Chapter 7: Mixed Signals
Leading With Non-Verbal Communication
By now you’ve discovered that leading worship is so much more than playing and
singing songs. That’s a concert - anyone can do that. Leading worship is a real-time
multi-task of hearing and knowing what God wants to do in and through His people,
translating that into music, directing a band, two-way communication with the
congregation, on the fly musical rearranging, more band direction, reading directional
queues from tech team/director/pastor/etc - all while being fully present in the moment
- and looking like you’re actually enjoying yourself. For the non-multi-tasker, it can
hinge on overwhelming.
Stage Presence
The great dichotomy of leading worship is that it is simultaneously both a performance
and not a performance. The state of a worship leader’s heart, rooted in humility, is one
of sacrificial service that pleads, “don’t look at me - look at God”. The concurrent reality
however, is that you’re up front - on stage and people are looking to you for leadership.
You don’t have the luxury of hiding behind a curtain - which would, in fact, be
disastrous. People need to be led. Here are some practical tips to leading and engaging
with people in worship.
1. Keep your eyes on the prize. Make eye contact with the people you are leading. Few
things can be more alienating to a congregation than a worship leader with closed
eyes. You’re off sprinting to the throne room and you’ve left them behind and they
know it. Eye contact lets them know that you’re still with them. Additionally, eye
contact allows you to scan and read the room - which gives you context to what God is
wanting to do in the room.
2. Memorize. When possible, memorize the music and lyrics of all the songs in your set.
This enables you to keep eye contact with people, removes potential visual barriers
such as music stands, and frees you to focus on other concurrent tasks. If you have
lyric screens or monitors - use them for reference - not for reading.
3. Smile. If you’re happy and you know it then your face will surely show it. Beware of
’constipation’ face - trust me, everyone feels your pain. Ease it.
4. Dance monkey, dance! Ok, not really - but people are looking for visual queues as to
what is permissible or expected of them. You set the tone and lead the way for that.
Clapping, hand-raising, movement, kneeling, posture, dancing. Know your context
and lead the way accordingly.
Team Communication
More than likely, your band and singers are all facing the same direction as you
(forward), putting the band out of your direct line of sight. With on-the-fly musical
adjustments and your mouth filled with microphone, how do you communicate changes
to your team?
Define signals. Some of these examples will seem silly - but use them as a reference to
get you thinking of ways to communicate non-verbally:
1. Hand Signals. If you have your hands available, you could try or modify some of the
following signals:
a. Closed fist = End the song
b. Swirling finger in the air = Repeat current section of the song• ‘V’ behind the back
(like a peace sign) = Go to verse
c. ‘C’ behind the back (like you’re holding a drink) = Go to chorus
d. Shaky side hand (like you’re panning for gold) = Build musically (crescendo)
2. Foot Signals. If your hands are occupied with an instrument (such as a guitar) you
could try:
a. Stomping a foot = Build musically
b. Leg lift (like snapping your heel while being kissed) = Bring down (decrescendo)
c. Tip Toes = End song
3. Body Gestures.
a. Lean back = End song or cut back musically
b. Tilt and lift guitar neck toward drummer = End song
c. Drop guitar neck = last note/chord
d. Pump guitar neck = end with ritard in sync with neck pump
4. Head Signals.
a. Rhythm nod = set song tempo
b. Big up and down nod = defines the start or end of a section of the song
c. Sideways head turn = watch for the next signal - it’s coming….. now
d. Sound booth nod = next lyric slide
5. Verbal Cue. Say or sing the first word or two of the section you want to go to.
Remember to time the signals appropriately. Too close to the change, and your team
might not all make it there in time. Too early, and you may have folks jumping in to
changes prematurely. It may benefit you to identify a point-person on your team -
someone without a microphone that can read your signals and properly translate and
communicate them to the rest of the team.
Alternate methods for those with in-ear monitors:
1. Talk-back mic. This mic is muted in the house and only your players can hear it. Use
your point-person to give instruction in the background thoughout the song/set.
“Chorus”, “Build”, “Verse 2”, etc.
2.If you play along with pre-recorded click tracks or loops, you could also add such
instructions to the recording.