How to Prepare and Give a Talk (a Sermon)

When I was called to serve in a stake high council, I had many opportunities to speak during worship services in several nearby congregations.  I'd had plenty of opportunities before, but for this calling, I spoke at a rate of almost once per month.  Once, when I was addressing the Poughkeepsie Ward, where I was assigned to regularly provide support, I shared thoughts on how to give a good talk.  One of my daughters asked me about this today, and I shared my guidelines with her.  I have three:

1. We are only ever successful in teaching truth about God if God does the teaching.  This happens as we speak truth and God testifies of it through the Holy Ghost.  This is why the Gift of the Holy Ghost that we receive after baptism is so important!  We are blessed with the "tongue of angels", as Nephi called it in 2 Nephi 31:14 and 32: 2.  As we read in Doctrine and Covenants 50:17-22, "Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?  And if it be by some other way it is not of God.  And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?  If it be some other way it is not of God.  Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?  Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together."  We can't control how people prepare for and receive our words, but we can give them an opportunity by making sure we speak truth that God will endorse to them.

2. We are likely to succeed in having the Holy Ghost testify of what we're teaching if we rely on the words of prophets for the foundation of our preaching.  This includes ancient scripture, more modern scripture, and the words of living prophets and general authorities.  Once we have an assigned topic, we can research both scripture and general conference talks (or other similar talks by general authorities in other venues) and record quotations from them for reference.  It's better to start by listing many, even though we won't be using all of them by the time we're done.  For modern references, I usually find the most use in material generated in the last few decades, when messages have been shaped more for our time specifically, but there are also highly-applicable statements from 100 or so years ago.  (Side note, in case a member of a bishopric ever sees this: If you are thinking about assigning a GA's talk as the subject for one of your congregants' talks, please don't, because it's really constricting and awkward; instead, assign a topic and suggest that general authority's talk as a prime reference.)

3. As Nephi put it in 1 Nephi 19:23, we should "liken all [prophetic teachings] unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning."  In other words, it's useful to show, through our own personal experiences or that of other people we know, how the truth taught by prophets truly blesses us in practical ways.

As an appendage to guideline #1, I always seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost in knowing what to say not only in the weeks before my talk but continually until the moment I have finished speaking.  I typically take extra notes with the understanding that I'll omit some of them later.  I keep adjusting my to-be-printed notes until I leave to the meetinghouse; and then I adjust my printed notes while seated near the pulpit, waiting for my turn; and then while speaking I do my best to continue listening to God to know what I should and shouldn't say.  I cut out a fair amount of my notes on the spot.  Sometimes I've prepared too much for the time that remains for me in the meeting, or sometimes I've made notes related to favorite ideas of mine but may be less relevant or possibly not fully-established doctrine, and sometimes I just trust God that a good truth just isn't important for the congregation to focus on at the time.  I have omitted more than a page of notes for various reasons as I seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost up to the time I invoke the name of Christ one last time and say, "Amen."

A few other tips: Fasting can also help us draw close to God, and as a member of a high council I realized that I preferred to fast before giving any talk.  I don't always remember to do so these days, but I believe it only helps.  A good night's sleep beforehand is also beneficial for everything we do.  I recommend never starting by mentioning one's assignment to speak, as it simply isn't necessary, and especially to never tell the congregation about one's failure to make timely preparation.  It could be appropriate to mention thoughts one has while preparing.

Incidentally, for me, I generally end up with about a page of notes for every five minutes I'm going to speak.  I also almost never read the talk word for word, with the exception of once when I spoke in Spanish to a Spanish-speaking branch because my ability in that language is very limited.  I may well use the exact wording from my notes at times, because my prepared notes have tailored nuance, but generally I want my talks to sound natural because it's more engaging.

As one more note I believe the same steps to success are applicable for lessons at Church also; the difference is that teachers get class members to participate in each part.

Last thoughts for now:
To summarize, the way to succeed in strengthening people's faith in Christ while giving public discourses is to 1) ensure that we have God teaching the people by testifying of truths we speak through the power of the Holy Ghost, 2) relying on the words of prophets, and 3) providing practical life application and lessons.  I have found great joy in being useful to God and His other children by relying on Him as I preach, and I believe every member of the Church of Jesus Christ with the gift of the tongue of angels can do the same and share in the same joy.

The Joy of Good Things from God

 My family (minus my older daughter, who was working) recently served in a nearby temple by performing several proxy baptisms for our ancestors.

It was good.

I've remarked before that when I've served in the temple in the past, I've never been bored, despite the simple, calm, and repetitive nature of the ordinances we perform there.  This time, I took a moment after we were done, while I was alone, to think about my experience there.  It wasn't much different at all from other occasions in the past; there wasn't anything particularly novel or remarkable about it.  But I did feel good, in a very simple way.

Two of my children received patriarchal blessings recently as well, and one other had done so a little while back.  Afterward, I've encouraged them to think about the experience they had with God as they received those blessings.  It was clear to me, as an observer, that they were each quite moved by how they felt God touching their spirits, and I wanted them to recognize and remember that.

It's easy to not think about it much, or to be distracted by other things, but I think that the simple witness of the Holy Ghost in our lives is fundamentally and crucially important in life and a vital way to acknowledge good things that God gives us.  It's easy to overlook the joy that God gives us through simple and peaceful experiences, but that joy is real.

Last thoughts for now:
I hope to always acknowledge God in my life, and to help others to do so also.  I know that God is good, and He brings goodness to us.