Ways people start their talks in Sacrament meeting

[pam]

What are some of the ways that you have noticed that people start their talks?

 

Your response could be included in an upcoming lds.net article.

[mirkwood]

A lot of people start with a joke.  I generally wish they would not.  I always jump straight in to my topic.  The exception was when I spoke in stake conference.  I started with telling everyone that I had been assigned my topic by the stake presidency.  Then I jumped into my topic.

[AngelMarvel]

Usually with a joke...or something about the way they were asked or who asked them to give the talk. But, normally just a funny first then the talk.

 

I think it's just a way to get up there and get used to the mic, speaking, and shake the nerves off.

[classylady]

In our ward, there is a note on the podium that requests speakers to introduce themselves by name.  So, almost always our speakers will begin by saying, Hi, my name is___.  I've found this very helpful in learning new names and faces.

 

With new people in the ward, at the beginning of their talk, they will often tell a little about themselves before they get into the topic.

[Crypto]

I've noticed dictionary definitions of topics that the talk covers is used on occasion.
 

Edited February 22, 2015 by Crypto

[The Folk Prophet]

If it's a wife, they tell the story of how they met as a couple/introduce the family. (Typically. Sometimes the husband does this...but not usually).

[lagarthaaz]

A lot of people start with a joke.  I generally wish they would not.  I always jump straight in to my topic.  The exception was when I spoke in stake conference.  I started with telling everyone that I had been assigned my topic by the stake presidency.  Then I jumped into my topic.

 

Sorry, I have sometimes started a talk with a joke - but one that highlights the topic I've been assigned to speak on.

 

I have also started with a story, a scripture, or a rhetorical question related to the topic.

 

I always introduce myself as we are in a ward where people move in and out quite regularly.  

 

One thing I hate is when people with a superiority complex offer up a 'challenge' at the end - ugh.    

[askandanswer]

Most people here start with the story of how they were assigned the talk and how they went about first putting off preparing the talk and later how they actually prepared it. I think those kind of stories can use up 2 - 5 minutes of time that could be better spent speaking on the assigned topic. I like it when talks start with a joke or funny anecdote, particularly if its related to the topic, and when that happens, I am likely to listen to the talk that follows more carefully. 

[Palerider]

Or it's usually .....Two weeks ago Bro So and So approached me and asked if I would speak about Faith....if any of you notice him approaching be sure and run away....

[Crypto]

Or it's usually .....Two weeks ago Bro So and So approached me and asked if I would speak about Faith....if any of you notice him approaching be sure and run away....

Riding away into the sunset works too.

[pam]

Or it's usually .....Two weeks ago Bro So and So approached me and asked if I would speak about Faith....if any of you notice him approaching be sure and run away....

 

Are you used to this type of behavior having been a Bishop yourself?  Did you notice people running away from you?

[Just_A_Guy]

I usually use a story, related in a conversational tone (just reading it verbatim in a flat tone of voice is worse than no story at all, in my experience). The point isn't to be humorous in and of itself (though that can be helpful)--the point is to be engaging and a bit (but not infamously or manipulatively) memorable while introducing the theme and one or two "vehicles"--recurring themes/motifs/metaphors that will come up again and again throughout the talk.

I plan sacrament meeting talks on the assumption that nearly everything I say will be forgotten by dinner time. If my hearers can say, at dinner, "oh yeah, Just_A_Guy told that story about _________, and his point was that we should try to be a little more ________", I consider my talk a success.

Edited February 22, 2015 by Just_A_Guy

[MarginOfError]

I intend to begin my next talk along the lines of:

 

"Those of you who know me are aware that I can be a bit of a loose cannon.  You also know that I have an introvert's love of public speaking.  So my goal today is to make sure that I am never asked to speak in this ward again."

 

The humor is that those three sentences aren't at all related.  I'll never be asked to speak in this ward again because I'm moving out of state in a month.  But probably only a third of the ward knows that.

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

Most people here start with the story of how they were assigned the talk and how they went about first putting off preparing the talk and later how they actually prepared it. I think those kind of stories can use up 2 - 5 minutes of time that could be better spent speaking on the assigned topic. I like it when talks start with a joke or funny anecdote, particularly if its related to the topic, and when that happens, I am likely to listen to the talk that follows more carefully. 

 

 

Or it's usually .....Two weeks ago Bro So and So approached me and asked if I would speak about Faith....if any of you notice him approaching be sure and run away....

 

Yes, both of these!  And it's really gotten old....

 

I usually use a story, related in a conversational tone (just reading it verbatim in a flat tone of voice is worse than no story at all, in my experience). The point isn't to be humorous in and of itself (though that can be helpful)--the point is to be engaging and a bit (but not infamously or manipulatively) memorable while introducing the theme and one or two "vehicles"--recurring themes/motifs/metaphors that will come up again and again throughout the talk.

I plan sacrament meeting talks on the assumption that nearly everything I say will be forgotten by dinner time. If my hearers can say, at dinner, "oh yeah, Just_A_Guy told that story about _________, and his point was that we should try to be a little more ________", I consider my talk a success.

 

Yes that is my approach too...a story or an analogy.  I don't mind if people start with a joke as long as it relates to the subject of their talk.  

