Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount with what we call the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-10). Notice how each Beatitude follows the same structure: “Blessed are…, for they (or theirs)….” Using a structure repetitively helps the listener to remember the message.
Repetition is essential to teaching because most people do not usually retain in their long term memory what they hear the first time they hear it. The more often they hear it, the more likely they are to retain it, which means that as a teacher you should teach on important subjects more than once. However, too much repetition within the same message gets boring and even distracting. This is why Jesus did not use the same structure throughout the Sermon.
Repeating the same structure is one way to help the listener to remember the message. In succeeding “Tips,” I will show you some other ways to repeat information without boring your audience.