I used to believe the best communication was crystal clear, simple, and easy to listen to. For this reason, like many other preachers, I was persuaded by advocates of PowerPoint and multimedia to use visual aids in order to make my communication easier. But is easier the right goal, or should we be seeking engagement, which requires more work of our listeners rather than less? I’ve largely stopped using slides or pre-written notes. If someone is going to “get” something from my sermon, I now want them to have to work for it—at least a little.
