How to Present Attention-Getting Illustrations

Preach the Word: Chapter 28

In addition to careful selection and pains-taking preparation, attention-getting illustrations must be effectively presented. Failure to follow proven principles of presentation causes illustrations to detract from the truth, rather than illuminate it.

An attention-getting illustration is usually brief. The longer the illustration, the more difficult it is to present it well and maintain the hearers’ attention. The result may be that the illustration, intended to attract and enlighten the hearers, will lose them. When a brief illustration fails, the preacher may recover with another illustration, or make the point in another way. When a long illustration fails, the preacher is stuck and the sermon fails. Because lengthy illustrations gobble up time, which is the preacher’s most precious commodity, the preacher must be certain that it is worth the investment.

An attention-getting illustration is credited to its source. Remember, however, that the sermon is not a written presentation where credit can be given in a footnote. Credit should be brief, no more than is necessary to acknowledge the source. Footnote materials in a sermon are no more interesting than reading footnote materials in a book.

An attention-getting Illustration fits naturally into the sermon material. It is an integral part of the sermon’s flow from introduction to conclusion; it is not an interruption. Introductions to illustrations are illustration killers. “A few years ago while I was travelling in Texas, I preached in a small west Texas town where I met John Doe, who is a second cousin to Don Joe. He is married to Joe Don’s sister who is known to many of you. While eating a meal in their home, John’s uncle, who was visiting from Oklahoma told me about an old Indian chief who. . . .” You get the idea. Not only does such babble waste time, worse yet, it detracts from the point being made. It forces the hearers’ minds both to wander and to wonder.

An attention-getting illustration is specific, not general. It is a rifle, not a shotgun; it is a laser beam, not a fluorescent light. Honing an illustration to a keen edge requires extra thought and preparation time, but it adds authenticity than can be gained in no other manner.

An attention-getting illustration shows rather than tells. Daniel 2:12 records that “the king was angry and very furious.” If the preacher wants his hearers to “see” the king, he will show them the king in words – “The king’s face turned red; he clinched his teeth; he doubled his fist; he pounded the throne.”

An attention-getting illustration appeals to both intellect and emotion. Appeal to emotion alone is like cotton candy – mostly air. Appeal to intellect alone is like seeking sustenance from a tasteless tablet – very unappealing.

An attention-getting illustration is more than just an allusion. A passing mention is ineffective if the hearers don’t know the story. The more details an illustration contains (without violating the rule that an attention-getting illustration is brief), the more it engages the memories and emotions of the hearers.

An attention-getting illustration is about people, not things. While “oil and water don’t mix” is a well-known maxim, it is not as powerful as “trying to blend Rush Limbaugh and Larry King.” Which of your vacation photographs are more interesting – those with only landscapes, or those in which your fellow travellers also appear?

An attention-getting Illustration ends with words that tie it to the point being made. If it does not add to and make the point being illustrated, it dangles sorely – an irritating hangnail on the sermon. Instead of assisting in the transition from the known to the unknown, it is a dam in the sermon’s stream that is impossible for the hearer to circumnavigate.

Well planned and presented illustrations breathe life into a sermon. They do the same for the hearers!