Driving on Ice,
Riding the Wind
Pastor Wintley Phipps sings, speaks and lives the power of transformation.
By Jake Poinier
He may have been born in the tropical climes of Trinidad and Tobago, but Wintley Phipps chooses a metaphor for professional speak-
ing that’s more indicative of his childhood in
Montreal. “I’ve been addressing conferences, corpo-
rations and churches on a weekly basis for 35 years,
and I can say unequivocally that it’s like learning to
drive on ice,” says the long-time minister and two-
time Grammy Award-nominated gospel vocalist. “You
can read all the books, you can study the craft from
a technical perspective, but it is only when you are
out there on the ice that you really learn the nuances
necessary for success. Because there’s no way to learn
how to drive on ice except for driving on ice.”
While many speakers battle the staleness that can
come from delivering a similar speech topic to new
audiences, as a pastor, Phipps notes that speaking to
the same group of people on a regular basis pres-
ents its own set of challenges. “To move to another
level of development, another level of driving on
ice, there are strategies you have to acquire that you
don’t need for a stump speech,” he says. “Keeping
it fresh is a different mandate, because that usually
means keeping it fresh for you, so that you’re still
excited about it.”
Phipps describes his methodology as incorpo-
rating three components: 1) a lot of reading and
studying, 2) a lot of thinking and processing of
thoughts, and 3) a lot of praying. “There are people
who think that they’re the only source of new ideas
and new perspectives,” he says. “To me, there’s a
spiritual component and, if you’re open to it, you’ll
hear thoughts that are greater than your own intel-
lect and greater than your own genius. Sometimes,
your thoughts are so profound that you dare not
take credit for them yourself.”
Hitting the High Notes
Because he incorporates singing as well as speaking, Phipps describes himself as a full-service
communicator. In fact, he starts most of his performances with one of the several hundreds of songs
in his repertoire, tailoring his choice to the audience and message he is trying to deliver.” It brings
the mind and heart to attention,” he says—
tailoring his choice to the audience and message he’s
trying to deliver.
He generally sings with accompaniment, but
his true love is being backed by an orchestra. “It’s
the difference between driving a Ford Focus and a
Bentley,” he says.
“Singing is the most powerful way of impressing
the mind with a thought or an idea—even more than
speaking or an impactful story,” he adds. “You get
the whole message. The power of music is being able
to communicate on more than the aural level.”
Phipps’s transcendent talent has provided
an audience with world leaders and every U.S.
President from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama,
including opportunities to sing at several National
Prayer Breakfasts. Many of the interactions have
been in private, a fact that Phipps cherishes. “I’ve
been blessed,” he says. “When you strengthen the
confidence of a person who is touching millions
of peoples’ lives by your words of encourage-
ment, when you say to them something at a critical
moment that they will never forget as long as they
live, that’s a huge deal. That has been very hum-
bling and very enriching.”
Even in such high-flying company, Phipps
maintains his perspective. “I was asked to sing and
speak at a big function where President Clinton
spoke one day, and I had to rush across town
