focus of its staff’s work from audience cultivation and retention to the provision of services. Every employee’s responsibilities were either translated into services or eliminated. Over time, the denomination eliminated most of the jobs that had previously focused on cultivating loyalty.
The unintended result was the replacement of a family culture with a customer mentality. Family members can work through all sorts of relationship challenges, but customers are mostly focused on low price or other benefits. In communications terms, the denomination alienated part of its audience by devaluing the relationship. Once that part of the audience was lost, the denomination could not draw on the previous relationship and had to compete with others for customers.
Religious institutional leaders have a remarkable advantage. They start with the loyalty of an audience. Pastors often address 30 or 40 percent of their membership on any given Sunday morning (and more on Easter!). Others seek out the sermon online. Loyal readers often follow church or denominational newsletters or social media offerings. The trust and loyalty of an audience is easy to take for granted, but it can be lost and is difficult to rebuild.
Starting with the audience seems so simple, but it requires disciplined attention -- every time, for every message.

Read more from David L. Odom »
Leadership and the discipline of silence
Faith & Leadership

MANAGEMENT, COMMUNICATION

C. Kavin Rowe: Leadership and the discipline of silence

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In this speedy world of words, leaders must learn how -- and when -- to use them, writes a Duke Divinity School New Testament scholar.We are awash in words. Never before in the history of the human race have so many words been so widely thrown about and with such remarkable reach. The advent of the digital age began the age of words, words, words. Of the making of books there has always been no end, but never before have we had the chance -- and burden -- of words 24/7/365. Email, text, Twitter, TV and everything else. Words are always with us.
What should leaders do with words? Leaders have known from times long vanished that they need to be careful with what they say. All the ancients knew well that words do things. They thus educated themselves in rhetoric from beginning to end. Modern thinkers, too, have reflected on the indispensability of words, on the importance of the right words for the right thoughts, on the slippery nature of politically intentional ambiguity and so on.
But there have also been those who have considered the danger of too many words.
In his 1851 work “For Self-Examination,” the Christian thinker Søren Kierkegaard wrote that “everything is noisy; and just as a strong drink is said to stir the blood, so everything in our day, even the most insignificant project, even the most empty communication, is designed merely to jolt the senses or to stir up the masses, the crowd, the public, noise!”
Noise.
We seem, he continues, “to have become sleepless in order to invent ever new instruments to increase noise, to spread noise and insignificance with the greatest possible haste and on the greatest possible scale.” The result is that “everything is … turned upside down: communication is indeed … brought to its lowest point with regard to meaning, and simultaneously the means of communication are indeed brought to their highest with regard to speedy and overall circulation; for what is publicized with such hot haste and, on the other hand, what has greater circulation than -- rubbish!”
Kierkegaard’s remedy to the noisy and speedy spread of rubbish is silence: “Oh, create silence!”
There are obviously many goods to the digital age, but Kierkegaard’s outburst here was far more prophetic than he would ever have been able to imagine. Perhaps the single most important thing a leader can do in a speedy world of words is to learn how to use them. In our time, this requires the discipline of silence.
If the speedy dissemination of rubbish mocks the importance of words, the discipline of silence respects their power. In a sense, silence is a prerequisite for learning how to use words well. It is often thought that silence has its roots in the importance of listening to others. This is doubtless true.
But it’s also the case that the significance of silence rests in the fact that once said, words cannot be taken back. We can never unsay something we have said. Indeed, the political spin doctors and damage-control experts make their living off this remarkable fact about words.
We are not accustomed to thinking of leaders as those who know how to be silent. We want them to put out a statement, give a response, open the conversation, interpret the recent news and so forth. And this, of course, is perfectly reasonable. In some ways, it is the gift and responsibility of leaders to do these things.
The trouble is that more speech sometimes turns out to be received as just more noise. And even leaders have difficulty reining in the tongue. Where we have emphasized the need for leaders to move into the digital age with ever more dexterity and speed, Kierkegaard reminds us that we should also counsel the development of disciplines that cut against the hasty production of words and more words.
Truth telling in difficult situations, for example, often requires silence. This is so not only because it can be just plain hard to get the truth out but also because it can be even harder to tell the truth wisely. Silence is the name for the time it takes to see the path of wisdom when truth is hard to tell.
Columnist David Brooks observed that the world of fast and loud often prevents us from hearing the quieter sounds from the depths. But these sounds are often those that we most need to hear when we want to tell the truth wisely.
The letter of James also knows the power and purpose of silence.
The author writes rather bluntly, “If anyone thinks he is ‘religious’ and yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, his religiousness is worthless” (1:26). In contrast to many other ancient writers on speech and silence, James knows that silence is the human way God’s compassion is often mediated. A constant talker cannot hear the cry of the widows and orphans (1:27).
Later in the letter, the author reflects on the remarkable power of the tongue: it is like a rudder that guides a massive ship, or a bit that can check a powerful steed. Used improperly, it is a match that can ignite a raging forest fire, or an instrument of cursing. But properly disciplined, the tongue is nothing less than the conduit of blessing (3:1-12).
Building from James, we could say that bridling the tongue is impossible without the discipline of silence. In our time, amid the swift spread of so much rubbish, silence is something we cannot do without if we want our tongues to bless and our religion to be true. Leaders who want to speak wisely would do well to learn how to keep silent.
Read more from C. Kavin Rowe »
Resources on church communications
Fairth & Leadership

TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL MEDIA, MANAGEMENT, COMMUNICATION

Resources for church communications in the digital age

istock/Henrik Jonsson Graphic Design

Christian leaders today have to grapple with one of the most profoundly disruptive trends in the world: the digital revolution. Faith & Leadership offers resources to help with communications -- online, in traditional media, in marketing, and within organizations.

Christian leaders -- like leaders in all sectors -- have at their disposal one of the most powerful communications tools ever devised. But taking advantage of communications on the Web requires the same theologically wise approach required when engaging with traditional media -- or indeed, in face-to-face communications.
Interested in exploring further? Read about technology and the church.
Our resources include interviews with noted theologians and church leaders, advice from experts and practitioners, and suggestions on how to deal with some common communications challenges.
Theology and digital communicationsVerity Jones: Thinking theologically about using social media
The New Media Project wants to help faith leaders become more theologically savvy about social media, which is rapidly changing the landscape of Christian life.

Keith Anderson: Digital ministry and bearing witness to the holy
Social media gives pastors a new ability to point out the presence of God in the day-to-day of people’s lives, says a Lutheran pastor and co-author of a book on digital ministry.
Heidi Campbell: The Internet challenges and empowers religious institutions
The digital culture isn’t changing religion as much as it is reflecting offline shifts in Christian life, says a scholar of religion and media at Texas A&M University.
Tips on digital and media communicationsHow to enter the digital age
Experts on technology and the church offer advice on how to establish -- or expand -- your organization’s technological presence.

Elizabeth Drescher: Digital ministry, made for the mainline
Networked, relational and incarnational, digital ministry is a good fit for the mainline, a chance to make the privatized practice of faith public and visible in the world again, says the author and scholar.
Nonprofits credit social media for success
MomsRising and charity: water have accomplished much in a short time. Here are some tips on how they did it, with the effective use of social media.
Joshua Benton: Putting the social in social media
Finding the right tool isn’t the answer to communicating online. Social media has to have the tenor of human conversation to be effective, says the director of the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University.
Telling the good news, in the media
It isn’t easy for a church or other Christian organization to get media coverage (unless something has gone wrong). But it is possible, with these 10 tips from two church communications consultants.
Personal essays by Christian social media users

