Communicating to Middle Schoolers: A Guide to Developing and Delivering Messages That Stick

by Ashley Bohinc

If you've ever stood on a stage while a middle schooler pulled a pickle out of his sock during your talk, or pretended to be a snake, slithering through the rows of chairs as you spoke, or would simply not stop talking to others around them, then you know how difficult it can be to communicate both in a way this group understands and keeps their attention.   But difficult doesn't mean impossible. After nearly 20 years of teaching middle schoolers, Ashley Bohinc shares the unique mix of ART and SCIENCE that has helped her keep the attention of thousands in this in-between phase of life. Communicating to Middle Schoolers will help With practical strategies and tips you can start using this week, Communicating to Middle Schoolers will help you connect with your students on stage, in the classroom, and anywhere else you might find yourself developing and delivering messages to preteens and junior high students. _____ "After 40 years of communicating to middle schoolers―sometimes from a stage, weekly in my small group―I'm still learning.… This book reminded me of core essentials and pushed me to experiment with approaches that are new to me." ―MARK OESTREICHER, The Youth Cartel "There are few things in ministry that get me more excited, and more nervous, than speaking to middle schoolers… Read this book, take notes, and prayerfully insert some of your learnings the next time you prepare a lesson for young teens… you'll be glad you did!" ―KURT JOHNSTON, Saddleback Church "Communicating to Middle Schoolers gives vision on why this content matters, and it also provides practical application on how to get it done in ways that are fun and engaging… Every middle school speaker needs to read this book!" ―MEGAN BAGNALL, Willow Creek Community Church

268 pages, Paperback

Published May 19, 2022

Reviews

[Devon O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm an aspiring Middle School Principal and, while this book seems to be primarily aimed toward Middle School Youth Pastors, there is still good information about how middle school students are different from elementary school or high school students and how to develop strong teacher teams. I didn't find the totality of the book to be very helpful toward my goal, but there were a few high-quality nuggets I was able to glean from each of the sections.

[William Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredibly useful, not particularly good writing in a mechanical sense (I know that’s not the point at all, but it slightly bugged me). If you can get past that, I learned so much from this book. 10/10 would recommend

[Derek Griffon · Rating 5 out of 5]

EAT. THIS. BOOK.
I’ve been speaking for a long time and I bled on this book with highlighters.

Ashley takes you swimming through science and strategy. Experience and hilarious things middle schoolers will do inevitably during your talk. And practical ways to improve this art form. I think it was @iamstuarthall who said “If you read this book and apply it you will be a Jedi in speaking to middle schoolers.”

Even if you speak to both Hs and Ms weekly or at events as I do, it’ll still rock your speaking world.

EAT. THIS. BOOK.

“When it comes to communicating to middle schoolers, it’s not about watering it down (making something weak or less effective), or dumbing it down (lowering the level of difficulty or intelligence), it’s about BREAKING DOWN THE MESSAGE, (which separates something into smaller parts). Breaking the abstract concepts into smaller pieces helps them digest it.”

[Rae McNeal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very helpful if you run a large ministry to middle schoolers and you’re getting up in front of a large group of middle schoolers to speak. My context is much smaller, so our devotional time is a lot more hands on and discussion based. That being said the first two chapters were very helpful reminders and motivated me to step back and rethink how I’m engaging middle schoolers. I’ve been doing this a long time, so a little change would be good for my context.

[Caleb Garnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was funny, relatable, and super practical. I didn't feel so alone after reading it and realized that we are all in the same boat in student ministry. I would absolutely reccomend this book to anyone who wants to get better at teaching to students.

[Jaclyn Hampsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super practical and really helpful tips on preaching to middle schoolers!

[Erica Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good tips but not the best read