Understanding Your Sermon Feedback
Learn what each of the 7 feedback categories means and how to dismiss, rate, and chat with individual annotations.
After your sermon analysis completes, you land on a two-panel view: your sermon text on the left with colored highlights, and an annotation sidebar on the right. Each highlight is a specific piece of feedback tied to an exact passage in your sermon.
What You'll Learn
- What the 7 feedback categories mean
- How to navigate and filter annotations
- How to dismiss, rate, and follow up on individual annotations
The 7 Feedback Categories
Every annotation belongs to one of these categories. Each is color-coded so you can spot them at a glance in both the text and the sidebar.
| Category | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Structure | Flow, transitions, intro and conclusion strength, logical progression |
| Theology | Scripture usage, exegetical accuracy, cross-references within your tradition |
| Illustration | Gaps where a story or analogy would strengthen a point; clichéd illustrations |
| Quote | Places where a supporting quote would help — always includes author and source |
| Engagement | Application points, calls to action, moments where you talk at vs. with the congregation |
| Clarity | Wordy sections, unexplained jargon, confusing structure; also flags potential privacy concerns marked with "Privacy:" |
| Delivery | Pacing, emphasis, dense sections, audience interaction points; estimated speaking time for manuscripts |
Annotations also carry a severity level:
- Suggestion — nice to have
- Consideration — worth thinking about
- Strong Recommendation — significantly impacts sermon effectiveness
Step-by-Step
Read the overall summary
At the top of the session view, a 3-4 sentence summary describes overall strengths and key improvement areas. For manuscript submissions, it includes an estimated speaking time based on your word count.
Highlighted text on the left connects to sidebar annotations on the right Click an annotation to open it
Click any colored highlight in the text, or click an item in the sidebar, to open the annotation detail. The selected annotation glows with an orange outline in the text and is highlighted in the sidebar.
Each annotation includes a title, explanation, and a concrete suggestion Inside the popover you will see:
- A title summarizing the issue
- Feedback — a 2-4 sentence explanation
- A Suggestion — specific alternative text or concrete advice (when applicable)
Filter by category
Use the category chips at the top of the sidebar to show only annotations in a particular category. Click a chip again to deselect it. The progress bar above tracks how many annotations you have reviewed.
Filter to a single category to work through one area at a time Rate or dismiss annotations
Inside each annotation popover, you have three options:
- Thumbs up — mark this feedback as helpful. It stays visible but is counted as reviewed.
- Thumbs down — mark it as not helpful. Also counted as reviewed.
- Dismiss — hide the annotation from the text and sidebar. Useful for feedback you have already acted on or disagree with.
Ask a follow-up question
Each session includes a limited number of follow-up conversations. Inside an annotation, type a question in the chat box — for example, "Can you give me a different illustration that fits a Baptist congregation?" — and PreachKit will respond in context.
Your remaining follow-ups are shown in the toolbar at the top of the page.
Start with Strong Recommendation annotations — you can filter by severity using the sidebar. Address those first, then work through Considerations and Suggestions at your own pace.
"Privacy:" annotations under the Clarity category flag places where a personal story might identify someone in your congregation. They are always framed gently and include suggestions for how to generalize the illustration while keeping its impact.
Common Questions
Can I switch to Edit mode to fix things directly? Yes. Use the Edit button in the top toolbar to enable editing in the text area. Switch back to Review mode at any time — your annotations stay in place.
What if I disagree with a Quote suggestion? Always verify quotes and their sources before using them in a sermon. PreachKit includes a note reminding you to check attribution. If you're unsure, dismiss the annotation.
Do dismissed annotations disappear permanently? They are hidden from the active view but remain in your session. Exporting with annotations will not include dismissed ones.
What's Next?
When you are ready to take your feedback into your word processor, see /guide/sermon-polish/exporting-feedback.