Communication 89
leaders and prophets of the Bible took great care to ensure that their
ideas were communicated powerfully and accurately so the meaning
was not diluted or changed. The people did not always get the message,
sometimes they didn’t like it, and sometimes they failed to follow it,
degenerating periodically into idol worship and deviation from the
moral path. But a ‘‘great communicator’’ always arose to revive the
message and put the people back on the path.
When Samuel anointed Saul as the first king to rule over all Israel,
he was well aware of the potential for abuse of power, and he took great
pains to ensure that the people understood this potential as well as the
great potential for good that having a strong monarch promised. He
also made sure that the entire nation of Israel was present when he
delivered his message.
‘‘Samuel said to all the people: ‘Do you see the man the Lord has
chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.’ Then the
people shouted, ‘Long live the king!’ ’’ This could have been a perfect
time for Samuel to inflate himself and the new king by stirring up the
crowd even further. But instead, he communicated the need for moder-
ation and caution. Power would have to be balanced by responsibility
and controls: ‘‘Samuel explained to the people the regulations of the
kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll... Then Samuel dismissed
the people, each to his own home.’’ (1 Sam. 10)
A skilled communicator is comfortable in a variety of communica-
tion forums. Jesus utilized small task force meetings with his disciples,
speeches to the general public, and confrontations with the ruling reli-
gious and secular authorities. Each was handled in a different way. Simi-
larly, Moses met one-on-one with Pharaoh, in small groups with his
chief lieutenants, and in large groups with the entire nation of Israel.
Today’s best leaders need to be comfortable with groups of all sizes
and communication methods of many types as well. There is a different
kind of power in communicating with people individually, in small
groups, and in large groups, and the wise leader develops a comfort
level with each, mixing and matching these methods into an effective
communication effort that drives the organization toward its goals.