The book suffers somewhat from Stanley's immature writing style, but is redeemed by brevity and decent organization. There are no gratuitous charts or graphs, because the parables speak for themselves. Visual aids would be totally unnecessary in Communicating for a Change, and would clutter its pages. What Communicating for a Change lacks in scientific methodology, it makes up for in droves of personal experience and experiential wisdom.
Divided into two parts, Communicating for a Change organizes content into theory and practice. Thus, the authors do not stop at the storytelling. The main premise of the book is that there are seven imperatives to effective communication. The first part of the book outlines the reasoning behind the "imperatives" and their basic ideas. The second part of the book presents the practical methods by which readers can...
Even abstract ideas such as how to engage an audience are presented with practical advice.
Communicating for a Change is solidly Christian. The authors do note that the communication "imperatives" can be applied to any interaction, but the tools are explained in terms of delivering the message of God. Although decidedly narrow in focus, the book is nevertheless accessible. Christian readers will appreciate the imperatives even without being called to preach, and I would recommend the book to anyone with an evangelical spark. Communicating for a Change would benefit from some references to external sources related to communication, such as to the classical theories of rhetoric. At the same time, the anecdotal and informal format of Communicating for a Change makes the book a worthwhile addition to any Christian library.