T. D. Jakes and Frank Thomas. Don’t Drop the Mic. Faith Words, 2021.

We have reviewed another book by Rev. Jakes here, so we will not provide any background to his ministry here. We can say with assurance, though, that this book is very different.

I am not sure exactly when the diminutive for microphone changed its spelling. For example, the autobiography of popular sportscaster Curt Gowdy was called Cowboy at the Mike. That is more phonetic, certainly. Nowadays, I guess, we write mic even though one might be tempted to say “mick.”

Now that I have that out of the way, Don’t Drop the Mic is a very good primer on public speaking. Towards the end, it focuses on preaching more, but even then, most of what Jakes and Thomas present are helpful for anyone doing public speaking.

Through most of the book, Jakes intersperses his instruction with stories and examples. Until the end, most of the examples are from public figures, not preachers or Christians. He speaks of Denzel Washington, President Obama, and someone called Oprah a number of times. We can learn from each of them.

He understands nervousness, that surveys have shown people are more afraid of public speaking than creepy animals or even dying. Jakes confesses he hates spiders more. The title is typical of his sense of humor. Even here, though, he says, there is a time to drop the mic, namely, when you have said all you need to say. In other words, don’t keep talking unless your are filibustering.

Jakes stresses the importance of understanding your audience. It is important to make a connection with the people you are speaking to. Jakes devotes some time talking of the recent Black Lives Matter movement. In describing his own experience and observations, readers who are not black may get a better sense of what it means to African Americans. He notes that one of the strengths of Jesus’ public ministry was that he understood the people he was sharing his work with.

He also notes how important it is to have what he calls joints. Not only should a good speaker connect with his or her audience, but the parts of the delivery must connect with one another. When I teach something similar to my students in writing classes I share a little poem I learned that makes no connections.

       Roses are red,
       Violets are blue.
       I like peanut butter.
       Can you swim?

It’s funny, but only because it is nonsense. Unless you are doing a comic routine, you do not want to come across as sharing nonsense.

He devotes chapters to body language and pauses as well. Perhaps the greatest strength of this book is that it covers the whole presentation, not just the content. That includes the character of the speaker. Jakes provides examples from personal experiences to illustrate but also to reveal things about his own character. The reader gets a sense that this man can be trusted—certainly when he writes of public speaking.

Jakes also shares something that many people seem to miss or not understand. He tells us that many of his books and articles are based on sermons or sermon series. Even his movies originated with sermons he preached. He explains that writing is significantly different from public speaking. Writing has to be grammatically sound and cannot depend on pauses, vocal stresses, and things like that. Many times we speak in sentence fragments and run-on sentences, but those can be hard to understand when reading.

The co-author, Dr. Thomas, is a seminary professor. He encouraged Jakes to write this book, to share what he has learned about public speaking and preaching. The last few chapters are attributed to Dr. Thomas. These are more specifically about preaching, but even these have examples and illustrations useful to everyone.

Will Don’t Drop the Mic replace the books by Dale Carnegie? Perhaps not, but it certainly makes a good supplement. This reviewer has been teaching for years, but this book made me consider or reconsider some of the things that I do.

One incident Jakes describes really stands out. He was asked to share with an organization that provided help to people but was looking for ways to involve more minorities. A white friend came with him to the meetings. His friend got really angry at the condescending manner which they treated Jakes. Jakes told him that it was not unusual for him as a black American. From my experience, I might add that such condescension can apply to Pentecostal Christians (which is what Jakes is) regardless of skin color.

Yes, there is a lot in Don’t Drop the Mic about public speaking. There are humorous parts. But there are also some things that may get all readers thinking. What is in our hearts? What comes through when we communicate?