Preparing & Delivering Inspiring Talks by Randy F. Rubio

PREPARING & DELIVERING INSPIRING TALKS “And now, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other…” (D&C 43:8) “There are more men (and women) who talked themselves upward than with all the scientists, writers, saints, and doers combined. Talkers have always ruled. They will continue to rule. The smart thing is to join them.” [Bruce Barton 1886-1967] Most, if not all, of our General Authorities have one thing in common – they are persuasive, inspiring, and captivating speakers. ORGANIZING YOUR TALK “If I am speaking for an hour, I am ready now. But if I am speaking for ten minutes, I will need at least a month to prepare.” The lesser the time available to you the more thorough preparation is required. In the church, most talks should only last no more than ten minutes. Therefore, the necessity to prepare for church talks is more crucial than most have thought. We need to increase the quality of talks in the church. They ought to be instructive and edifying. I am sharing with you some of the tools and techniques of effective talks so that your next speaking opportunity is memorable for you and your audience. I have included many examples. The preparation to speak actually happens long before the opportunity to speak presents itself. This preparation includes regularly reading the scriptures, memorizing quotations, reading church magazines and learning from our church leaders. Everything you experience, hear, and learn in all sorts of situations and experiences are all future materials to an inspiring talk. Be alert for lessons you can learn from everywhere and from everybody. You never know when you will be able to use it in a church talk. What is your subject? Choose a subject you are familiar and preferably one where you have some experience already. Professional speakers only speak about their expertise. So speak about topics you already have some sort of expertise. If you have been on a mission, it is much easier to talk about missionary work. Not only that, you will be able to share some of your personal experiences to expound your message. Sometimes a topic is assigned to you to speak about. If it is not familiar to you, feel free to suggest a subject you are more comfortable with. Who is your audience? We speak to three kinds of audiences in the church – children, youth, and adults. When speaking to children you speak in simple words, reinforced by pictures, packed with action, and your message short. If you can inject lots of humor, speak on contemporary topics, and use their language, you can be a sure hit among the youth. Adults prefer to be involved and want to enjoy listening to a speaker. If you have a mixed audience then you can combine one or two elements of what works for each audience.

Preparing & Delivering Talks

What is the occasion? Most of our speaking engagements in the church would be limited to the sacrament meeting, occasional talks at conferences, and firesides. If you are a church leader, you will have extensive opportunities to speak. You should be prepared to speak at all occasions. What is the purpose of your talk? a. If you want to inform then you must gather facts and information. Let us say that it is the Relief Society anniversary and you were given the assignment to present the organization’s historical background. This speaking assignment is clearly to inform. Find reading materials that can provide you the facts and information. Your information must be accurate and detailed to gain the interest of your audience. If possible, offer information that many do not know about yet. b. If you want to persuade then you must be able to sell the benefits. You have been assigned to speak about the youth program in a youth fireside. This calls for selling the benefits of the program. So you might include the youth’s leadership training opportunities, the mutual night activities that offer fun and friendship, and the variety of activities that develop their talents. When your job is to persuade consider yourself trying to sell a product or a service. c. If you want to inspire then you must be able to show overcoming obstacles. Stories of personal struggle over trials in life are good material to use. Latter-day prophets and current leaders have faith-promoting experiences published in some of our reading materials. Church publications also offer stories from around the world. Members’ conversion stories are filled with examples of overcoming insurmountable odds. Do not forget that your own life story of trials is the most important story of all. Most memorable talks combine all three elements. How do I organize my material? Fill your mind with the subject. You will usually have a week or a few days before you deliver your talk. Once you have chosen a topic, let the subject matter fill your mind for a while. Brainstorm for ideas. These ideas do not come to you predictably. Make sure you have a writing pad handy. “A dull pencil is better than a sharp mind.” Write it down. Jot down whatever ideas come to your mind randomly. Do not be selective at this point. Think of scriptural references you could use. Search the topical guide of the scriptures. What stories do you know that could reinforce your topic? What personal experiences have you had that might help clarify your points? How about some quotations? What have latter-day prophets spoken on the subject? As the answers come to you, write it down. You might be tempted not to write something since you think it is irrelevant. Write it down anyway. Access the internet. If you have access to internet, the church has already made available over 40 years of conference talks. The website is www.lds.org. Proceed to the gospel library section. Key in your key words or phrases and download reading material relevant to you talk. The available information is overwhelming so just download what you see might be useful. Trim it down. You are now ready to sit down to go through all of your material. Have a clean sheet of paper or index cards. Find your opening and closing ideas. Take three of the most important points of your subject including supporting data for the body of your speech. Discard everything else. Church talks have very limited time so choose your points carefully. It is tempting to want to say everything about the subject but you don’t have a whole day. Take three major points or less. Usually, that’s all you should cover between ten to fifteen minutes. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”