Cathleen Falsani: Where two or more are gathered ...on Facebook
Much to her surprise, a journalist finds community -- real, authentic, deeply connected, deeply faithful community -- online.
Amey Victoria Adkins: Learning to speak
The heart of Christian community is connecting, confessing and witnessing together the work of God. It doesn’t matter whether you do it live or on Twitter, says a freelance writer and pastor.
John P. Jackman: Facebook and faith
When a middle-aged pastor joined Facebook, he didn’t know what to expect. But he quickly discovered that this new medium offers a powerful way for the church to be present in the world.
Communicating in a crisis
Anne Curley: Do the right thing
In the midst of church scandal or other crisis, leaders need to remember: People expect the truth, says communication expert Anne Curley.
Roger Parrott: BP’s other toxic spill
Whether you’re the fourth-largest company in the world or a ministry leader in a crisis, trust cannot be bought with public relations campaigns, writes a Mississippi college president reacting to the 2010 oil spill.
Marketing and communicationsGavan Fitzsimons: Are consumer brands replacing religion?
The marketing of brands has become so sophisticated that they can replace religious institutions by giving people a sense of community, identity and self-expression, says a consumer psychologist. This is a cautionary tale for Christian leaders seeking to grow the church.

Clayton Christensen: Focusing on a job to be done
The Harvard business professor and author of “How Will You Measure Your Life?” says that leaders should focus on their institution’s mission in order to foresee and compete against disruptive innovations.
Melissa Wiginton: Church marketing
Is public speech too corrupt to serve as a valuable medium for the institution of the church?
James Howell: Holy marketing
Church marketing runs the risk of slipping into spin. So how do we market? By striving for two objectives that matter -- clarity and holy excellence.
Internal communications

Maria Dixon Hall: Just because you can preach doesn’t mean you’re a communicator
For an organization in which the word is central, the church does a poor job of communicating, says an SMU professor and consultant. She has some advice on how church leaders can do it better.
Diane M. Millis: Silence and the art of conversation
Some of the most essential practices for genuine conversation include not only the words we speak but also the silence that surrounds them. A leadership coach and facilitator offers tips on the practice of pausing.
Gretchen E. Ziegenhals: The Parable of the Abilene Paradox
Few Christian leaders would say that they enjoy conflict, or even handle it well. But how about our inability to cope with agreement?
How to have difficult conversations
Jared Bleak: Dangerous conversations
An executive director of Duke Corporate Education offers a four-step strategy for leaders facing conversations that are difficult, tense or even dangerous.
Nathan Kirkpatrick: Making crucial conversations a priority
Despite knowing that “crucial conversations” are vital for an institution, leaders often fail to have them. So what might we as institutional leaders do to help ourselves?
Communicating about leadership transitions

Lance Wallace: What to say when you don't know what's next
The former director of communications and marketing for the Atlanta-based Cooperative Baptist Fellowship reflects on the 2012 transition in leadership in his organization.
Lance Wallace: Getting goodbye right
How do we celebrate a departing leader's tenure with integrity?

Explore the resources »

FROM THE ALBAN LIBRARY

Healthy Disclosure: Solving Communications Quandaries in Congregations by Kibbie Simmons Ruth and Karen A. McClintock
Knowledge is power, and the way knowledge is shared in a congregation can build up or break down community. When congregational leaders are sensitive to the ways that information should be shared, the congregation can become safe and strong. Unfortunately, congregations can easily fall into patterns of communication that lead to disastrous interpersonal and organizational outcomes. Even in times of crisis, however, congregations can learn and practice new skills and healthy communication management.
Congregational consultants Kibbie Ruth and Karen McClintock show clergy and laity how to appropriately handle information. From proper ways to respond to rumors to relating information about a staff firing to the congregation, Healthy Disclosure is filled with step-by-step ideas for handling different types of sensitive material. It helps clergy and other congregational leaders understand levels of disclosure, including how and when to reveal information, the difference between privacy and secrecy, legal issues related to public knowledge, and the power of secrets from a congregation's past. What we don't know can hurt us. The more conscious congregational leaders are of the information they have and how they pass it along to others, the better off the congregation will be. Information management is both a technical process and a spiritual undertaking. Leaders need the ability to spiritually discern, not just intellectually decide, the solutions to congregational dilemmas. Ruth and McClintock guide readers in developing the skills needed to create a congregational environment of healthy disclosure.
Learn more and order the book »

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