Issue 090
I will always argue that it is possible to learn many work-related skills from the example of Jesus Christ himself. Let me show you in some detail what I mean on one subject. In the last twenty years I’ve worked with hundreds if not thousands of teams of people trying to achieve something. In all these teams (even the very small ones) there is one issue which surfaces more than any other: this is communication. As soon as more than one person is involved in a project communication is an issue. I want to pick out four lessons From the life of Jesus Christ which will help us communicate better at work:
Have you noticed in this age of video conferencing, e-mails, faxes and mobiles that people will still fly halfway around the world to meet each other? Jesus Christ came in person to communicate with the world because real communication is people-shaped. There is, nor should there be, no substitute for personal face-to-face communication. So his disciples learnt directly from him. This personal communication has been replicated via the work of the Spirit of God – that invisible personal assistant who sets up inner meetings between us and our divine chief executive. Whatever else happens in the communication process, personal contact has to be present.
I would suggest that the second lesson of Jesus’ communication style is that of repetition -that’s repetition! How many times does he invite people to trust him, put their faith in him, believe in him, follow him, walk with him or leave their other priorities? That is repeated communication; the idea is the same. Take another idea: how many times does he urge his people to learn the lessons of love, forgiveness and respect? His core message is repeated over and over and over again. Why? Because he knows that we have an enormous capacity to forget that which should be remembered and incidentally remember that which should be forgotten, so he keeps on repeating His message.
So Jesus’ communication is personal and repetitive. It is also multi media. He uses words – serious, humorous and fictitious in his parables; he uses miracles to illustrate his points; and he acts what he is saying through his lifestyle. He links his words to our everyday experiences of family life, work life and political life and finally leaves us with a visual aid of bread and wine to use every time we eat and drink in order to remember him.
Your workplace you will need to develop a wide repertoire of communication techniques. Finally it has probably not escaped your notice that the point of reference for this information is a written record. The information we have about Jesus Christ is not based on a setof half-forgotten assumptions; it is a matter of public record.
For communication to be effective it needs to be objective; it must be provable. How many misunderstandings arise at work because someone says, “I thought I told you”, but no records exist?
So there it is: personal, repeated, varied and objective. I suppose if I were really clever the first letters would spell a word. All I can say is that the words somehow spell communication and if Jesus took that much trouble surely so should we…
Hebrews 1:1-2
1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
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Work well
Geoff Shattock
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