Preparing & Delivering Talks

So you will know how you can organize better and what material you could use, here are some ideas. I have included actual examples so that you can use it to determine what material to use and how. There are countless of things that can preoccupy people’s minds. Your job in the first thirty seconds of your speech is to snap them out from whatever they are thinking and draw them to you. What you do and what you say in these first few moments will determine whether you have their attention or not. Here are a few ideas you can use to grab the audience’s attention. Eight Ways Guaranteed to Grab Audience Attention

A thought-provoking question. “Could Joseph Smith really have been a true prophet of God?” A quotation or scripture. Pres. Hinckley once said that “A new convert needs a friend, a calling, and nourishment of the good word of God.” “Wherefore, be not weary in welldoing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” (D&C 64:33) A story. And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. (Luke 10:30-37). A story from the scriptures is best retold in your own words highlighting the ideas that will reinforce your topic. A hypothetical situation. “If you knew that you only had 24 hours to live, how would you live the last day of your life?” “What if you knew that what you are going to learn in church is going to make you rich, what price are you willing to pay?” Personal anecdote. “I was nine years old. My mother, sister and I just joined the church. My father was opposed to our being baptized. There were neither missionaries nor branch in my hometown. We were immediately persecuted by relatives, friends, and neighbors. The nearest church to us was 115 kilometers away.” Statistical statement. “We have 496 members of record in our ward. Of that, 82 are prospective elders. Of the 82 prospective elders only 20 are ordained elders. What has happened to the 60 and what can we do about it?” Visual. [Showing a picture of handcart pioneers.] “The Lord no longer requires us to travel thousands of miles through cold, dirt, and heat. There are no more mobs that threaten our lives. But what kind of sacrifices does the Lord expect of us today as modern-day pioneers?” Humor. “Sis. Cruz got a call that her husband had inherited P10M from an old relative who just died. Unfortunately Bro. Cruz just had a heart attack. He was not to be excited or depressed or else he will die. Sis. Cruz didn’t know how to break the news to him. So she called her bishop and told him about the problem. The bishop volunteered to solve the problem. Once he got to the Cruz residence, the Bishop and Bro. Cruz met in the living room to talk. The bishop thinking of breaking the news gently asked: “Bro. Cruz, let us suppose you inherited P10M today, what would you do with it?” Bro. Cruz responded without thinking: “Well, bishop I would immediately give half to you so don’t have to work anymore. Upon hearing it, the bishop had a heart attack and died. (pause) Money - when we don’t have any it’s a problem. When we have too much, it’s a bigger problem.”

Preparing & Delivering Talks

Sneak Previews A sneak preview is part of your introduction. After you make your attention-grabbing idea, it is time to let your audience know what they can expect from your talk. Here are some examples. “Could Joseph Smith really have been a true prophet of God? There are least three evidences that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God. First, he saw the Father and the Son in a vision in the grove of trees. Second, he translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God. Third, he sealed his testimony with his own blood and died as a martyr. Let me now elaborate on these three evidences.” Pres. Hinckley once said that “A new convert needs a friend, a calling, and nourishment of the good word of God.” Let me talk to you today about how we can help new converts feel loved and accepted in the church. First, I will share ideas on how to befriend a new convert. Then let me talk about why new converts need a calling. Finally, I will discuss how we can nourish new converts with the good word of God. After relating the story of the Good Samaritan: “In my talk, I will answer the question: What are our responsibilities with our neighbor? I would like suggest that our responsibilities to our neighbors include preaching the gospel, serving them with compassion, and loving them unconditionally.”

