From Where I Sat
A Mini-Skirt Title For Your Speech: A Lesson From A Man Of Cloth
By Robert Wamai
As a writer especially after taking a break I find that I need something to wake me up from the slumber. We are like a car that needs a push to kick-start it or a chicken that has had it legs untied but still needs a shove to get it walking again.
Having taken a break from writing, the spark that ignited the ember was lit by the Rhema Feast, which took place in Nairobi last month, August 2025. Watching the highlights on TV, I was taken aback by the delivery of the sermons by the various preachers and pastors. One who stood out for me was Joshua Selman from Nigeria. As a trainer I marvelled at how most men and women of‘ cloth’ all over the World manage to deliver such powerful sermons consistently. That got me thinking and wondering if there was a secret sauce or magic bullet. So I turned to YouTube and searched for sermon preparation and delivery tips.
It was here that I encountered Pastor Erwin Lutzer of Moody Church and Pastor HB Charles of Shiloh Church who have podcasts on sermon preparation and delivery. However it was a friend of mine, Lawrence who pointed me to Pastor Charles Swindoll, popularly known as‘ Chuck’, saying I might find him interesting. And his judgement hit the nail on its head, for in Chuck I found a‘ hidden’ gem. I found Chucks approach to delivering the word refreshing and powerful.
You may be wondering, like I did, who Chuck is. Chuck is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, and radio host spanning more than 60 years. He is best known as the founder of Insight for Living Ministries and the founding pastor of Stonebriar Community Church. Check him out on YouTube as this article may not capture all he has to offer.
As I watched him, I picked a number of ways that can enhance impact when delivering a speech, sermon, or presentation. One of the things which stood out for me and made me sit was something I have never thought hard about or even considered to be an important ingredient in preparation and delivery of a message. And that is the reason for sharing with you, for I am confident it can add immense value next time you stand in front of an audience. Before taking the rabbit from the hat let
The only way to improve and adapt in this fast changing arena is continuous learning and one never knows where the lessons will come from. me take a pause and provide some context.
Let me assume that you have been invited by William Kalombo of Marketing Africa, to be a keynote speaker at the next Marketers Night. Be it your first time or not, you will work to ensure your message is useful and delivered in a powerful and memorable style, leaving a lasting impression. This article has some useful nuggets on how you can achieve this objective, so dig right in.
A keynote speech or presentation is all about two things. The content; what is said and the delivery; how it is said. The first step for any presenter is preparation of the message and for this article I share some gems I picked from Chuck and Pastor Lutzer.
In preparation there are two important‘ ingredients’. The first is the need to understand the audience. Who are they? In our case it is straight forward. You will be addressing those in the field of marketing both brand managers and sales persons. Brand builders include not only the brand owners( clients) but also their partners; communication, research, or experiential marketing agencies. The next step is deciding on your objective. What do you want the audience to think, feel, or do after your speech or presentation? These two ensure that your content is relevant. Understanding the audience and coming up with the objective are really two sides of the same coin.
Once you have taken this step you then
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