FIRST IN LAST OUT
CRITIQUERS , COMPLAINERS , AND QUARTERBACKS | Todd Elliott
No matter what church you are a part of , or whether you are an audio , video , or lighting person , we all have the same groups of naysayers : “ How hard can it be ? All ’ s you ’ ve got to do is …” “ It ’ s too loud ” or “ Why do you have to shine the light in my eyes .” “ We can ’ t put the drums there . We always put them on stage right .”
These are just a few examples of types of naysayers : some that don ’ t understand much about the world of production ; those that are just consumers of the content you are trying to enhance ; and team members that always have a better idea of what you should have done . How do we handle each of these different groups ?
UNEDUCATED Most non-production people have no idea what it takes to do what you do and for many of them , they just see the end result of all your hard work . To help educate the uneducated , we need to figure out a way to tell the story about what it takes to do the amazing things that you do . To just say “ yes ” or “ no ”, without a story isn ’ t helpful .
One way would be to keep a log of what you spend your time on each week and how long certain types of ideas take . This kind of concrete information will help put context around what is truly involved with making production happen . It is also helpful to always be telling your story , especially when the pressure isn ’ t on . Waiting until something really needs to be done to tell me it usually takes 200 hours of work is helpful , but not as helpful as if I knew that part of the story sooner .
COMPLAINERS There will always be a line of people at the booth after a service to complain about the volume , or the bright lights , or the haze in the room . You cannot get rid of this group of naysayers , no matter how hard you try . There are two necessary elements to not being overwhelmed by these comments :
Have a great understanding of who you listen to . Is it the senior pastor ? Is it the music director ? Is it your Aunt Bertha ? Who helps you make the decisions about how loud it should get , or what kind of lighting you do , or whether to use haze or not . Understanding why you do some of these things really matters . Having someone that you listen to for feedback is critical .
Now that you know whose opinion matters , you can let the comments from complainers roll off your back , but you still have to deal with them .
What should you do ? Be gracious . Listen . Hear what they have to say . Is there any truth to what they are complaining about ? If they aren ’ t satisfied with your answers , have your boss connect with them .
MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACKS It is always easier to see better choices after something is already done . In some ways , responding to this group is very similar to the consumers . Listen to what they are saying , pull the helpful parts out of their complaints and then move on . There is no way to plan for something perfectly , so get over the fact that you can ’ t please everyone with the perfect plan . Something will always not go according to plan , so there will be critique .
Making mistakes is a great way to learn what not to do again . It is the way that we can stretch
and get better . Acknowledge the errors , thank people for their observations , and learn from them for next time .
Interested in joining a community of other technical artists trying to create healthy environments where we can work together , encourage each other , and help us all thrive in this church production life ? Join the Community !
Todd Elliott Todd is a writer , speaker , technical artist in the local church and founder of FILO , which stands for First In , Last Out . FILO was born out of his own need as a technical artist in the local church to be in community with other church tech people , to learn new ways of doing things and to be inspired that what he did mattered . The more FILO-type people he met , the more convinced he was that these are things we all need . That ’ s why FILO exists : to equip , encourage and inspire technical artists in the local church to become the best version of ourselves . Formerly the Technical Arts Director at Willow Creek Community Church , he started FILO in 2015 to help other technical artists become more effective so that the local church can be more effective .
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96 February 2025 Subscribe for Free ...