Organizing the Main Body of Your Talk Logical order. An example of the logical order would be if you spoke about prayer and the steps of prayer. First, you address your Heavenly Father. Second, you thank the Lord for blessings. Third, you ask the Lord for the things you need. Fourth, you close your prayer in the Savior’s name. Another example might be – first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Chronological. If you were speaking on the subject of home or visiting teaching, “Let me talk about what we need to do to prepare prior home teaching. What happens during home teaching and what is expected of us after home teaching.” Let’s say you are speaking about new converts, you can use the same concept. “What is our responsibility to prospective members before they are baptized into the church?” “What is our responsibility to new converts after they are baptized?” What, why, where, how, when and who. If you were speaking about “Faith” you use it as follows: “What is faith?” “Why do we need faith? “How can we develop faith in God?” “When does the Lord require our faith?” Let’s say you will speak about “Adversity” the same concept can apply: “What is adversity?” “Why does the Lord allow adversity in our lives?” “How can we prepare for adversity?” Three or five related ideas. Here’s an example from Pres. Monson’s talk from the October 2002 General Conference. These were his major points: Demon of Greed; Demon of Debt; Demon of Doubt; Demon of Drugs, Immodesty and Immorality. He proceeded to elaborate one point after the other. Of course he had 15 minutes. You are speaking about developing spirituality, your major points might include: reading the scriptures daily, a monthly fast, and paying an honest tithe. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”

Preparing & Delivering Talks

Smooth & Seamless Transitions Transitions are like pieces of thread connecting one piece of cloth to another. Transitions connect your talk from the introduction to the body of your talk; from one major point to the next; from the body of your talk to your closing. Signal you are moving from the introduction to the body of your talk. “Let me now proceed to talk about the three things that we need to do to develop spirituality.” “Let me now state my first point.” “I propose three ways we can reactivate our less-active members. The first idea is to……” “The question I asked you is what can we do to be a member missionary? Here are my three answers. The first is to ….” Signal you are moving from one point to the next. “So the first point is to befriend the new convert. Let me now bring up the second point of this program which is to give the new convert a calling.” “Let me repeat briefly the first two points: a new convert needs a friend and then needs a calling. The third point is to nourish the new convert with the good word of God.” Signal you are ending the talk. “In conclusion, let me cite this final scripture.” “As my last and final point….” “Let me close with this quote.” “Finally,…..” “Let me leave you with this thought” “Let me summarize the most important points of what I have spoken so far.” Non-verbal cue. The pause is a terrific transitional tool. By pausing for three seconds you can signal you are moving to a new point. Five Ways to an Unforgettable Finish Conclusions are always short. If you go on too long, you will lose your audience. At this point, it is no longer proper to introduce new concepts or ideas. You are now ready to finish big. Leave your best impression. Summarize. “Read the scriptures daily. Fast at least once a month. Pay tithing. These are the ways I said would help us develop spiritually. When we are strong spiritually, no challenges will ever be undefeatable for us. We can always overcome.” Express optimism. “These are hard economic times. But such times also offer us great opportunity to exercise our abiding faith in God. Tithing is not about money. Tithing is about proving the Lord if He will open the windows of heaven and pour us a blessing if we exercise faith in Him. I know the Lord will. Our lives will be blessed in miraculous ways. We will survive. No, not just survive. He will prosper us beyond our expectations.” Go back to your central theme. “Could Joseph Smith really have been a true prophet of God? The answer is a resounding yes. He was and is a prophet of God. He saw God in a vision. He translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God. And he sealed his testimony with his own blood. ” Call to action. “Let’s think of friends whom we can share the gospel message. They are hungry for spiritual nourishment. They are anxious to receive the truth. I challenge you to think of just one friend tonight. Pray for that friend. Then acquire the courage to introduce your friend to the gospel. I know you will be glad you did.” One-liners. My favorite orator in high school ended her speech with this: “The challenge is there the next move is yours.” “Work, magnify your callings, sacrifice and watch the blessings from heaven come into your life.”

