The human brain is wired to crave novelty. Long before smartphones and streaming platforms competed for our attention, God designed our minds to scan the environment for anything new, surprising or out of place. It was a survival instinct: anything unusual might signal danger … or opportunity. That wiring never went away. Today, novelty still triggers a powerful cocktail of neural responses — most notably dopamine, the brain’s reward chemical. We often associate dopamine with pleasure, but its real power is anticipation. It motivates us to lean in, pay attention, and look for what might happen next.
This is why breaking patterns gets our attention. When something deviates from the expected — an unexpected twist, a surprising statistic, a visual interruption — the brain snaps to attention.
But here’s the key: novelty isn’t about being gimmicky. It’s about breaking predictable patterns long enough for people to notice what truly matters. Jesus did this constantly — teaching with parables, flipping expectations and reframing familiar ideas in ways that startled His audience into fresh understanding.
Harnessing novelty
1. Break the expected pattern early — Audiences decide in seconds whether to keep listening. A surprising opening — a counterintuitive statement, a brief story or a bold visual — signals, “This is different. Pay attention.”
Instead of: “Today I want to talk about faith.”
Try: “Faith and fear have the same starting line — imagination.”
2. Use unfamiliar connections — The brain loves when two unrelated ideas suddenly fit together. That moment of insight releases dopamine and locks the message in long-term memory.
Examples:
• Comparing leadership to jazz improvisation
• Connecting a biblical story to a current cultural moment
• Using an unexpected scientific or historical analogy
These “mental bridges” activate curiosity and deepen engagement.
3. Introduce micro-surprises throughout — Too many communicators place all their creativity in the introduction. But the brain habituates quickly. Sprinkle small moments of novelty every few minutes:
• A statistic that contradicts assumptions
• A shift in pacing or tone
• A prop, image, or unexpected question
• A story that takes a surprising turn
These reset attention and keep your audience neurologically “awake.”
4. Use visual novelty wisely — A single unexpected visual — especially in a sermon or presentation — can highlight a point far better than another paragraph of explanation. But the novelty must serve the message, not distract from it.
5. Surprise with simplicity — In a culture overloaded with complexity, one of the most powerful forms of novelty is clarity. A simple phrase, clean graphic or distilled takeaway stands out because it cuts against the noisy norm.
6. Reframe familiar Scripture — Preachers especially benefit from novelty because congregations often think they already know a passage. When you reframe a familiar story — bringing out a cultural detail, an overlooked character or a new application — it reawakens attention. You’re not changing truth; you’re refreshing vision.
The Goal: Attention in service of transformation
Novelty is not about entertainment. It’s about attention — and attention is the gateway to influence. If your audience isn’t engaged, they’re not being shaped. Novelty helps reopen the heart and mind so that truth can take root.
Jesus didn’t use parables to be clever. He used them because fresh forms help timeless truths land with power.
For communicators today, the principle is the same:
Break the pattern. Engage the brain. And point the audience toward what matters most.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Christian media expert Phil Cooke and originally published by philcooke.com.
