Skills:  The Banner Method  

Learn how to state main points succinctly. This is an excellent method to use in everyday life, especially with those who are easily overwhelmed by a lot of information coming in at one time. It is also very good to use when trying to convey biblical truth to others.

Instructions

1.  Give the person you are talking with your BANNER.

This is your headline, the one most important thing you want to say, the one thing you feel you just have to get across to them. Think through what you want to convey and tell them that alone! It will usually be one concise sentence, or two at most.

|               BANNER                        |

2.  IF you see they've had enough - leave it there. Give them time to mull it over. Trust God to remind them of what you said, if He so chooses to.

3.  IF you see you've got their interest and they indicate, 'Yea, go on…'

Give them a few points under your BANNER, being sure to prioritize because you never know how quickly your opportunity will end. Do the major points like an outline.

Point A

Point B

Point C

4.  IF you see you still have their interest…

Begin giving them more information under each point, starting with what's most important and progressing to lesser important stuff. Go into as much detail as they desire, or keep it as little as they want.

Point A - ~~~~~  ~~~~~  ~~~~~

Point B - ~~~~~  ~~~~~

Point C - ~~~~~

But remember: It's always wise to tell them just enough to keep their interest… but not so much they become overwhelmed and turn away from what you're sharing (and want to forget everything then).

5.  IF at any point you see they've had enough stop immediately!

This might be when their hand is waving in the air like they're drowning or their hand comes up to their neck like they're feeling stuffed. It could also be when their eyes glaze over or perhaps when they let out a nice big yawn! Those are all clues you've lost your audience.

Let them mull over what you've said. Perhaps they'll ask further questions at a later time… if you haven't overwhelmed them.

Pray that God will give them understanding and that He will enlarge their ability to take in more information. If He is doing a work in them He may have allowed you to plant or water seeds of truth. Whether you get the great joy of seeing the 'harvest' (which would be them responding favorably) is up to God. He will most assuredly do for that person whatever all they truly need. We must rest in that.

Our part is to learn to give a BANNER effectively, and then give more details as is desired!

Sample - The Banner Method vs. Rambling

Rambling: (Just imagine someone trying to tell you all of this in one breath! Whew!)

A long time ago a family studied Creation Science and read a bunch of excellent and helpful books on the subject from which they were able to compile a presentation of some of the 'Creation Science Facts' they had gleaned. They used a specific format to build helpful pages and later were able to share these pages of facts with a man that was in a false belief system that taught evolution was the way mankind had come about. The pages had a big impact on this man because he saw for himself the scientific facts that point to a young earth and to a special creation and this caused him to begin to question the 'Theory of Evolution' he had been taught in his earlier years in grammar school. The man ended up studying Creation Science more in-depth for himself and became convinced that the scientific facts point to a young earth and a special creation. He ended up letting go of his previous false beliefs and he embraced the truth.

Banner: A family used 'Creation Science Facts' they gleaned to help bring a man to the truth of a young earth and a special creation.

(Are they still interested?) Give them an outline:

A. This family compiled 'Creation Science Facts' after reading many excellent books.

B. The facts gathered from the books were specific scientific ones which point to a young earth and a special creation, effectively disproving the Theory of Evolution.

C. The Creation Science Facts they shared had a tremendous impact on the man.

(Are they still interested?) Give them some more details:

A. The 'Creation Science Facts' came from the following excellent books... (A book list is ready to be handed to the listeners.)

B. The 'Creation Science Facts' point to a young earth and a special creation disproving the theory of Evolution. They are put into a simplified format like this: TITLE - FACT - SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT - SO IT'S EASY TO CONCLUDE

C. These facts had the impact of this man sloughing off the 'Theory of Evolution' as he studied Creation Science because the scientific facts showed him cogent reasons for believing in a young earth and a special creation by God.

(Are they still interested?) Show them some 'Creation Science Facts.'

SHRINKING SUN

FACT: The sun is burning up at a measurable rate of 5 feet per hour. That means it gets 2.5 feet farther away from us each hour. It is approximately 93 million miles away at present.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: Assuming the rate has remained the same (because we have no evidence to the contrary) at the present rate it would have been touching the earth a mere 20 million years ago, and would have burned the earth up way before that. It would have also burned up Mercury and Venus before that, too.

If the sun had at any point been even 25% closer (69,750,000 miles away), the earth would have had an average temperature of about 212º F (with highs even higher than that) so it would have boiled. No life could have survived that. And this would have been as recent as about 5 million years ago.

SO IT'S EASY TO CONCLUDE: The sun hasn't been around for millions of years or its size in the past would have burned up the earth (and other planets) way before now. It was created fairly recently and put in its exact place for life on earth to exist.

DNA REPLICATION

FACT: At last count, at least 20 different types of proteins are required to produce DNA.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: But, these proteins can only be made under the direction of the DNA itself. One cannot exist without the other.

SO IT'S EASY TO CONCLUDE: The DNA was created intact with the proteins necessary to produce more DNA.

TERMITES

FACT: Termites eat wood, but can't digest it. Flagellates (tiny organisms) living in the termite's intestines digest the cellulose (wood). But flagellates can't be exposed to oxygen or they will die.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: Without flagellates, termites can't digest wood and will die; and flagellates, if exposed to open air, will die.

SO IT'S EASY TO CONCLUDE: They had to have been created together at the same time.

Concluding Point

Before you speak, be thinking of your BANNER.

What's your point? What is the most important thing you want to be certain you convey? Think how you can word it in as few words as possible while keeping it understandable for your hearers.

Then, give the BANNER. And add more information... as your hearers desire to know more.