Week 37 Devo | Be an Elite Communicator

The best athletes, the best teammates, and the best leaders are the best communicators.

Communication, or the lack of communication, can make or break a team or success. A great communicator can inspire others to work hard and stay focused. Great communication keeps everybody connected and focused through the good times and through adversity.

It’s easy being a positive, happy, and connected teammate when things are going good, but a true test of character and leadership is what you say when things get tough. When adversity hits, weak teams separate and strong teams come together and fight together. When times get tough, every team needs one person to step up and provide a strong, positive voice.

But how do you communicate positively when everything around you is negative?

The answer to that question is a major key to leadership and being a great communicator.

In Matthew 15, Jesus was being questioned by some Pharisees and other religious teachers, when a crowd came. Among other things, Jesus said to them all, “Listen and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”

Life is full of negative experiences, thoughts, and feelings, and research shows that we feel negativity stronger and more often than positivity. As much as we can try to control our thoughts and what comes in, we feel what we feel and we have to learn how to manage our thoughts and feelings. 

What we can control is what comes out of our mouths. Think about and monitor what you say. Is it more positive or more negative? Do you inspire or motivate people? Do you bring value to your team and do you make others better?

What comes in to our minds and hearts isn’t always positive; it’s not something we can always control. But we can control what comes out and the things we say.

THIS WEEK

1 - Think about what you are thinking about, and monitor what you say. Are your thoughts and words more positive or negative?

2 - When is it easier to be positive, think positively, and say positive things? When is it harder?

3 - What can you do to make sure you are a positive, effective communicator through the good and bad times?

Faking it until you make it is a great start. Faking it until you become it is a great finish. Sometimes you have to tell yourself things will be alright before you really start to believe it, but you have to start somewhere.

I pray that I can be a great communicator. I know that everything that happens isn’t positive because I can’t control everything, but I do have control over everything I say. I pray that what comes out of my mouth is positive, uplifting, brings people together, and adds value.

For a Google doc version of this, click here: Be an Elite Communicator