Friday Finds - Thinking, Speaking, Spouses

There is not much I enjoy more than getting away with Faith for a time to focus on each other. Taking an annual kidless vacation is a practice we started at the beginning of our marriage, and I look forward to it each year. I came back refreshed and refocused, and ready to hit another season of helping pastors and leaders. I hope you'll find these articles helpful to your life.

Why Successful People Spend 10 Hours A Week Just Thinking via Inc.com

It's rare for leaders to physically block out time on their calendar to think; time away from screens and meetings; time to reflect, and time to consider and make a plan for the future. This article makes the argument that if this "thinking time" is prioritized, then the rest of the hours in a week will be more productive.

A Big Data Approach To Public Speaking by Matt Abrahams via Gsb.Stanford.edu

The words "public speaking" may invoke a few different emotions. Anxiety, terror, panic. Maybe you have flashbacks to school presentations and speeches. Most of us probably just try our best to get through those times when we have had to speak to large groups. We're typically more concerned about forming complete thoughts and sentences than about our body language and vocal inflection. After analyzing hundreds of thousands of speeches, Noah Zandan's team has identified several key characteristics of engaging communicators.

3 Important Questions To Ask A Candidates Spouse by Milan Ford via Vanderbloemen.com

If you're hiring an individual who is married, you are also hiring their spouse. The spouse will probably be serving in your church, attending Christmas parties, in a small group. They will be around, and they have influence.  Even though this is an important aspect of making a hire, there unfortunately isn't a standard protocol for interviewing a spouse. Here are 3 great questions that my colleague, Milan Ford, suggests to ask spouses.

The Next Future Church Position via Thomrainer.com

Here at Vanderbloemen, we've started to see this trend in staffing rise. There is an increased need for a specific staff member to oversee community outreach. In this article, Thom Rainer explains why this is occurring.