ITCZ 101 - A Place Of Power

Our goal in delivering the Gospel or the Word of God in any particular situation is not necessarily that we are heard, but that others are listening, curious and thinking. Let's take every opportunity to put folks in the best position we can so they can thoughtfully consider what we are sharing.

Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

When sharing your faith it's a good idea to do what you can to keep the other person engaged, curious and thoughtful. One way to do that is to let them have a place of power. Ok, now what does that mean?

The place of power is simply how you position yourself and the other person when engaging in a conversation.

Here are a couple of examples of the place of power.
  • Sit or stand lower than the other person. 
  • Open posture. 
  • Ask questions. 
  • Listen very closely.
  • Recap what you understand they said and meant.

Creating Opportunities To Connect

The purpose of letting someone be in the place of power helps them relax and keeps their thoughts out in front of their feelings. It's hard to be curious and thoughtful when one gets a jolt of emotions, feeling like they are going to end up in a debate or embarrassed.

Most people get uncomfortable real quick when they get the sense that they are "defending" their life philosophy. When they feel like they are simply sharing their ideas and have a captive audience, they will tell you everything they know.

This is good for a few reasons.
  • It's fun to share our thoughts on life and build a relationship.
  • Talking about life helps us to think deeper.
  • Listening to others talk about life helps us to think deeper.
  • Everyone has gaps in their world view. The Gospel and the Word of God can help fill those gaps and make sense of what's going on.

We discussed having a plan for our body in the article, Body Language. In the same way that we want to set ourselves up for success, we also want to have a plan to place others in a great position so they are free to be open and thoughtful as well.

~~~~~~~

Take Action!

Have you ever felt like you were hovering over someone and it felt uncomfortable? 
Sitting or standing higher than someone in a conversation has an effect. It can change the tone, feeling and success of a conversation. The physically higher person is perceived to have authority. The lower person intrinsically will have the feel of being subordinate. 
Generally, people are adverse to being open when a perceived authority figure is looking over them. On the other hand, sharing with someone who has no perceived authority over you isn't all that difficult.  
So sitting or standing a little lower takes away the stress and can open up the conversation. By relinquishing the place of power we help others stay engaged.
How can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? ... So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. - Romans 10:14, 17 NLT

Please, add your thoughts in the comment section.

~~~~~~~

Concept >>> “Put Others In A Position To Hear”
Next >>> "An Attention Grabber"


In The Cool Zone concept. Think like Jesus thinks. Deliver the Gospel.

Comments

Post a Comment

Please, select Name/URL from the list below to comment. Note: URL is not required.

Popular posts from this blog

Armor of God | Watchful Perseverance

Image
The armor of God has been a topic that has been difficult to get our minds wrapped around. What it is and how we put it on, has seemed to be a bit mysterious. So maybe by looking at the effect of the armor we can get a better understanding of how to put the armor on. We previously looked at  The Word of God , so let's take the next piece. We're leaving in,  The Effect of Armor,  section here for continuity. The Effect of Armor The most prominent place the armor of God is listed is in  Ephesians 6:14-18 NKJV .  Each piece of armor has an effect. Since it is spiritual armor, and we are physically oriented, it can be difficult to understand what is happening when we have it on. One of the things we know about armor is that once we are in the battle, we shouldn't have to think about the armor. It will passively protect us and we shouldn't have to give it another thought. We inspect, test and repair the armor on a regular basis and ensure it is fitted corr
Read more

Galvanize Your Heart

Image
Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. What and how you think about life is extremely important. There is also another aspect of thinking that needs to be considered as well. That would be the priority of thinking. The scripture in Romans 12:2 NLT  does not ask us to change the way we feel. We need to change the way we think. Thinking is the part of your heart that the Lord is working on. So let's put a high priority on how we think. Pray. Think first. The emotions support and reinforce our resolve. The body gets us there and does the physical work. God is glorified. Think Like Jesus Thinks So what and how do we think? Have you ever noticed that when Jesus answered a question, he either asked another question back or answered the question they should have asked to find salvation? Jesus certainly did answer their question but more importantly He would first give another answer to a question they did not ask, but they should have. The q
Read more

ITCZ 101 - Foundations of Fortitude

Image
The core value of In The Cool Zone is in the techniques for putting our mind, emotions and body in a position to support our thinking so we can do the work the Lord has given us to do. That work as we define it is thinking like Jesus thinks, delivering the Gospel and teaching what we have learned. These are the same goals declared in our Vision Statement and Mission Statement . ITCZ 101 Foundations of Fortitude Preparation Introduction You Must Seize This Reality Count The Cost The Holy Spirit Leads Calm, Cool Demeanor A Sincere Approach Forgive, Forget Seek The Truth Willing To Learn Wise As A Serpent Harmless As A Dove Required: Daily Prayer List Developing Expertise In The Field Deliver The Gospel   Curious Unto Salvation Your Elevator Pitch Non-Christians Fellow Christians Body Language A Place Of Power An Attention Grabber Actively Stay On Topic An Expert Listener Ask Questions Set The Premise Not Looking For Agreement
Read more