In 1933, my great-grandpa, George Tolley was giving a talk in church. Right in the middle of speaking, he had a heart attack and died. He was only fifty years old. He literally gave a killer church talk that day. (Please don’t haunt me, grandpa). But today, I’d like to share how we can give a killer talk figuratively.
No matter how many times you’ve done it, you’re probably still a little nervous when you get asked to to give a church talk. I know I am. But I have learned a few tips both from speaking and from listening to others give talks. So, here are some do’s and don’ts of giving a killer talk in church.
Do use ancient and modern scriptures.
I once attended a church meeting where not one person speaking mentioned the scriptures. Not one! Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing different perspectives and personal stories, but how can you relate that to the scriptures? After all, that’s one of the main reasons we’re at church—to teach and learn the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the scriptures and words of the living prophets are the heart of the gospel.
Do use personal stories.
Speaking of using personal stories, this is one of the best ways we can connect with the congregation. It’s very relatable to hear about others’ lives and the things they have been through. You don’t have to have a life-changing story. Think of anything in your life that you can relate to the gospel. How did it help you? What did you learn? Share your story and people will be more likely to connect with your message.
Do speak clearly.
It’s completely normal to speak too softly or too quickly when giving a talk. It’s our nerves getting the best of us. So make sure to practice speaking slowly (even slower than you think you should). It will come off as sounding normal to everyone else.
Do look up.
If you want to be an engaging speaker, look up and out. No one wants to watch you looking down the entire time and speaking to your notes. I know it can be intimidating to look at the people you are speaking to. One of my favorite tricks is to look at the back of the room. You still seem like you are engaging with your audience, but you’re not looking at anyone directly.
Do smile.
Along the lines of being more engaging, don’t forget to smile! It will not only brighten up your face, but it will also improve your voice and make you much more pleasant to listen to.
Do end on time.
We know your message is important, but so is everyone’s time. Please stick to the amount of time you were given. If you are one of the first speakers, ending on time will give the other speakers enough time to give the talk they spent time preparing. And if you are the last speaker, ending on time will give teachers for the next hour enough time to give the lessons they prepared. Be respectful of everyone else by ending on time.
Don’t start by talking about how you got asked to speak.
One of the most common ways people start their talk is by telling the story of how they got asked to speak. And they are all the same 99% of the time. It’s usually not relevant to the topic, so unless your story happens to be entertaining and relevant to the topic, just avoid it altogether.
Don’t open with “I don’t want to be up here…”
This is another popular start to a sacrament meeting talk. Most Church members can empathize with how uncomfortable it is to give a talk, but when you start off by saying you don’t want to be there, it can come off as saying, “Don’t listen to me.” Be confident in your message!
Don’t spend 10 minutes telling us about your family.
Most sacrament meeting talks are (supposed to be) about 10-15 minutes long. When you spend most of that time telling everyone how you met your spouse, what your major was in college, and every detail about your kids, you have no time for your actual topic. The pulpit usually isn’t the time for all those details. If you’re new to the ward, we would love to hear the highlights in the first 2 minutes. If not, save it for a ward activity or personal conversation.
Don’t use the dictionary definition to define a word (unless the definition is relevant).
Ever heard this? “The Webster dictionary defines (fill in the blank) as…” If you just have to talk about the definition of a word, try using the Bible dictionary as it relates to your topic. This oft-repeated sentence is a great ice-breaker, but it usually doesn’t relate to the talk. Sometimes it’s relevant and great in a talk, but usually it’s not.
Don’t change your topic.
Another one I’ve heard a few times over the pulpit is, “The bishopric asked me to speak on that, but I decided to speak on this.” There’s usually a lot of planning that goes into assigning topics, and it’s often – if not always – accompanied by revelation. If you feel strongly that you should change your topic, at least discuss it with the bishopric about it so you are all on the same page.
These are a lot of tips, so don’t feel overwhelmed if you can’t do them all. Just focus on a few and most importantly, pray for the Spirit to help you deliver the message that needs to be said. You’ll do great!
Want a free outline for how to write a killer church talk? Just click the cheat sheet below:
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