Malcolm Cox

Teaching Tip 364 | “Plain Speaking - how to handle speaker’s fright” | Malcolm Cox  Introduction Here is your 2-minute tip based on the book, “Plain speaking: How to preach and teach effectively" by David Bercot.  An old survey claimed that people fear speaking in public more than they fear death. That claim has been debunked, but it resonates because talking in front of other people is one of the very most exposed places to be. We are vulnerable. What do we do when our insecurities take hold? In short, we do not attempt to overcome it, but to use it to our advantage. Bercot offers five steps. Pray about it. Talk to God about you feelings, ask him to be with you experientially in this next lesson, and trust his strength will be available (Nehemiah 2:4-5).  Focus on your listeners.  Do not follow the terrible advice to imagine your audience naked! That’s distracting in the extreme. Instead, remember they are your brothers and sisters, and they have turned up because they want to hear from you (at