Preparing a Sacrament Meeting Talk: (Part 2) - Things to Do

Yesterday, I posted things to avoid at the beginning of a Sacrament meeting talk.  Today's post focuses on great ways to begin a talk (which have then helped me to sustain my momentum to the end).  I also have added a few additional tips at the conclusion of the post.

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Great Ways to Begin a Talk & Other Suggestions

For me, the best examples I can think of to help in giving suggestions of how to begin a talk are found in addresses given in General Conference.  Since it is the most recent one as I write this post, here are 5 examples from the April 2016 Conference:

1. Personal Story – Elder Gary E. Stevenson opened his talk about Priesthood keys by telling a personal story about a time when he lost his car keys and couldn’t immediately get his family into the car to begin the drive home and to get warm after a day of skiing.  Using that story as a framework, he then explained the importance of priesthood keys, what they are, which keys have been restored to the Church and how they bless our lives today.

2. Personal Story of Someone Else – Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson began with the personal story of Michele Carnesecca whose 2-year-old son, Ethan, was being transported by helicopter to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.  As she saw the Draper, Jordan River, Oquirrh Mountain, and Salt Lake City Temples from her vantage point in the air, the question, “Do you believe it?” came into her mind.  With this story as a backdrop, Sister Oscarson then discussed the knowledge the gospel offers us and asked her listeners the same question, “Do you believe it?”  A word of caution: If you are going to use someone else’s story, be sure it is authentic.  There are plenty of Internet tales that may bring a tear to someone’s eye, but are a reworking of a once true story or they are an “urban legend.”  In the footnotes for Sister Oscarson’s talk you’ll notice the statement “personal journal entry shared with Bonnie L. Oscarson.”  Near the end of his talk, Elder Christofferson related the personal story of someone else that came from “Julian Dyke, ‘Thanks, Dad,’ New Era, Apr. 1993, 38.”  Be sure you can authenticate the source of your story.  Don’t include a “viral” Facebook post in your talk that may not be completely true or is a fictional story passing as a true story.

3. Comparative Analogy – Elder Dale G. Renlund began with an analogy given to him by Elder Wilford W. Andersen as they discussed how to help people in poverty: “The greater the distance between the giver and the receiver, the more the receiver develops a sense of entitlement.”  He then used the concept offered by that analogy to discuss our relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and discussed how the sacrament assists us to remain close to Them.  Another great analogy is used by President Uchtdorf in his Sunday morning talk as he told about the rebuilding of the famous Lutheran church in the city of Dresden, Germany.

4. Introducing the Message – In yesterday's “avoid” post, I mentioned that it is usually not a good idea to declare the subject of your talk in the first line, but it can be done effectively.  Elder Christofferson’s first sentence in his conference talk is: “I speak today of fathers” (see link above).  When I heard an apostle start his talk in that manner, being a father, I found myself sitting forward and paying closer attention to what he had to say.  Like it or not, we lay members don’t have the same punch as an apostle, so when we start off a talk by saying, “I was assigned to speak on ______,” as I said in yesterday's post, it may have the opposite effect.  However, Elder David A. Bednar has a way of consistently introducing his subject that may be instructional to those of us who want to tell the congregation their subject matter right at the beginning.  Instead of hitting his listeners between the eyes with his subject, he introduces it.  In his latest address, he first discussed how a specific phrase from King Benjamin’s final speech to the Nephites has been “a recurring topic of my study and pondering for many years.”  After focusing on that phrase, he then stated: “My message focuses upon the principle of always retaining a remission of our sins.”  He spent the remainder of his talk explaining what he has learned about that phrase.  While there have been times when Elder Bednar has stated his “purpose” right at the beginning on occasion, he usually sets up his topic first before actually introducing his topic.

5. Appropriate Use of Humor – I also warned in yesterday's post that it is not a good idea to tell a joke for the sake of being funny.  This does not mean, however, that using humor to begin a talk is a bad idea.  If humor is used to move the congregation toward the topic of your talk, then it can be very helpful.  A great example of this concept is found in the talk given by Elder Gerrit W. Gong.  He began by mentioning that he served in the Asia area and how he would be asked how many people live in that area. “Half the world’s population—3.6 billion people,” he replied.  He was then asked, “Is it hard to remember all their names?”  He then told a funny story about his wife forgetting her cell phone.  Using these humorous stories about remembering and forgetting as his framework, he went on to discuss six ways we can always remember the Savior after partaking the sacrament.  In addition to using it at the beginning of a talk, humor can be used in the body of your talk, but don’t force it.  In his priesthood session address as he talked about single men looking for “the perfect woman,” President Uchtdorf said: “My beloved brethren, may I remind you, if there were a perfect woman, do you really think she would be that interested in you?”  He later made some funny comments about “awkwardness” in families.  His comments were amusing, but they were not out of place nor did they distract from the Spirit; they came naturally as part of his talk.  If humor is forced or off topic, then it distracts rather than enhances your comments.

Additional Tips

Keep your beginning concise – Don’t spend so much time setting up your topic that you have no time left to discuss the “heart” of what you have learned.

A good rule to follow – Tell them what you’re going to tell them; tell them; and then tell them what you told them (just in a different way then you began).

Keep your topic focused – some principles are very large in scope, narrow it down to a specific idea or your talk will become too broad.  If you don't, you’ll be trying to make too many points and you may go overtime with your talk and not leave enough time for the final speaker or run past the dismissal time.  The first does a disservice to the time and effort put in by the concluding speaker; the second will definitely cause the congregation to tune you out as they shift in their seats and wonder when you plan to finish.

Time your talk – in conjunction with the above suggestion, read through your talk a couple of times beforehand to see how long it will take to present it, this will help give you an idea if cuts need to be made to ensure that the others speaking with you have plenty of time to deliver their talks as well.

Identify parts you can cut it you need to – sometimes (especially if you’re the final speaker) you may not have the time you thought you would.  If you know beforehand what you can cut from your talk prior to beginning then you won’t find yourself stammering and flustered as you try to do it while standing at the pulpit.

Finish strong – bear your testimony of the truths you have learned and taught.

Remember – breathe, make occasional eye contact, and don’t worry about being nervous.  No matter how polished the speaker may seem, he or she is fighting nervousness; it's natural--the true trick is how a person deals with it.

If you have prepared well, there is no need to fear – If you have prepared well and sought for the guidance of the Spirit, the Lord will bless your words and accept your effort.

Those are my tips of things to avoid and to do while giving a sacrament meeting talk.  It is by no means a comprehensive list—there are plenty more things that could be mentioned.  As I said, these are things I have noticed from conference speakers and have tried to employ to improve my own talks.  If they are helpful to someone, then I am happy I've posted them.