Help with preparing a talk

[popstop785]

So I offered to give a talk this upcoming Sunday in sacrament and I have never given a talk before... ever. I only offered to do the talk because it is about friendship/missionary work and I have a new found and STRONG testimony about a recent events where I met my new best friend. A friend that came into my life from my asking God for help. This friend has become the most important missionary (though now a missionary) in my life. I prayed and this person was my answer.

So I have a little story to go with the talk... but that is all I have. I have absolutely NO idea how to prepare a talk and I am VERY nervous. Any help to get this ball rolling woudl be greatly appreciated!

[jadams_4040]

So I offered to give a talk this upcoming Sunday in sacrament and I have never given a talk before... ever. I only offered to do the talk because it is about friendship/missionary work and I have a new found and STRONG testimony about a recent events where I met my new best friend. A friend that came into my life from my asking God for help. This friend has become the most important missionary (though now a missionary) in my life. I prayed and this person was my answer.

So I have a little story to go with the talk... but that is all I have. I have absolutely NO idea how to prepare a talk and I am VERY nervous. Any help to get this ball rolling woudl be greatly appreciated!

From my own personal experiance; sincere and heartfelt continual prayer and worthiness is the only way.:)

[popstop785]

Believe me I am doing that as well. I wanted a reason to share my story anyways and was prying for it. then I came across this opportunity to do so.

I just am lacking on how to set it up. I would like to add some scripture reference but my scripture skills are not the best and I am only on 2nd Nephi right now :S

Is there like a talk outline that I could build off of somewhere? As long as I can get a basis or structure I will be fine to build off it.

[Prodigal_Son]

While prayer, fasting, and what not all are crucial - here's my methodology.

I treat my talks, my lessons, etc just like an essay.

First, I determine what point I'm trying to convey. Once that's established, I go through any and all material/ideas/etc possible. I choose the things that best support the point I'm trying to make, and discard the rest.

Hope that helps.

[nbblood]

Here's a link to a site on LDS.org that is very helpful. I think personal experiences (such as yours), stories, references to talks from General Authorities, scriptural references, references to hymns, poems, other literature as applicable can all be things to consider.

I like to build an outline and organize my thoughts. Use these tools to fill in what you're trying to say.

Although I very much agree that the spirit and prayer help you to find your direction, I believe that is to the extent that it helps guide your research and work. In other words, diligence and some research work will help you find what you're looking for. Don't pray for a talk to appear double-spaced, 12 font, Times New Roman on your desk in the morning. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that's not going to happen. But asking through prayer and then applying yourself with diligence, you will find what you're looking for.

Use the search function on LDS.org using keywords for your topic. There is a wealth of information on there, including lessons, talks, articles from church publications, etc. etc. That's where I would begin research. But begin first by asking for help and guidance through prayer.

LDS.org - Prepare a Talk

[Vort]

A talk is a testimony. Giving a talk is really not much different from bearing your testimony, except that you have about 15 minutes (if you're an adult -- more like five minutes if you are a teenager) to flesh out your ideas and thoughts. So instead of simply saying, "I know that such-and-such a principle of the gospel is true", you get to tell WHY you know it's true. You can tell of your revelatory experiences if you think it's appropriate to do so. You can illustrate it with some stories from your own life, or stories of friends or family. You can reference and quote from recent (or even old) General Conference talks. Above all, you can teach from the scriptures, citing the teachings, stories, and parables of Christ that best illuminate the topic you're covering.

All other class instruction in our Church is based on discussion. Sacrament meeting talks are one of the few regular times when we offer a lecture, a more or less traditional sermon.

Don't worry about whether your talk is interesting enough. Don't shoot to "fill time". Your job is not to entertain. Your job is to testify. Bear your testimony and talk about what you have learned. That's all you need to worry about.

[Vort]

Here are examples of the type of scriptural stories you might use to illustrate the importance of missionary work.

