How to Write an LDS Talk for Sacrament Meeting

One of the scariest things for many people is public speaking, and for members of the LDS Church, this will likely happen more than once in their lives, as the Mormon Church relies on laypeople to preach at religious meetings. Preparing a talk for Sacrament Meeting can be challenging for some, but there are some steps that can help you prepare a good talk.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Scriptures
• Conference issues of the Ensign (online or hard copy)
• Other references (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Joseph Smith, Mormon Doctrine, etc.)
• Something to write with

1. Do basic research on the topic you have been given. If you have not been given a topic, choose one from the Topical Guide in your scriptures under the heading “Jesus Christ.”

2. Using the Topical Guide or some other reference (Ensign articles online, teachings of the prophets, etc.) find supporting scriptures and quotes on your topic.

3. Use a story from the life of Jesus or the lives of prophets to illustrate your topic.

4. If appropriate, share one brief, heartfelt personal experience or family experience that relates to the topic.

5. Bear your testimony to close.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice your talk at least twice (to the mirror or to someone else) so that you know it and feel comfortable with it.
• Reading conference talks can give you a good feel of how a well-written talk is organized.
• Unless you’ve been given more time, keep your talk under 10 minutes.
• Avoid lengthy lists of your personal problems and life stories.

[heartensoul4u]

on 3/17/2008 Step #4 is the best advice I've heard on the subject! There is nothing worse than covering too much material. Love your brevity on this one!

[krndpx]

on 1/20/2008 You forgot step one: pray fervently to Heavenly Father for guidance in selecting and preparing your talk. For me, knowing what I am going to talk on is His will takes a lot of the fear out of the assignment.