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Introduction
To be effective communicators for Christ we must have a proven strategy. We have all had experiences where we have kept our mouths shut and been thankful for it, or we have verbalized the greatest comeback and made the whole world envious. We have also wished we could have said something but did not know the “Art of Speaking Life into Others.” Are these situations fortunate, planned, lucky, or caused by a lack of a verbal strategy? Many of these situations are usually never planned. They are also unpredictable. Therefore, we need a system or a strategy to diffuse verbal conflict and edify meaningful conversation to speak life into others. This is why we want to learn the game of the Master Communicator, the Christian Art of Verbal Chess.
The proven goal of Verbal Chess is to learn a system that enables us to fruitfully move through the verbal mine field of life, and to respond appropriately and effectively every time. In this book, we are going to learn a system of communication called the Christian Art of Verbal Chess. Just as in any game, there are “pieces” that each have a function and must be mastered in order for us to succeed. The following are the pieces of the game.
KING – The Persona of Verbal Chess – On the Christian Art of Verbal Chess side of the playing field, the King is the mind and nature, the moral compass, and the inner truth of who we really are. The King exemplifies ten essential character disciplines necessary to win life’s game of communication. Emboldened by these character disciplines the King designs the strategy and directs the pieces where they will do the most good.
QUEEN – The Skill of Giving Grace – The Queen is our most versatile piece and the most difficult to learn to use skillfully. The Queen works from within every piece on the Christian Art of Verbal Chess side of the playing field. Truly the spirit of the game, it is the power to impartially step into another’s life, seeing the world through their eyes, and then selflessly giving mercy and compassion to gain understanding, while being able to step back and see the reality of the circumstances.
BISHOPS – Empathic Listening – The Bishop is our intelligence gatherer, our unnatural, highly artistic tool to read our opponent. The Bishop can move diagonally across the playing field to search, anticipate, and understand our opponent’s most important inner feelings.
KNIGHTS – Strategic Speaking – The Knight is our verbal personality and is the most unique motion piece of the game. It moves over or around our opponent to truthfully influence them. The Knight can be the key to success or an avenue to failure when playing the Christian Art of Verbal Chess.
CASTLES – Silent Communication – The Castle is our silent vehicle of communication to understand what is not spoken and influence our opponent covertly. It also moves forward and backward, side-to-side, changing the playing field by presenting different views of our inner self and outward demeanor.
PAWNS – Our On-Time Delivery Techniques – Pawns use all the pieces of the game to move our opponent to persuasion or compliance through compelling, and positive influences on-time. Pawns move forward one space at a time. They can be calming, persuasive, protective, and assuring, but they don’t move back. Pawns are created and delivered through our body language, tone of voice, personal space, and our words, while working in harmony with our mind, mouth, and body.
Winning the game of communication in our everyday lives is paramount in developing successful relationships. Building thriving relationships is the secret to success in all facets of life, including family, business, and especially discipleship. The answer to building thriving relationships is an affirming, constructive, and edifying communication that harmonizes our mind, mouth, and body. This is truly one of life’s greatest gifts and challenges. This is the Christian Art of Verbal Chess, the Art of Speaking Life into Others.