The shorter the sermon the fuller the pews.

When I was a kid growing up in Upstate New York there was a priest who I remember for a specific reason. His name was Father Hillary.  In the summertime he was especially liked by the parishioners.  He instituted what he called ‘The 5-minute sermon’.  His pledge to the parishioners was that from Memorial Day to Labor Day his sermons during mass would last no more than five minutes.  He understood that summertime was precious to folks in that part of the country given it only lasted three to four months.  He knew his parishioners had plans to be outdoors, to have a picnic, to go boating, etc. And he knew that if he stretched the mass out too long, he would risk losing them on Sundays.

And I’m here to tell you it worked.  His Sunday masses were full.  I found it ironic that by shortening the sermon more people came to listen.

His messages were compact and memorable. The key points made their way into his remarks up front and early. There was no long setup or extra fluff.  His message was all substance.  He got to the point. And when he was done it felt refreshing, in large part because we were all impressed that nothing was lost. The five-minute sermon not only carried the same weight as those that were two to three times longer, but in most instances, it stood out as ‘better’.

I learned a valuable lesson from this experience. One that carried into my career and to the work I do now as a speaker.

As leaders, all of us will have opportunities to stand in front of our teams, our co-workers or outside groups. We’ll have the floor. We’ll have the room.  These opportunities may be scheduled (formal), or extemporaneous (informal).  How do we handle these moments?  Put yourself in the chair of those doing the listening.  Would you want to listen to someone that has trouble getting to the point?  Someone that gets sidetracked and overall, simply says way more than is necessary?  Or would you prefer a speaker whose remarks are crisp, to the point and on message?