Preparing & Delivering Talks

SAMPLE SPEECH OUTLINE

Here is a sample speech outline for a ten-minute talk. If you have more time, use it to extend the time of elaborating the body of your speech. Introduction

Preview – Tell them what you are going to tell them Grab the immediate attention of your audience Story, provocative statement, question, or quotation (2 minutes) [Transition line from introduction to body of the talk]

Body

Substance – Tell them Point A (Stick to only 3 points at most) Elaborate with scriptural references, quotes, stories, personal experiences Point B Elaborate with scriptural references, quotes, stories, personal experiences Point C Elaborate with scriptural references, quotes, stories, personal experiences (6 minutes) [Transition line from body to close]

Summary – Tell them what you’ve told them Refer to your introduction Review the points in the body of your speech Call to action (2 minutes)

Preparing & Delivering Talks

BEFORE YOU DELIVER YOUR TALK Overcoming Anxiety It is the eve of stake conference. You cannot sleep no matter what you do. You toss here and there. You can’t get your mind off from the fact that you are speaking to hundreds of people for the first time. Welcome to the club! You are being gripped by speakers’ anxiety a common experience of people anticipating a speaking assignment. So here’s an anxiety prevention program – Speaking is considered man’s biggest fear. Meet public enemy no. 1. You are not alone and definitely there is nothing wrong with you. The fear is normal. Even professional speakers experience anxiety. Everybody will experience ‘butterflies in their stomach.’ Your goal is getting them to fly into one formation. Preparation is the cure to the fear of speaking. As the Lord said …. “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.” (D&C 38:30). So prepare, prepare, and prepare. Memorize your introduction and conclusion. The beginning is the hardest part. You may consider memorizing your introduction and by doing so you will draw confidence knowing exactly what to say in the first two minutes. This growing confidence will sustain you. By also memorizing your closing statements, you know that you will be able to finish no matter what. That is a relief. Visualize the entire speech. Take a mental preview of your entire speech. Begin from the introduction. Move to the three main points and supporting data of those points; finally, to your conclusion. Imagine yourself delivering the speech in front of your audience. Talks are created twice: first a spiritual and then a physical creation. Practice, practice and practice your speech. Plant yourself in front of the mirror and pretend to be speaking at your audience. First stage – read your speech or outline while standing. The goal is to be accustomed to standing and speaking at the same time. Second stage – speak by occasionally reading or looking at the outline. Final stage – speak without any reading material. The more anxiety prone you are, the more simulation you require. Retire early. If you followed this anxiety prevention program, you should be able to sleep well. You need to have adequate sleep in order to calm yourself and help your mind stay alert during the speech. Just a few minutes before you speak – Take a few deep breaths. While breathing, rub your hands rapidly together. Clench your fist and curl your toes. Visualize yourself succeeding and you and your audience having a great time together. Professor Albert Mehrabian of UCLA is one of the foremost experts in high-impact personal communication. He conducted a landmark study on the relationship of the three basic elements found in speaking – verbal, vocal, and visual. He measured how these three elements influence our believability while we are communicating. Verbal refers to the message – the words that we say. Vocal refers to our voice – the projection, intonation, and resonance our voice carries when we say the words. Visual refers to what people see – our body language, facial expressions and gestures. Which of these three factors have the highest impact on our believability as a speaker? Take a good guess – Verbal _______ % Vocal ________% and Visual ________% = 100%. The answer will give you a clue as to what is the most important factor to our communication. Verbal 7% Vocal 38% Visual 55% = 100%. This research finding has an insightful application. The combination of our voice and body language are the two most forceful elements in effective communication. This should give you the enticement to work more on your voice, gestures, facial expressions, and body language. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”

