How to Make the Perfect Stage Announcement
Does it exist? Great question! I would say, it does exist as long as you define what success looks like. Stage announcements are not your best tool in the tool belt for recruiting volunteers, but it is a great tool to cast vision and extend an invitation. What happens after a stage announcement is the most important part.
When I first started doing announcements, I was practically begging for volunteers. It was not pretty. I didn’t know how to communicate my vision and I tried WAY to hard to make people laugh.
As I grew as a leader, my announcements got better and my ask became more clear. In one job, my boss gave me really helpful feedback after I did announcements one Sunday. His feedback was that the inflection in my voice made it sound as if I was asking everyone a question at the end of every sentence. Not good. The next time I gave announcements, I was clear, concise, and confident in what i was saying. It made a huge difference.
I definitely still fumble over my words from time to time, forget what I wanted to stay, and I have may have welled up with tears giving announcements one Sunday—do not recommend. So many stories of successful announcements and not so successful announcements. I get it and I’ve been there.
Most Kids Ministry leaders rely heavily on stage announcements for volunteer recruiting. If you could only get those 30 seconds on stage, then everyone will understand the need for volunteers…I wish it was that easy. The reality is, a stage announcement is the first step in recruiting. It’s not the only step and certainly not the last step. I would say it is not even a necessary step!
Here is what you will notice:
1. A compelling mission
2. The move from big picture to specific invite
3. Clear call to action
3 No’s of stage announcements:
1. Winging it. Prepare well!
2. Too many words. Too many words will cause your need to get buried.
3. Generic asks are desperate asks. Don’t cast a wide net. Recruit specifically, even from the stage!
Drop your email below and I’ll send you my sample announcement script (that I actually used a few weeks ago) and more tips & tricks I’ve learned from 12 years of doing Kids Ministry stage announcements.