Okay, I am going to spend some time going over things I covered in my talk, starting with some of the instructions.
For the past couple of talks, I had been given a conference talk and built from that. This time there was a topic, along with listed resources and the first resource listed was a conference talk.
Topic: — How can we become disciples of Christ?
Conference Talk or Other References to Help:
Recent conference talk: Elder McCune - Joy through Covenant Discipleship
Other General conference talks
Share any relevant personal experiences
Share your testimony
Share relevant scriptures
When I gave my very first talk as a youth speaker (around twelve years old), I was advised to tell a story like from a church magazine or something and then bear my testimony. I used a story from Elder Bruce R. McConkie about his father getting a feeling that he was in trouble and coming and saving him from getting injured while horseback riding. I might have found it in the family home evening manual, but maybe a Friend or New Era.
Many talks did follow this pattern, I observed, but I didn't find it satisfying. I started going more with a five paragraph essay kind of thing, where I would have an opener, three points, and a conclusion.
I should note that we did not have a particularly large youth, so I spoke about once a year. In some wards that would have been very unlikely.
I stuck to that format for a while. Moving into adulthood, I stopped being able to write talks. That eventually led to my current process of lots and lots of journal writing in preparation. I wrote about that a while back.
https://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2022/07/speaking-and-teaching.html
On a related note, back when I was a Gospel Doctrine teacher for the first time, I would read through the manual and I would read the chapters for the lesson every day of the preceding week. Then I just let the lesson flow.
That was in the singles ward. I remember getting some talk advice there: use three scriptures, mention the Savior at least once, and bear your testimony.
That didn't change the not being able to write a talk process, but I did start then making sure to have at least three scriptures.
With this new phase, I had not spent nearly as much time on the journal writing as a I wanted to. It didn't ruin the talk, though it is possible that there could have been something better if I had written more.
It is also entirely possible that "something better" would have just been for me... something I would have understood better or gotten insight for me.
When I am up there, I just want to invite the Spirit so people can hear what they need to hear; it may not be something I say. (That Speaking and Teaching post above has a good story about that.)
There are probably three points to today's post. One is that we change and evolve; what works for us at one stage in life may not be what works for us in the next. There can be growing pains as we move to something new (or other kinds of pains as we lose ground), but ultimately growth is good so try and embrace it.
Another point is that different things work for different people; try and only worry about what works for you. Don't compare yourself to others.
With the talk by Elder Cowley that influenced me, I remember him saying that when he was advised to never write a talk, that he was told that wasn't necessarily for anyone else. I also assume that he spoke in conference, and I know the conference speakers, at least later, had to provide copies for the translators. He might have had to do things differently for conference.
The main point is that there should be a way that you can invite the Spirit, which is the most important thing, so don't worry about what you can't do or what other people might do better. Focus on that which feels best -- by the Spirit -- for you.
While it may not be obvious, this does totally relate to other things that were in my most recent talk.
Related posts:
https://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2025/08/currently-operating-at.html
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