Preparing & Delivering Talks

DELIVERING YOUR TALK “If you speak of heaven then you must smile. But if you speak of hell, then your everyday face will do.”☺ The Eloquence of Body Language Establishing eye contact. If there’s one skill in public speaking that will immensely improve your effectiveness, it is the ability to establish eye contact with your audience. Observe the speakers who have good eye contact and those who don’t. The difference is enormous. You feel connected to a speaker who looks at you and you feel disconnected from a speaker who doesn’t. Our eyes communicate to each other because it’s “the window to our souls.” Look at your audience in the eye but don’t stare. Begin with the persons directly in front of you. Every five seconds move your head to either your left or your right and then stop. Move your head like panning a video camera recording the audience’s expression. The camera moves slowly then stays for a few seconds with the audience and moves again. This movement is always gradual not abrupt. Also look at the people at the back rows even if you can’t see them well. They are as much a part of your audience as the people near you. Notice that as you look at your audience they are also looking at you. When this happens, it means the audience is with you. Good posture and natural movement. Walk to the podium deliberately. Stand with your feet firmly planted. Make your weight even between your two feet. Don’t shift your weight from one foot to another. Stand to your full height. You may be short but you can still command audience attention if you stand straight. Hand gestures and facial expressions. If you are not aware of it, you usually have only two gestures you use when speaking. It has probably become a habit and likely distracting. The only way to find out is to have a friend observe you while you are speaking. Let him tell you what your gestures are. If they are good, keep it. If it’s annoying, discard it. If you want to go the distance, videotape yourself. It will reveal a lot about your gestures. Standing in front of an audience without a physical barrier can make you self-conscious. Let your hands naturally fall to your side. Do not put your hands across your body or inside your pockets. Stand up and practice this. It will feel unnatural in the beginning but it’s the only thing that looks good. You can move your hands as you stress a point and let them fall back naturally to your side. Smile. Most of us think we smile a lot. But most of us don’t especially when speaking. Try exaggerating the face muscles in the mirror. Occasional half smiles while speaking conveys warmth. Dress and appearance. There is appropriate attire for church speakers. Men should wear at least a polo barong, white or colored plain polo shirts with conservative neckties. Shoes must be clean. Proper grooming for men is a must – trimmed haircuts and mustaches. Missionary grooming is preferable. Modesty in dress is so important for female church speakers. Imagine a sister speaking at the pulpit in a sleeveless blouse. Her attire would be so disturbing as to call unnecessary attention to herself instead of her message. For the same reason, women should not wear elaborate jewelry especially dangling earrings when speaking. Conservative, plain and pastel colors and inconspicuous prints in dresses are usually suitable. Voice and vocal variety. Your voice transmits your energy level. Speak loud and a little faster when you want to emphasize a point. Speak deliberately when you want the audience to feel what you are saying. Repeat words and phrases you wish the audience to remember. Don’t speak too fast or too slow. Vary your speaking pace. Lift your voice high and let it plummet when your words express it. Use drama and flair when relating true-to-life stories. Emphasize the right words. Use pauses for effect. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”

