Lector Tips

Mindset

Arrive at the church early and find some way to center yourself and review the lesson(s) you will be reading. Find a quiet spot and sit or kneel and pray. You might ask that God make you a worthy vessel for proclaiming the message and that your hearers might hear the word well. Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you and enliven your reading.

Body Language

The moment you step forward you are sending signals to your listeners. These signals come from how you carry yourself and what you wear. 

One can usually tell how a reading will go based on the lector's approach to the lectern. Those who race to the lectern will generally race through their reading. On the other hand, those who approach in a focused, deliberate manner will also proclaim that way.

Posture

Upon reaching the lectern stand squarely behind it. Stand on two feet, not one. Place your hands lightly on the lectionary or you may hold a Bible if you feel comfortable doing so. Most lectors prefer to keep the lectionary on the lectern when proclaiming but it works well when held also.

Consider how you will use your hands. Many readers place their hands on the lectern while reading. If you have prepared to read with some animation, think through your hand gestures carefully.

Announcement Line

The lead-in or announcement line tells the listeners from whom or from where the reading comes, i.e. the prophet Isaiah or the Book of Psalms. Proclaim the announcement line loudly and clearly. You will get the assembly's attention if you start out in a positive, determined manner. You only need to include the title of the book and chapter in the announcement line, not the verses. For example, “A reading from Genesis, the fourth chapter.”

And always pause……………. for a few healthy seconds after the line is read. This will give the assembly a chance to place the prophet, era or Biblical location in their minds and ready them to actively listen to the passage.

Eye Contact

You may be doing everything else right - proper pace, effective pausing, speaking in a clear, engaging manner and so on, but if you do not look at your listeners, you will not connect with them.

Consider some of the best times to look directly at your assembly:

            • when you first get to the lectern

            • when you proclaim the announcement line

            • at the end of a sentence

            • during key words or phrases

            • when changing gears (e.g. changes in mood, time, place, character, relationship, etc.)

            • just before the closing line (i.e. "The Word of the Lord" or "Word of God, Word of life.")

            • during and after the closing line.

Pronunciation

There are basic pronunciation guides available that phonetically spell out the pronunciations of the Biblical names of people and places. For instance, Barrabus may be listed as buh-RAB-us or Capernaum as kuh-PER-num.  Here is an on-line version: http://www.ecraustin.org/biblicalnameguide.pdf

The congregation will appreciate your smooth handling of difficult words. On the other hand, lack of preparation is never as obvious as the lector who comes to a difficult word, stops and then stumbles through it. This can be easily avoided with careful attention to detail in advance and practice! 

Enunciation

Enunciation is different from pronunciation. The latter involves using the tongue, lips and teeth to phonetically make the correct sounds of a word. Enunciation means that the speaker clearly articulates all the sounds that make up the word. For instance, a common mistake in enunciation is to drop the "d" or "t" sound from the end of a word. This is a dangerous practice in proclaiming because very often, it is precisely the inclusion of the "d" or "t" that separates one word from another. For instance, "mend" has a totally different meaning than "men". Likewise "sent" without a clearly enunciated "t" might be interpreted by listeners as "sin". 

Rate

What do you think are the two biggest complaints about lectors' performance? You probably guessed at least one of them if not both. One is rate and the other is volume, i.e. "They read too fast" and "I can't hear them."

Rate refers to how quickly or slowly one speaks. (It does not mean how much time one takes between thoughts or phrases; that's pausing.)

The best rate for a particular passage depends on the content of the reading but as a general rule, lectors should proclaim at one-half their normal speaking voice. That's right, one-half.

Slowing down accomplishes several things. First of all, people do not listen as fast as you may speak. People need time to digest what you are saying to them. Unless you slow down, they may not be able to keep up and will simply tune out. At that point, you've lost them and all that practice and preparation would have been for naught.

Secondly, slowing down helps achieve clearer pronunciation and enunciation. 

Very importantly, slowing down brings an added dimension of power to the reading. Try it and see the difference for yourself.  

Volume

The other of the two most common criticisms that listeners have of lectors is they cannot be heard. (The other one is reading too fast.) Sometimes, the problem is equipment-related but more often than not, it has to do with the lector's ability to project, voice quality and/or their use of the microphone. 

Not all lectors or aspiring proclaimers have the ability to create effective volume. Some have small or naturally soft voices; others do not breathe correctly and still others may not realize that the volume they hear in their own voice at the lectern is not nearly as loud beyond the first few pews as they may think. 

The key to projecting effectively is

            • proper breathing

            • a natural gift of volume

            • correct microphone usage

            • confidence.

Microphone Usage

It is crucial to find just the right spot or zone that will enable you to maximize your volume without creating explosive or popping sounds. These distracting and unwelcome noises occur most often on "p" and "t" sounds and are created by speaking too closely to the head of the microphone. The rush of air that comes from your mouth on these consonants (and others as well) generates a strong force of air that is magnified unpleasantly through the sensitive head of the mike. 

This can be easily avoided by positioning the microphone head a little above your mouth (nose level) or a little below (chin level) so the rush of air goes above or below the head.

Chin level is preferred to nose level because the microphone may block the view of your face and facial expressions are an important component of proclaiming, but ultimately, you have to go with the mike position that best projects your voice. 

Pausing

Silence is golden, at least in the right spots, and the proper use of pausing is essential to effective proclaiming. This is the one tool that eludes many a lector.

Let's consider some obvious places to use the pause:

            • to provide a segue when the reading is changing direction

            • to allow listeners to absorb an important point

            • to provide space between multiple thoughts in the same sentence

            • to take a breath

            • before and after quotes to offset the quote from the character or narrator

            • after the announcement line "A Reading from."

            • before the closing line, "The Word of the Lord"

Please keep in mind that pauses used too frequently within a sentence or paragraph will create a choppy effect. Strive for smoothness and fluidity. Pauses that interrupt a phrase or grouping of words in the wrong places can change the meaning or intended feeling. Pauses that are too long or too frequent can kill the pace of the reading and create drag.

Coaching and practice will help you recognize and overcome these challenges. 

"The Word of the Lord" or “Word of God, Word of life.”

The closing line is actually the most important line in every reading because it reminds us that God is speaking directly to us. God may be using a human voice but the words and the message are the Lord. Take care with this line. Speak it loudly and clearly. Please do not hurry through it or mutter it as an afterthought. As with the announcement line, separate it from the body of the reading with a strong, healthy pause—three to four seconds. Look the assembly in the eye when you proclaim the ending; do not rush away. Give its significance time to sink in. After all, this message that you proclaimed is directly from God. It should leave them with a sense of awe.

Action Words

When proclaiming, it should always be your goal to bring the Word to life. In order to do this, you should among other things, take advantage of action words. Action words have inherent life because people can generally envision the actions indicated. However, action words will remain dormant if you gloss over them, mumble or rush past them. Let's give them the attention they deserve.

Some words may require increased energy or force, others gentility or quietness; some may be drawn out, others hastened. Remember, action words are verbs (but not all verbs are action words and not all verbs are worthy of emphasis). Try to find those words that will help paint a picture for your readers. Underline the key words and consider how you might emphasize them to help bring the passage to life. Be careful though not to overreach in your attempt to add color. Otherwise, you may appear theatrical or insincere and that would be distracting for the listener. Also, be selective in what you emphasize; if you choose everything to stress, the result is that nothing is stressed. 

Listener Appreciation

Do not underestimate the congregation's appreciation of the lector who thoroughly and meticulously prepares his or her reading. They know that you have done this for them and they will be glad in their hearts though they may not actually tell you or thank you personally.

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The above is adapted from http://www.greatlectors.com/proclaimingtips.html