Spiritual leaders can make a big impact on others. There
are several techniques that encourage individuals to listen
to a spiritual leader. As host of my own radio talk show,
Cosmopolitan People, in Baltimore, Maryland at WCBM talk radio
680 AM, I sometimes dialogue with other spiritual teachers,
honing a huge spectrum of talent. Those who practice success
oriented teachings have emotionally reached my radio listening
audience.
A spiritual teacher who has learned to properly speak to
the public will be a successful radio guest while a successful
spiritual teacher who does not like public speaking will often
fall short of her expectations. The first and biggest mistake
a spiritual teacher might makes during an interview is one
of complacency.
The spiritual teacher sometimes believes her only job is
to act and feel spiritual circumstances. She might fail to
realize that learning of real-world techniques such as public
speaking methods lead her closer to her clients. Another mistake
a spiritual teacher might make is thinking the radio interviewer,
the listeners or the individual facilitating a workshop is
responsible for the success of the interview or engagement.
While this is true in the world of talk radio in the event
that the host desires to create a certain outcome for her
show, relying upon the host to do a good job at selling a
spiritual method or thought system is not the best way to
relay worthwhile spiritual conversation. The host can and
usually will try to ask questions that lead the teacher into
conversation and creative antidote, however it is the job
of the teacher to intrigue her audience and help them find
motivation toward spiritual change.
Knowing the general audience a spiritual method will reach
is the first step toward a successful interaction with others.
The easiest interview I have ever experience is one with motivational
speaker, Dr. Bernie Siegel and Susun Weed, who both practically
read my mind and foresaw the questions I was preparing to
ask. I always ask questions of a speaker that his audience
will need and want to know.
And because asking a spiritual teacher to read minds is not
a task I request, I do hope that an instructor knows his general
audience and the type of questions that audience would most
like to ask. When both guest and host know their audience
the “mind reading” trick seems to come alive.
Both the host and the guest seem to be friendly and present
to the audience a camaraderie that the listener enjoys. As
the listeners settle in, to listen to the interview, they
feel the emotion that exists between guest and host and they
relax and listen.
Now it is time to stimulate the curiosities of the audience.
The teacher/leader must know how to effectively present his
own information. A good story always grabs the attention and
keeps the attention of any listener. While spiritual teachers
want to promote their particular belief and life method by
giving the audience fundamental information, this information
is not effective until the teacher has thoroughly caught the
attention of the listener.
I have conducted many interviews where the guests wants to
over spend his time selling his fundamental belief system
and presenting contact information. I believe the listener
simply turns the channel at this time. A firm engagement between
the host, guest and audience must first be obtained before
the listener becomes ready to trust and believe the opinions
of the speaker. A speaker who understands that he must help
his listeners to relate to the information from a visual,
emotional and listener-relevant perspective will find that
he quickly develops a following thus quickly helps the lives
of others.
Reaching
a listener from a visual perspective encourages the listener
to feel a personal connection with the material being presented.
Listeners want to see in their mind’s eye the people
and places of the instructor. A personal relationship begins
when the teacher uses sight words such as color and texture
words as well as actual descriptions of places and events.
Once the listener sees the teacher’s images in his mind,
he is hooked into the story and waiting to hear/see more.
Next, the spiritual teacher must use emotional stimulation
to help the listener want to buy know how to follow his particular
methodology. When the teacher finds and shares personally
where he is emotionally connected to his spiritual work, he
then can allow the listener to experience that emotion. An
unguarded speaker is an emotionally available teacher and
can begin a relationship with the listeners.
I ask all of my guests to find their honesty and try to share
that honesty during our interview. Regardless of the material,
a teacher who is willing to share his sadness, fear, excitement
or any other range of true feelings will captivate his audience.
The last step in engaging an audience and clientele is to
express the relevance of the spiritual material. Once the
listener has been hooked and then is emotionally connected
to the teacher, the teacher must share why his life methods
are relevant in the life of the audience. The teacher must
express why anyone should pray, meditate, practice ritual
or any other type of spiritual method.
Regardless of the spiritual methodology, the audience must
see how they will grow smarter, more successful and feel spiritually
more grounded after practicing the methods of the teacher.
Once the teacher himself believes his listeners must know
the information available from a particular spiritual method,
then he can transfer this belief to his listener. And, the
listener begins to believe that he must better know the teacher.
A successful teacher believes that his spiritual method is
helpful to the spiritual and emotional needs of his audience.
And, he believes that his information will help the human
condition. When a guest-teacher participates in interviews
using a success oriented belief system his methods will fall
into the hearts of others and every public speaking engagement
will be a good one.
by sHEALy
Traveler's Joy
by Juliette de Bairacli Levy. Explore the free wandering life of this enchant-ing guide by a legendary teacher who lives in tune with the rhythms of nature. Lots of herbal lore. 256 pages, index, illustrations.
Retails for $11.95
"This magical book has made me want to shelve my responsibilities and hit the road! The author's enthusiasm and ability to embrace hardship and bounty alike are truly inspirational. I am encouraged to lighten my material load to provide space for the gifts that the simple life provides. Recipes, travel lore, herbal medicine, literary references, and personal observations make this book an enjoyable read."
Order TRAVELER'S JOY in our BOOKSHOP
SONGS of BLEEDING
by Spider
Spider weaves the tales of Women's Mysteries in the remembrance of Moon Lodge celebrations based on Taino teachings. Through this book, she shares the dreams of the Grandmothers with all people ready to honor the Earth and Her cycles.
softcover: 7" x 9", 219 pages,
Illustrated by Tenanche Semiata-Akuaba;
"It was a pleasure to read Spider's book! As Sound and Rhythm hold the Uniworld together, so do the Songs of Bleeding hold within them the heriitage of Women's Mysteries. On of the most important contributions that Songs of Bleeding teaches us is the aspect of Honor... Honoring our Grandmothers' wisdom, our Moon time and our history as Women. Nyah Weh Scanno!" -
Grandmother Twylah Nitsch
Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge
219 pages
Price: $15.00
Order SONGS of BLEEDING in our Bookshop
read about another book by Spider Katie's Journey - MoonLodge Dreams