Preparing & Delivering Talks

The Moment of Truth Your name has finally been called. This is the moment you have been waiting for – Ready position while seated in your chair. This means your body slightly leaning forward and looking at the conducting officer with earnest expectation. You are ready to respond and waiting for the right cue. Stand up and walk with confidence. You could be scared to death but don’t show it. Act confident even if you don’t feel confident. Your body will respond to your behavior more than to your feelings. Your audience won’t know what’s going on inside you. You should only show energy and eagerness. Pause and get organized. Once in the pulpit, there’s no need to start at once. Get your notes, scriptures, or outline in place. Look at your audience. Smile. Three to five seconds for all of this. If you pause much longer, you will lose your audience unless the long pause is intentional for effect. Express brief pleasantries and proceed to your attention-grabbing idea. For example: “I’ve always wanted to speak at stake conference. Now that it has finally happened it’s like a dream come true. I am so grateful for this opportunity to speak to you. Let me begin with a story. [Pause] “Sister Cruz got a call one day that her husband just inherited P10M from an old relative who just died…..” If you are using a thought-provoking question as your attention-grabbing idea, you can dispense with the pleasantries. After a brief pause you say: ““If you knew that you only had 24 hours to live, what would you do with the last day of your life?” Pause again before you give them your preview. Let the question sink through the consciousness of your audience. Make your speech conversational. Speak to your audience as if talking to a friend. There’s no need to use formal language or high sounding vocabulary that people will not understand. The simpler the words and phrases the more effective you are. Public speaking is like conversation you are having with a friend. Except that instead of being seated across each other – you are standing. Illuminate your talk with illustrations and examples throughout. When you make a point, follow through with an elaboration. You can use a personal experience or a story: “First, a new convert needs a friend. I remember the time when I was new in church. The first time I came to church I felt very out of place. As I was thinking of leaving, someone approached me and asked if she could sit beside me during the fireside……” You can use quotes. “My second point is to serve our neighbor’s with compassion. Let me quote what Pres. Kimball said about the loving concern we should have for other people. He said and I quote…..” You can use the scriptures. “Sometimes home teaching can be very discouraging. When we don’t see any positive results from our efforts, we feel like giving up. But the Lord has said in D&C 64:33 not to be weary …...” In case you are interrupted, use humor. Sometimes something happens to disrupt the momentum of your talk like a cell phone suddenly ringing, a baby crying, or you drop your scriptures accidentally. It’s an awkward moment. Most people will simply let it go. But such moments are excellent opportunities to enhance your talk. Use it. For example, a cell phone rings suddenly you can say, “That must be my mother calling to say I’m the best speaker in the world”; a baby cries so loud you can say, “Even the baby thinks I’m a terrible speaker”; you drop your scriptures you can say, “The Lord has spoken my time is almost up.” After making the comment, pause for a second, and move on as if nothing happened. Don’t dwell on it at all. “Well, as I was saying the third reason for missionary work is …..” Saving the best for last. There is a good reason for concluding your speech unforgettably. It is your last chance to leave a good impression. If you say it right, your last words will be given heightened attention. It should be sharp, direct, decisive, and challenging. Some speakers preserve their best quotes or best stories at the end. Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”

