Programs and What People Say
Small Group Zoom Sessions
Small Group Zoom Conversation
Sign up below or on home page for the Wednesday December 20, 2023 Small Group Conversation 12-1:30 (ET)
Sign up below or on home page for the Wednesday December 20, 2023 Small Group Conversation 12-1:30 (ET)
Individual Coaching
In three one-on-one Zoom sessions, Stephen will help you get started on your path toward Speaking by Heart, or guide you as you take your next steps on the journey. In the first session, you will establish your personalized goals and design your next steps. For the next two sessions you will provide a video recording either of you giving a presention or of a practice session.
Reflecting on your work, Stephen will help you identify your strength and reveal new areas for growth. In the final session, you will create a plan to continue your Speaking by Heart practice. (Cost: $300)
Reflecting on your work, Stephen will help you identify your strength and reveal new areas for growth. In the final session, you will create a plan to continue your Speaking by Heart practice. (Cost: $300)
Training Programs
In one day, or longer retreat formats, the leadership, staff and volunteers of your
organization or group will discover the power of their authentic
voice and practice how to motivate and inspire others.
organization or group will discover the power of their authentic
voice and practice how to motivate and inspire others.
Program Goals
1.) To create a safe environment to learn to speak by heart without a script.
2.) To help you discover and use the power of your authentic voice.
3.) To engage in exercises to help you become a more effective public speaker.
4.) To identify the next steps, you can take
toward Speaking by Heart
1.) To create a safe environment to learn to speak by heart without a script.
2.) To help you discover and use the power of your authentic voice.
3.) To engage in exercises to help you become a more effective public speaker.
4.) To identify the next steps, you can take
toward Speaking by Heart
Why these programs work
ancient wisdom and scientific knowledge of what makes people effective public presenters are combined by an experienced presenter
participants work in a small group that becomes a safe place where feelings, fears, and passions can be expressed, acknowledged, and owned
participants create, practice, and present their own story or talk in their small group
values of compassion and reverence for life are affirmed as essential ingredients for effective communication
ancient wisdom and scientific knowledge of what makes people effective public presenters are combined by an experienced presenter
participants work in a small group that becomes a safe place where feelings, fears, and passions can be expressed, acknowledged, and owned
participants create, practice, and present their own story or talk in their small group
values of compassion and reverence for life are affirmed as essential ingredients for effective communication
What People Say About
Speaking by Heart Programs
It is more than a speaking style, it is a life changer.
I have seen it happen again and again.
A staff person for an environmental organization was told “Everything you are going to say publicly has to be submitted in writing to me before you speak. “Speaking by Heart gave this environmentalist the courage to go off script. After hearing the staffer speak without notes the organization dropped its requirement to read everything in advance.
A seminarian told me he thought that he needed to be an accomplished writer in order to give a good sermon. After taking Speaking by Heart the student had a change of mind: “I learned to write sermons in my head. The result was that my passionately spoken words followed freely from my heart. People were blown away.”
I have seen it happen again and again.
A staff person for an environmental organization was told “Everything you are going to say publicly has to be submitted in writing to me before you speak. “Speaking by Heart gave this environmentalist the courage to go off script. After hearing the staffer speak without notes the organization dropped its requirement to read everything in advance.
A seminarian told me he thought that he needed to be an accomplished writer in order to give a good sermon. After taking Speaking by Heart the student had a change of mind: “I learned to write sermons in my head. The result was that my passionately spoken words followed freely from my heart. People were blown away.”
My first Sunday back I took the plunge into preaching from the heart. And, that is what people have said “You are preaching to us from your heart.” This has been a transformative time, both in the way I prepare a sermon and the way I deliver it. I feel a much deeper connection with my congregation now and the process is less stressful. I have even been able to get into my own writing more. Many thanks for the vision that you gave me,
Rev. Patty C. Willis, South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society
Salt Lake City, Utah
Thank you Stephen. The workshop was an inspiration and a motivation. You “set up” the exploration in a nice way, by grounding it in the Unitarian tradition (a la Ware); and allowing us to name our fears. Rev. Dr. Larry Peers Director of Learning, Pastoral Excellence Network
I preached my first “embodied sermon” yesterday and it was a smash-success! I was extremely nervous, but it all flowed into place and people literally laugh- ed and cried along with me. Thank you for sharing this new style of prep and preaching. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and that I am now able to bring my best skills forward as a preacher.
Drew Moeller, Ministerial Candidate
I was a reluctant attendee of "Preaching by Heart." The topic and style didn't seem to resonate with me at first. I came to the ministry after two degrees in English and am a lover of the written word and enjoy the craft of writing. But as I attended the workshop, I found myself drawn in. I tried out the methods I learned in "Preaching by Heart" back in my congregation when I returned, and it was transformative for me. The congregation loves the more connected, personal and heart-based style of extemporaneous preaching, and I find that when I preach this way, I cut my preparation time dramatically, leaving me less stressed and overworked, with more time to spend with family. With what is available at people's fingertips in the comfort of their homes, people aren't coming to worship to hear a TED Talk, or a highly researched intellectual product. They're looking for something fresh, something spiritual, something that connects them and inspires them. What I learned is that this need of our members isn't just about a change in content, it's about a whole different way of preaching.
Rev. Cynthia Landrum, Universalist Unitarian Church of East Liberty,
Clarklake, Michigan
We invited Rev. Stephen Shick to present at our Leadership Development Day. We not only gained useful strategies to speak without notes, but it was a spiritually nurturing experience. The breakout groups provided participants a personal, nonthreatening experience to practice our newly learned art as well as an opportunity to build relationships . A day well spent.
Anita Mentzer, Director
UU Pennsylvania Legislative Action Network Director
My first text-free sermon went beautifully! Nothing but very positive response. . .With the time saved in writing and editing, I was able to practice delivery several times, so it came out smoothly but with some spontaneity. I also memorized Mary Oliver’s “Wild Swans,” which I incorporated in the sermon. Using the handheld mic, I walked through the aisles throughout delivery, and I loved being free of the pulpit.
Rev. Fred Small, Former Minister, First Parish Cambridge, MA
Your presentation was very effective and I heard very positive things about the after-lunch presentation. Yesterday morning I heard more positive comments about the workshop! It was inspirational for me and for others. I am not the only grateful one!
Sally Hartman, Iowa UCC & UUs Connecting for Justice
At the time Stephen’s program introduced me to Speaking by Heart I had been a United Church of Christ pastor for eleven years and the prospect of preaching without a script terrified me. "Terrified" is only a very slight exaggeration. I greatly appreciated the collegiality of that day. I listened and took in what I was hearing. But I felt shy and clumsy when it was my turn to try an unscripted piece during break-out groups.
Fast forward two years to this past summer. Because the “gospel of Love” is exactly what I want to preach, I decided to let go of the lectionary for at least one year (daring, eh?!) and preach only stories about Jesus, stories that Jesus tells, and - of these - only those I could tell the children. One Sunday I had what I knew to be a poignant closing point, but for the life of me, I could not remember it. Just as I was about to say, “Amen,” a parishioner raised her hand and gorgeously made the point I had forgotten. Yes! My “Preaching from the Heart” makes me vulnerable. But it is usually a mutual engagement with the people. It is always holy ground. I’m hooked.
Rev. Karen Christensen, Pastor
The First Congregational Church of Buxton, Maine