DTS values contextualized effective communication of biblical and theological truth by a variety of means for personal and corporate transformation.

Communication Goal

This goal involved the various aspects of my teaching and speaking. Specifically, I wanted to practice teaching adults in a variety of venues.

Strategies

1. Teaching an intro-level apologetics class at church.
2. Attending and presenting at the CrossExamined Instructors Academy (CIA).
3. Watch the TED Talk on Atheism 2.0
4. Research the Problem of Evil (POE)

Resources

1. Review notes from Foundations in Apologetics course, as well as the Accessible Apologetics curriculum.
2. Read I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Frank Turek.
3. Read Tactics by Greg Koukl.
4. Attend the CIA.
5. Notes from the God and Evil class.

Measures

1. I will give my Secondary Mentor my PowerPoint and notes to review and give feedback.
2. I’ll give a presentation at the CIA and get feedback from my instructors.
3. I will write an article responding to Alain de Botton.
4. Develop a Probe radio program on the POE.

Overall Reflection Statement:

For my communication competence, I am submitting PowerPoints, notes, and transcripts I used in the presentations, the feedback I got from the presentations, the article, and the radio program, all of which demonstrate professional growth in the areas of teaching and speaking. The presentations demonstrate a representation of well-articulated messages. I also learned to teach responsibly, creatively, practically, and theologically!

Artifacts:

Below is a picture and the notes from my presentation (borrowed from my friend Dr. Mikel Del Rosario) I gave to the women’s small-group leaders at Dallas Bible Church.

Below is a picture of the certificate I earned at the CIA, one of the PowerPoints I used, and one of the manuscripts I used for a presentation at the CIA.

This is the article I wrote in response to Alain de Botton and his idea of Atheism 2.0

Talking About the Problem of Evil – Radio Program

Learning Reflection Statement:

As I developed and demonstrated communication, I learned how to approach different types of presentations and how to use notes without losing the audience. Learning timing, I fine-tuned my talks down to what I knew I could fit within the given time and what main points I wanted to cover. One of my talks covered too much in too little time. So if I were to do it again, I would focus on depth instead of breadth. My other talk was timed well so I had enough time, in the end, to take questions and interact with the audience to make it more engaging and memorable.

Lifelong Development Statement:

As a result of the experiences documented by these artifacts, I will continue to develop in communication by trying to do more training (like the CIA again, or Advanced CIA, or working with Krish Dhanam) and seeking more speaking engagements. Furthermore, I need to develop my presentation “texture” (as Jorge Gil called it at the CIA) and add a little more animation and flare to my soothing and somewhat monotone style. I also need to learn the balance between memorizing and relying heavily on notes. I’d like to have it internalized and not memorized, so I can sound more natural and use my notes less. Teaching and speaking is hard work, and worth all the stress, but I would like to not get so stressed leading up to the presentation.