Making everyday communication more evangelistic

As Christians we live to evangelize, but, for many of us, the opportunity to talk about who Jesus is and his love for us doesn't present itself everyday. Here are 5 tips to help you make your day-to-day communication (at home, at work, in the throw pillow section at Target, etc.) more evangelistic.

1. Clear your schedule 

Nothing kills a meaningful conversation faster than sensing that the other person has somewhere else to be. Good communication doesn’t just happen; you have to set yourself up for success. In a fast paced world, nothing is more life-giving than having someone clear their schedule for you, so when you are meeting someone for coffee or just stopping by their desk at work, go ahead and give yourself more time than you think you’ll need. If we can give the gift of quality time to others, we are telling them that they are important and granting them the dignity they deserve as children of God.

2. Remove distractions

Once when I was on a date, the fellow involved sat down at the table in the sports bar where we had met for burgers. Not two seconds later, he leapt up and switched to another seat at the square table. When I asked him what he was doing, he said he could see the football game on one of the TVs from his previous seat, and he didn’t want to be distracted. Remember! Set yourself up for success. If you get distracted by the movement on a TV screen, move where you can’t see it. If checking your phone is a habit, hide it away. Eliminate distractions that keep you from connecting with the person you are communicating with.
 

3. Zip your lip!  

When we try to share Christ with others before first listening to their history, we run the risk of alienating them before we even begin. So before we begin sharing with them, we must allow them to share with us. This strategy can be applied in any situation when good communication is a must (spoiler alert: that’s just about every second of every day). Before we talk, we first have to learn to stop talking.  
 

4. listen to learn

Here is a personal mantra of mine: everyone knows more than you about something. Everyone. Even people with whom you disagree on just about everything and even people who don’t strike you as terribly bright. Everyone has something to teach, and if we want to become evangelistic communicators, we should enter every conversation with that in mind. What can I learn from this person? What new perspective do they offer on something I thought I knew everything about? As a unique and unrepeatable human person created by God, what do they bring to the table that I have never heard or considered? Approaching other people with the wonder and awe they deserve improves not only your communication, but also your attitude.
 

5. Have empathy and speak with love

Oh boy! Now the time has come! The moment we’ve all been waiting for…the time to talk! And when it arrives, one of the best things we can do is take a breath, and put ourselves in the other person’s shoes. What struggles have they shared? What joys are they experiencing? What is truly important to them? And when you speak, acknowledge those things. Everybody likes to feel heard and understood. Doing this can keep us from judging or jumping to conclusions, and will make the other person more receptive to what you have to say. If we infuse our words with love, we are sharing Christ with them, whether we mention his name or not. 


















Erica Johnson is the communications director for the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee and editor of The Catholic Compass. She studied journalism at the University of Florida and served as a missionary with FOCUS for three years in New York City and Boston.