[Palerider]

Are you used to this type of behavior having been a Bishop yourself?  Did you notice people running away from you?

I cant say they ran from me out of fear of being asked to give a talk. I did notice if I approached someone or called them at home some members became a bit on the nervous side wondering what I wanted.

On another note ......I did have members avoiding me or ignoring and this was because they were angry with me. All these years of serving and since I attend church in building where I served as the Bishop of both units I still have those who ignore me or avoid me.

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

I cant say they ran from me out of fear of being asked to give a talk. I did notice if I approached someone or called them at home some members became a bit on the nervous side wondering what I wanted.

On another note ......I did have members avoiding me or ignoring and this was because they were angry with me. All these years of serving and since I attend church in building where I served as the Bishop of both units I still have those who ignore me or avoid me.

 

Wow, I'm not surprised that sometimes members get angry with their Bishops.  I've seen it, and I've been at odds with a Bishop or two in my time.  BUT what does surprise me is people who hold onto that anger for years.  I guess it depends on the situation. I can think of a few situations that might cause this but it would be very rare in my opinion. (I don't have any hard feelings toward any of my Bishops, whatever differences we have had are water under the bridge now.)

[Palerider]

Wow, I'm not surprised that sometimes members get angry with their Bishops.  I've seen it, and I've been at odds with a Bishop or two in my time.  BUT what does surprise me is people who hold onto that anger for years.  I guess it depends on the situation. I can think of a few situations that might cause this but it would be very rare in my opinion. (I don't have any hard feelings toward any of my Bishops, whatever differences we have had are water under the bridge now.)

I am taking this off thread and I don't mean too. .....when I was first called as a Bishop I was 32yrs old. The Stake President told me then.....we are not here to make people happy, we are here to do what's right. Unfortunately when we do things the Lords way we don't always make people happy. I found a lot of wisdom in that both times I served. I don't hold any grudges against any member of either Ward. There are still a few who haven't let go.

[Guest]

Seemingly, 90% of the time, the speaker says something about how they got assigned the talk and the challenges they had in preparing the talk and how nervous they are and even apologize beforehand for the lack of quality in the talk.

This goes against the major "rules" of public speaking (I learned in speech class in high school in the Phils) that I was taught, which is also what I'm teaching my kids.

What I was taught was that, when giving a speech, it is not a good idea to put the focus on the speaker. It is the objective to prepare the audience to focus on the topic. So when you talk about how the talk was assigned, how you prepared, how you feel giving the talk... These all focus on the speaker. This makes the audience pay more attention to how the talk is given, rather than the content of the talk.

So, what I was taught was this formula - Salutation/Greeting, A brief synopsis of what the topic is about (a brief summary of the topic), Detailed discussion of the topic, Conclusion.

What I usually do is do the Reader's Digest style (also the style used by Pres. Monson). Salutation, introduce the topic through a personal experience (either my own, someone I know, or someone the audience knows), detail the topic, then conclude. Personal experience story does not focus on me but the topic personalized to my own experience.

[Guest]

Duplicate

Edited February 22, 2015 by anatess

[Guest]

Triplicate.

Edited February 22, 2015 by anatess

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

I am taking this off thread and I don't mean too. .....when I was first called as a Bishop I was 32yrs old. The Stake President told me then.....we are not here to make people happy, we are here to do what's right. Unfortunately when we do things the Lords way we don't always make people happy. I found a lot of wisdom in that both times I served. I don't hold any grudges against any member of either Ward. There are still a few who haven't let go.

 

My apologies for continuing the hijack  :)  -- I agree with what you said Palerider.  I just wanted to add that Bishops are still human and therefore imperfect. Not all difficulties between Bishops and members is the member's fault.  But I believe these kinds of issues are fairly rare, and almost alway repairable.  

[HawaiianShirts]

I have to agree with most other posters in this thread.

 

I hear some talks begin with the phrase, "I was assigned to speak on ."

I hear other talks begin with "So-and-so asked me to speak about ."

 

Then there are those who describe the whole process of getting the assigned topic, procrastinating, researching, and finally preparing it. I will admit to doing something like this once, but that was because the talk-writing experience actually produced a significant spiritual learning experience for me that I wanted to share.

 

Some do try to start with a joke, which is fine by me, even if it's not related to the topic, unless they preface the joke with something like, "I'm going to start my talk with a joke."

 

When the speaker is finally getting into his or her topic, the first statement is often, "Webster's Dictionary defines as [definition]." If it's a well-prepared talk, this definition will come into play somewhere later.

 

Those examples are all general patterns, though, and the talks are never consistently good or bad as a result. There are lots of talks that don't follow any of those patterns.

[pam]

 

 

This is still one of my favorites.

[Palerider]

 

 

This is still one of my favorites.

That's good

[Palerider]

My apologies for continuing the hijack  :)  -- I agree with what you said Palerider.  I just wanted to add that Bishops are still human and therefore imperfect. Not all difficulties between Bishops and members is the member's fault.  But I believe these kinds of issues are fairly rare, and almost alway repairable.

The ones for me are in regards to the use of Fast Offerings and who I didn't help