"The apostle Paul thought missionary work was important. In pursuing his missionary work as an apostle, he reports (in 2 Corinthians 11) that:

Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

The sons of king Mosiah also thought missionary work was very important. After they repented of their wickedness, they "traveled throughout all the land of Zarahemla [where the Nephites lived], and among all the people who were under the reign of king Mosiah, zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, cconfessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them. And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer." (Mosiah 27:35-36) After this, they spent fourteen years doing missionary work among the Lamanites.

God has spoken to us in our day and told us the same thing. In D&C 18:15, he says, "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!"

This has been my experience, too. I prayed to the Father for help, and in answer to my prayer he provided me a great friend who has given me a great missionary opportunity... [Etc., you go on to tell the specifics]

[Misshalfway]

So I offered to give a talk this upcoming Sunday in sacrament

Wait....you volunteered??? Have you lost your mind??

[bytor2112]

I would suggest that you not read a talk.....so boring, unless you are really adept....like some of the GA's at Conference. I typically make some notes with scripture references and/or quotes and use an outline to stay on track and just speak. Try and keep it conversational and fluid....add in your own personal experiences and fill it with your personality. Oh yeah....let the Holy Spirit guide and you will be fine.

[Misshalfway]

Whatever you do....don't start with a hokey joke.

[Moksha]

The best Sacrament talks have an inspirational message that is reinforced by the rest of the material and must include original thought from you.

[bytor2112]

Whatever you do....don't start with a hokey joke.

My son spoke at Priesthood last night and he opened with this hokey joke.

"When President Richardson called and asked me to speak tonight, I felt like a cow walking through some tall grass.......udderly tickled."

[Misshalfway]

My personal favorite is when the speaker asks the congregation to stand up and sit down and then says "Now you can say this talk really moved you".

[popstop785]

Wait....you volunteered??? Have you lost your mind??

Ha ha ha, yeah I suppose I have!

Actually I just have a great message I wanted to share with everyone and I was going to do it via fast Sunday next month. Instead I just transferred to the new ward I am in and I know they are going to ask me to give a talk pretty soon anyways... so I just beat them to it.

And so far I am loving all the helpful responses here! You are all so very helpful and I am extremely grateful! :)

[Guest]

From my public speaking 101 studies, a speaker shouldn't detract focus from the topic at hand to the person speaking. So, making personal comments unrelated to the topic to open a talk may be a good way to "break the ice" but is not appropriate under the circumstance. A lot of times, you hear a speaker say something to the effect, "I am very nervous" or "I didn't really want to talk but the 1st coucilor caught me in the hallway" or "I had a hard time preparing this talk" or "this talk was meant for me"... it brings focus out of the topic into the speaker himself which is not good.

But, at the same time, you also want to make the topic personal to make it "hit closer to home".

A good practice is to start the talk with a personal story that relates to the topic - your experience with your missionary friend would be a great opening. If you read some of Pres. Monson's talks you'll see that he is fond of opening a talk with a personal story. Also, if you read Reader's Digest articles, you'll see this same style prevalent in their articles.

After the story, then you apply this story on a broader scale - to make the lesson relate to everyone. A great way to do this would be to use scripture stories that have a similar grain to your personal story.

Then you state some "lesson learned" and how people can apply the lesson to their lives.

Then you close with your testimony.

Hope this helps.

[Guest mormonmusic]

I like the tips above -- read a lot about missionary work and then write down the parts that resonate with you. Particularly items that make you feel the Spirit or feel really interesting to you. You'll end up with a lot of material, including your own personal experiences. Then, organize it all into some kind of structure that makes sense to you.

Place your second best material first, your thrid best material in the middle, and then end with your best material.

You might want to write it out to clarify your thoughts if you're nervous. Read it over a few times to get the gist of it, and memorize key phrases. But when you give your talk, speak freely from an outline, rather than the actual detailed written version. This will strike a balance between having well-organized ideas, and sounding natural -- as if you're speaking in conversation to your audience.

I speak for a living, by the way, so I've developed scores upon scores of presentations and talks, and it always goes better when I speak from the heart, having built a reservoir of well-thought-out ideas before going live with it. Reading a talk is always a downer because it disconnects you from your audience.

One my best talks, that had everyone rivetted and at certain points, emotional and teary eyed went like this:

Baptism Story

Russell M. Ballard Quotation

Pierre Martin Story

Painter Experience

Steve Coss Experience

Ghandi Quotation.

And that was it. All the details were in my reservoir, with these notes only there to prompt me on the broad structure of the talk.....

By the way, do not do the following:

Start with "When brother so and so asked me to give this talk...." or "when I volunteered to give this talk"

Indicate you're nervous (as someone said above)

Include personal details that are too personal to be shared in a meeting

Make comments that seek to elevate you in the eyes of the audience -- stick to the truth.

Avoid travel and medical experiences, details about your health....

Hope this helps.

Edited November 24, 2009 by mormonmusic

[popstop785]

Here are examples of the type of scriptural stories you might use to illustrate the importance of missionary work.

"The apostle Paul thought missionary work was important. In pursuing his missionary work as an apostle, he reports (in 2 Corinthians 11) that:

Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

The sons of king Mosiah also thought missionary work was very important. After they repented of their wickedness, they "traveled throughout all the land of Zarahemla [where the Nephites lived], and among all the people who were under the reign of king Mosiah, zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, cconfessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them. And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer." (Mosiah 27:35-36) After this, they spent fourteen years doing missionary work among the Lamanites.

God has spoken to us in our day and told us the same thing. In D&C 18:15, he says, "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!"

This has been my experience, too. I prayed to the Father for help, and in answer to my prayer he provided me a great friend who has given me a great missionary opportunity... [Etc., you go on to tell the specifics]

I love 'em! Thank you! :)

[Vort]

I love 'em! Thank you! :)

You're welcome. Those are just two examples off the top of my head. You can find many more, if you like.

[popstop785]

Well I was going to use a story of how I was about to fall from the church again back in August. bad break up, family relations were falling apart, lost a best friend due to my returning to church etc. ( I was about to give up. I wanted/needed help and I didn't know what kind to seek. So I sat down and I prayed with all my heart to the Lord. I told him I was lost, sad, confused, hurt and I needed help. I told Him i didn't know what kind of help I needed and that I have complete faith that he knows me better then anyone else and He will provide me with the exact help I need).

Then out of nowhere a random person showed me compassion and friendship. This person knew i needed help and instantly treated me like a friend they have had for years. Introduced me to her boyfriend who thus treated me like family.

The girl (the one who first befriended me), explained to me things like forgiveness, agency and much more. Her boyfriend noticed I was feeling alone in life and invited me with his family to his family's cabin for Gen. Conference weekend. I was explained more about the Gospel and studied some scriptures that weekend with the boyfriend and his family. It turned out to be the best spiritual experience I have had yet. I felt happy again. i was loved and treated like a member of a family by almost complete strangers... God had given me the help i needed. He gave me a package deal, friends with a missionary message.

That event has strengthened my testimony SO much. Funny thing is... those new friends of mine had no idea the impact they were having on me. they were just sharing the Gospel and being friendly. So that is the message I want to get across... When you are always a missionary and always open to friendship... you can impact someone's life in the most positive way.

[popstop785]

I should inform everyone that the talk went extremely well for it being my first one.

I was the first speaker and the following two said they would provide filler for me if I didn't talk very long (they were two very sweet young ladies). That helped ease the anxiety a bunch.

I did pray and my dad, offered to give me a Fathers blessing an hour before ( I have Social Anxiety so talking in front of a crowd is very difficult for me and he knows that). When I got up there I was VERY nervous until I started talking... then things started to flow somewhat smooth. I'm not saying I was the worlds best speaker, but I felt very content... it was a sensation I have never felt before when talking in front of a large group, I was being helped. :)

I would like to thank each and every one of you who helped me as well. I absolutely love the LDS church and all the members. :) Thanks guys and gals!