4 Principles That Give Worth to Your Words - #1

​“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21 (NASB)

I’ve been working at WBYN/1075Alive in Boyertown, PA as an on-air host/announcer since 2014. God opened the door for me to work at this local Christian radio station without prior radio experience. I got on-the-job-training which was at times nerve wracking and exhilarating. Old dogs can be taught new tricks, but they’ll definitely need a nap afterwards.  

Timing made the opportunity surface, my experience in speaking made it sustainable. I’ve always enjoyed acting and presenting before groups of people from grade school on. I’ve addressed numerous women’s gatherings and retreats in the past 30 years.  I take pleasure in the process of communicating the hope we have in Christ, through my face, body, and voice.

Radio work, however, required a tweak to my communication technique. Now I must carefully and thoughtfully invest in every word I say and how I say them. My comments are to be brief (no more than 2 minutes, at the very most). My observations must be worthy to be heard. After all, death and life are in the power of the tongue.

Over the next four weeks I’m going to share 4 basic principles I learned from my on-air training that helped me to give worth to my words.

Principle 1.  Respect the mic. The mic is always on. Even when it’s not, it is.

Eccl 3:7b A time to be silent and a time to speak.

Respect the mic was the first instruction I got in my announcer preparation. Even if I finished my statement and turned the microphone off I was told to always consider the mic to be hot, or on. This discipline helps to avoid any embarrassing situations that could arise. In the beginning I had a habit of growling at myself if I blundered. One time I did it right into the microphone, not remembering I had not turned it off. From then on I found myself keeping my mouth closed unless I was speaking on air.

Respecting my “mic time,” means that my words should be given so as to build up and edify rather than tear down and discourage. Verbally I want to “do good and not harm” to my listener. And since The Lord is everywhere at all times, He hears not only the audible in our lives, but the inaudible in our hearts and minds, too. There’s a comfort and a caution in that.

To sound pleasant on air you must talk with a smile. Try it sometime. You can make any topic sound wonderful if you say it with a smile. Emotions will transfer to our message. Just as the mic picks up the tone of our voice, aka the smile, the Lord and those around us pick up on the intangible markers of stress, frustration, anger, gentleness, kindness, and love.

Have you ever yelled at your child for the umpteenth time to pick up their Legos when the phone rings? (Raises hand-been there, done that) Hopefully your kids know that when you get off the phone with your smiley voice you’ll have some of that smile leftover for them. What we say and how we say it live in the hearts and minds of the listener.

Having the mic is a privilege and a responsibility. My place behind the microphone is similar to having the floor in a business meeting or standing on the platform addressing an audience. It may be an audience of one toddler and a pre-teen, but speaking one-on-one is just as significant as broadcasting to an audience of 200,000.  
       
“A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but perversion in it crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4 (NASB)

We are a broadcasters of God’s goodness, where ever we are.
People are tuned into us.
God is tuned into us.
The voice and the spoken word are powerful tools. Our words have the potential to be life-giving or they can bring despair, shame, and hopelessness. Words live.

Let’s use our “mic time” for the glory and praise of Jesus Christ and have tongues trained to offer soothing words that give life and hope to our listeners.

---