Preparing & Delivering Talks

What to Avoid Do not waste time but get right to the point. Sometimes church speakers spend too much time telling us how they got assigned to speak or other trivia that has no significance to their message. Remember the audience is looking forward to hear your message. If what you are saying is not teaching, it’s probably not worth saying. Do not ever begin your talk with an apology such as: “I am not really prepared to speak today. The bishop just asked me to speak about five minutes before sacrament meeting started.” Occasionally you are given an impromptu speaking assignment or you have forgotten about the assignment. You may not be as prepared as you hoped to be. The audience will never know unless you tell them. If you tell them, then you give them an excuse for tuning you out. If you are good, no one will probably notice. Just go right ahead as if you are prepared. “It’s great to speak to you today. Let me begin my talk with a question.” If you are unprepared, then do yourself and the audience a favor. Be brief and be seated. Mannerisms and non-words. One of the most commonly used non-word in church talks is “ok?” For example you will hear some speak like this: “I know the church is true. Ok? I also know that we are being led by a living prophet. Ok?” Non-words like this are bothersome and prevent you from communicating effectively. Other nonwords would be…. “hummmm, ahhhhh, you know, actually.” If they fill your talk every five sentences your audience will start counting their occurrences instead of listening to your message, ok? ☺ Avoid trite words and phrases. Some words and phrases have become so commonplace in church talks that using them would be dull and ineffective. Please refrain from using them. Here are a few examples: “I would like to thank my Heavenly Father for giving me … instead… I am grateful for the chance to speak.” “My topic for today is about faith…. instead ….. I would like to speak on the subject of faith.” “I know without a shadow of doubt …. instead…… I know.” “I know that the four standard works is true ….. instead….. I know the scriptures to be the word of God.” Avoid vain repetitions. I have noticed through the years that as members we have arrived at a common script when concluding our talks with a testimony. Standard fare is the living prophet, the standard works, the church is true, etc. There is nothing wrong with it if in fact that’s how we feel. But I am afraid that some may just be parroting assuming it is the prescribed ending. With children it is forgivable and even cute. We adults can strive to be more authentic. Please don’t use this common script to end your talks. Our testimony should reflect our genuine convictions in relation to our topic in order to attain the impact it deserves. So if you spoke about reactivation then let your testimony proclaim your conviction of effective reactivation efforts. If you lose your mark in the scripture, keep talking. You are looking for a scripture and can’t find it at once. Your natural reaction is to stop talking. Don’t. People are uncomfortable with silence. You will lose your listeners. You can tell them what is happening. For example: “Let me now refer to what the Book of Mormon says about faith in Alma chapter 32.” Then you fumble and can’t seem to find it. Go on speaking while you continue browsing through the book: “I had it marked just to make sure I will find it at once. Hmm, can’t seem to find it. I didn’t realize I’m getting old and forgetful (humor). I am sure it’s somewhere here. Alright here goes.” Don’t speak beyond your time allocation. It’s a matter of courtesy to speak within the time allocated for you. When you rehearse, time yourself so that you are aware how long your speech is going. Remember, you usually have more speech to cover than time available. If you go overtime, you will make your audience and the persons who invited you distracted. An otherwise terrific speech will only be remembered as one which went too long. Avoid putting down people’s appreciation. If people congratulate you for a fine talk, don’t say: “I wasn’t really prepared.” “The bishop asked me only this morning.” “I don’t think I was good at all.” The only appropriate response to a compliment is “Thank you.” “Thank you. I am glad you noticed.” “Thank you. I worked hard for it.” Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”

Preparing & Delivering Talks

SPEECH WORKSHEET OUTLINE My Topic __________________________________________________________________________________ Introduction My attention-grabbing idea [story, quotation, question, story, humor, etc.] ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ My preview – tell them what I am going to tell them ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ My transition line from introduction to the body of my talk ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Body Tell them A. My first major point. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ My supporting information [scriptural references, quotes, stories, personal experiences] ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ B. My second major point. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ My supporting information [scriptural references, quotes, stories, personal experiences] ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ C. My third major point. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ My supporting information [scriptural references, quotes, stories, personal experiences] ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Write my transition line from introduction to the body of my talk. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Close My Summary – Tell them what you’ve told them ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ My call to action ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”

Preparing & Delivering Talks

OBSERVER’S FEEDBACK I want to know what I do well as a speaker. I also want to know what else I can do to improve. Please rate my actual speaking performance in the following categories using this rating scale: 1 – 3 Beginner My Body Language

4 – 6 Good

7 – 9 Very Good

10 – Professional

Positive Comments or Suggestions

Eye Contact

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Posture

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Hand Gestures

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Facial Expression

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Dress & Appearance

[________]

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Voice & Vocal Variety [________]

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My Speech

Positive Comments or Suggestions

My Topic

[________]

__________________________________________________________

My Opening

[________]

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My Transitions

[________]

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Body of Speech

[________]

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My Examples

[________]

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My Closing

[________]

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My Use of Time

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Please comment on my mannerisms, trite words or phrases I used, use of humor, my examples, speaking impact, etc. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name: _____________________________ Date of Speech: ____________ Observer: ____________________________ Copyright © 2005 Randy F. Rubio All rights reserved “Being Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause”