Robert Fergusson – Storyteller

Written By: Michael D. McClellan |

Psst. Robert Fergusson has a story to tell. The sought-after speaker and Hillsong teaching pastor was once considered such a poor communicator that a school essay was selected as one of the worst-written essays in a century. Thankfully for the rest of us, the talented Fergusson has thick skin and isn’t easily deterred. His new book, Are You Getting This?, is much more than a practical guide to understanding the age-old practice of storytelling. It’s also a roadmap that helps public speakers overcome the fear of standing in front of an audience and making that critical connection.

Far more than simply a primer for preachers and teachers, Are You Getting This? is an effective tool for everyone, from business leaders who want to learn how to communicate effectively with their team; to parents who want to know how and why they should tell stories to their children. Fergusson not only pours a lifetime of experience into this book, he does so in a way that connects with the reader from the jump, offering us a standout read. Fergusson shows us that a story is more than just a story, it’s an instantly recognized vehicle through which we pass on wisdom. He gets that fear is real, and that it takes fire and passion to overcome it. He helps us understand that stories are the perfect way to find common ground, the conduit through which we can reach our audience. Lessons shared from a life spent serving, all of it beautifully told, the perfect read for anyone who seeks to understand what it means to truly communicate.

Spend any time at all with Robert Fergusson, whether that’s listening to one of his sermons or chatting with him about his new book, and you instantly realize that he’s the real deal; someone who genuinely cares and who effortlessly connects, the kind of person who draws you in and takes you along for the ride.

English by birth, Australian by choice and European by taste, Fergusson has been a part of the Hillsong mega-church for more than 30 years, during which time he has seen incredible growth on a global scale. With the COVID pandemic gripping every corner of the world, 2020 has accelerated the use of virtual-meeting technology in ways both captivating and unexpected. Hillsong College, like all other colleges and universities, has had to adapt to the ‘new normal,’ and Fergusson’s lectures are just as engaging online as they are in person. Great stories transcend platforms. Great storytellers transcend time. Robert Fergusson has both bases covered, and a book that can help you achieve the same.

“Wherever you find yourself in life, I believe this book is going to encourage, instruct, and inform you about how you can fulfill your life’s purpose,” says Fergusson. “I hope the lessons I’ve learned along the way can help you on your journey to rediscover a love for learning and teaching, the importance of impartation, and the eternal truths found in the greatest story ever told.”

Are You Getting This? is available online now at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, SHOUT! Publishing, and other booksellers.

Let’s talk about the book. I love the title.

The title is interesting, because I am a teacher. When I get up to speak, I am so passionate about people getting an idea that I constantly say, “Are you getting this?” And, many years ago a friend said, “If you ever write a book on communication, you should call it, ‘Are You Getting This?’ So, that’s exactly what I’ve done. It’s become my catchphrase. I’m very passionate about communication, and I think that all of us in some form or another are involved in public speaking. My own journey is that I was a terrible public speaker when I was a child. So I’ve had to learn, and I wanted to pass on some of those ideas that have help me along the way. That was my motivation for writing this book.

Fear of speaking in public is almost universal. It can be a traumatic experience.

It can certainly be terrifying, but I’m living proof that it doesn’t have to be. I was brought up in England with no passion or desire to be a teacher or a communicator. When I was in school I was told that I was stupid, lazy, and disappointing. You must understand, I went to the sort of school that didn’t hold back on its school report. In fact, I still have a school report saying that this boy cannot express himself. So, every time that my parents received my report, it was a disappointment, especially in the area of public speaking. Well, I returned to that school after many years and learned that they had put together a centenary magazine, in which my geography essay from 1966 had been published as the worst piece of writing in 100 years of the school’s history [laughs]. Thankfully, they didn’t put my name at the bottom, just my initials!

Robert Fergusson

How did storytelling help you overcome your fear?

The idea of being involved in public speaking was totally alien to me. I was later studying zoology at university when I became a believer in Christ, and it became evident that I was going to end up in some sort of ministry position. Clearly, I had to learn to speak, and storytelling was one of the ways that I overcame some of my nerves. Think about it: When you’re talking about stories – I would often write stories about animals – there is almost always a natural connection with the audience. Because there’s such an emotional connection, stories became my normal way of communicating. It’s really developed from there. I’ve now been a speaker for 46 years, the last 30 of those in Australia, and stories have become more and more central to the way that I communicate.

You call this book your redemptive story.

I love redemptive stories that start with the hero or a heroine who is flawed, or who is maybe going in the wrong direction, or who is going through some process, challenge, or test. Then there’s a turning point or a redemptive moment where they fulfill their goal, and, in a sense, it all ends happily ever after. I know that is a bit of a cliché, but there is something about that arc that is very satisfying. The theme of the book is very much a redemptive story.

There are some lighter moments in the book as well.

In storytelling, they say the difference between a comedy and a tragedy is how the hero or heroine engages with the dark power in the middle of the story. I think that is what all of us have to deal with, regardless of the situation. We have to engage with the challenges that will either turn us into a tragedy or a comedy. I prefer comedies.

When did you start writing the book?

This has been a long journey. People often say, “How long does it take to write a sermon?” When I’m being pedantic, I may say seven hours, but in reality it has taken over 60 years. The book is been a long journey. I’ve been teaching on preaching and communication for the last 30 years in our college here, so there has always been the seed of a book. This one has probably developed over a 10-year period. One goal I had was that I didn’t want to put out a little book on my own, I really wanted the book to serve as one of the church’s resources. Because I wanted the church to be the backer and publisher of the book, in a sense I was happy to wait until what I felt was the right time.

Robert Fergusson

Is there a particular story from the book that you wouldn’t mind sharing?

There’s a chapter in this book called Fire Overcomes Fear. The basic principle is that, if you have a passion that is greater than your fear, then you can overcome that fear. I use the illustration that, if you were a mother and you were terrified of snakes, but you had to step over a snake to get to your child, you would do that without hesitation. Why? Because your love for your child is greater than your fear of snakes.

So, when I’m teaching, I try to find people’s fire. There’s a great verse in the Bible that has been a real help to me. In Jeremiah, 20:9, it reads, “If I say, ‘I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire and I cannot contain it.” I try to encourage people. I look for their anger, I look for their passion. If you can get that, then your background doesn’t matter. Your story doesn’t matter. Your lack of talent doesn’t matter. If you can tap into that, then you can be an effective communicator.

You’ve been with Hillsong Church for about 30 years, so you’ve seen its explosive growth into a mega-church. How did you start out?

It’s an interesting story. Brian Houston, who is the senior pastor of at Hillsong Church, visited England back in the 1980s, and was speaking at the church in which I was a minister. At the end of a group meeting I went up to him and said, “Is anyone looking after you for lunch?” It turns out that he didn’t have plans, so I invited him to join me for lunch. I had absolutely no agenda or expectations. I just simply invited a visiting speaker to lunch. I often say that a simple decision, or an act of hospitality, can completely and utterly change your destiny. This was certainly the case here, because a number of years later his father invited me to Australia. At the time, Hillsong Church was actually two centers, or as you might say, two local churches – one located in the city, and one farther west. Then, in 1999, the two came together and became Hillsong Church. The rest is history. Those two centers became campuses, and, suddenly, there was extraordinary growth and influence. It has been a wild ride. People often come to us from different parts of the world and say, “What’s the secret?” We just say, “It’s through the grace of God,” because there is no secret. For some reason, God decided to use a very simple church in Australia to impact millions of people. It is an extraordinary thing.

Hillsong Church is a church without borders. How has Hillsong managed through the coronavirus pandemic?

You can either see threats as dangers or opportunities. Our pastor, Brian Houston, saw this global pandemic as an opportunity to go online and reach more people. Of course this involved huge challenges – we operate a college and many of our students had to go home, and almost everything that the college offered had to transition to being fully online. Suddenly, people from all over the world are saying, “Well, I don’t have to move to Australia to go to Hillsong College, I can attend it from anywhere.”

There are so many examples. I was talking to our pastor in Sweden recently, and because of the lockdown he has had to make some adjustments to the services offered there. Now they are only allowed to meet in small groups. So, instead of having two or three big services, he has started hosting micro-services all across Sweden. Last weekend he had 67 micro-services, many of which were in towns that he had no contact with before. Technology has given us greater reach, greater influence, and greater opportunity.

Robert Fergusson

Do you consider yourself a born teacher?

That’s a really interesting question. I’ve always loved teaching. My children used to say, “If you ask dad to tell you the time, he would tell you how to make the watch.” There’s something about the desire to pass on information that is deep inside me. I think my mother gave me that. She was immensely curious. People say, “Who is the great heroine in life?” I always say that it’s my mother, in large part because she gave me the gift of curiosity. To be honest, I’ve never seen myself as a great preacher, or a great teacher, or even a great storyteller. I think the fact that I struggled in school has actually helped me to become a better coach. I know what it’s like to not get something – hence, the name of the book, Are You Getting This?  I understand the steps that you need to take to get from one place to another. I know how to get the best out of people.

What is your philosophy when it comes to writing?

They say that poetry is the best words in the best order. If you look at someone like Winston Churchill, who was a great orator, you could see that he chose the exact words that would fit that exact situation. When he became Prime Minister during World War II, he could have said, “I’m really committed to working hard. I’m going to do my very best. I’m very committed to the cause.” Instead he said, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” As soon as you hear it, you realize that those are the right words in the right order. Nothing wasted. That is my philosophy.

Final Question: If you had one piece of advice for others what would that be?

Well, it’s almost impossible to give one piece of advice apart from the grace of God, which is foundational. But I say to people, keep doing the right thing. I think the right thing is often the wise thing, the good thing, the loving thing. If you keep doing the right thing, then sooner or later you’re going to be given that opportunity. I might not be the best preacher in the world, but here I am, at Hillsong Church. I just kept turning up, and kept doing the right thing.

Michael McClellan
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