Whatever your background, most communicators, whether a pastor, preacher, leadership speaker, motivational guru, youth leader, or vision caster, enjoy having people in the audience provide feedback. And not just telling someone after they're done "good job," but actual real time feedback. Verbal call and response feedback. Responding in the moment. Some of you are used to this. Some of you don't know anything different. And others of you have never experienced it. And probably some of you that are immediately thinking if anyone spoke up during our Sunday services that they would be immediately removed by the "bouncers," otherwise known as the "ushers" and offering coordinators....!!
So I'm doing a bit more speaking these days, and I can verify that having people in the crowd agreeing with me and cheering me on and making some noise in response is a beautiful thing. It provides energy, inspiration, and definitely creates a connection with the audience/crowd.
Now in the church I group up in, there were only a few folks who had "permission" to respond to the sermon on a Sunday morning, and they usually went with the traditional "Amen" or "Hallelujah." Which still work. Nothing against the traditional phrases. I'm a fan of the traditional phrases.
Whatever your style, I want to suggest a NEW list of phrases that can be implemented into your church culture. Your leadership conference. Your youth gathering. Your Sunday morning experience.
A little more current, a little more edgy, and a little more innovative than the classics.
So here you go, 50 Innovative Phrases for Responding During the Sermon:
1. Run that back
2. Hello!
3. Retweet
4. Hashtag it
5. Let em know
6. Jackpot
7. I know you didn't (said like "I know you diiiiinnntttt")
8. More of that
9. Go ahead
10. Bring it strong
11. Come on/Come on sir (or ma'am)
12. Bet you won't
13. Double down
14.There it is
15. Take it
16. Buckets (or Bottoms)
17. Turn it up
18. Boom
19. Yahtzee
20. That's Butter
21. Bingo
22. Hook. Line. Sinker.
23. So great/So good/That's great/That's good
24. Getchya some!
25. Bring it
26. Go ahead
27. Right on
28. That's good pastor (or "great" inserted for "good")
29. Hit em with it
30. Money
31. Double tap
32. Burning/On Fire/Fire Alert/Coming in hot
33. Land that plane
34. Feed me/I'm Hungry
35. Worth a clap
36. Preach
37. Truth
38. Onions
39. Here we go
40. On point
41. Game over
42. You meddlin
43. Swish/Buckets
44. Right swipe that
45. Ride that bus
46. That dog will hunt
47. Put that on a plate and split it
48. Woooooo00
49. Whistle (literally just whistling!)
50. Uh huh or Uh oh 0r ah ha
** and a bonus- "Crickets"
How about you? What phrases would you add to the list?