If You Were A Bro(tm) Did You Enjoy The Prestiage Of Giving A Talk? Do You Miss It?

by LoisLane looking for Superman 41 Replies latest jw friends

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  krejames

  I got very nervous. Once I got down to it I used to love the preparation and "research" (I use that term loosely) because I would make it my personal challenge to make whatever material it was feel like a warm hug to the congregation. I would always get compliments on my items and that gave me a buzz if I'm honest.

  What I absolutely hated was doing the announcements. I never understood how some brothers managed to string it out for 15 minutes or whatever. I would just say the announcements and get off the platform. One day the PO came up to me after the meeting and said to me that if there weren't enough announcements I should do the day's text with the congregation. Can you imagine?! I mentioned this to another elder and he said, "don't bother - no one's going to complain if the meeting finishes early for once". hehe. They don't have any announcements these days.
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  NewYork44M

  There is something very special about being able to stand up in front of a group and talk. This is one aspect of my association with the CULT that defined my future. I am now a college professor and lecturer for numerous professional and academic groups.

  While I hate to admit it, my experience giving talks as a witness has helped me as I have developed a unique style of public speaking.

  As a side note I was introducing a doctor for a lecture and inadvertently got into my cult mode and presented him as "brother" xx. Fortunately, I did not start off with prayer.
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  losingit

  NY44M -- that speaker must have felt loved! Lol
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  Band on the Run

  LoisLane,

  I so much wanted to give a talk! My brother was younger and he could. I found the format for sisters to be awkward in the Ministry school. Because of intense nerves, I memorized my presentations. The householder sister invariably blew her lines and threw me off. Ministry School intefered with school work.

  My brother could do just about anything to acclaim b/c he was male. They were desperately in need of brothers. We had so many more sisters. The competition for brothers was intense. The first time I did Ministry School at ten or eleven I had a cold and lost my voice. The entire KH laughed at me. Perhaps it was funny but not to a child striving to please.

  The funny thing is that in my family the women wrote the talks. My mom wrote for my father. My uncle's were written by my aunt. Mom wrote my brother's. They were more literate and understood doctrine more.

  I loved school b/c I had an equal chance. The teacher called on both sexes. I've been out so long that this is funny. The best time was immediately after a MS presentation b/c it was the longest period until worrying about the next one.

  My teachers were concerned b/c they noticed my lack of concentration and terror.
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  LoisLane looking for Superman

  Thank you ALL for sharing your Agonies and Ecstasy's and how we made it through...

  To live another day... lol

  When I was 10, I thought this time, I won't use a full manuscript, I'll use a brief outline, after all I had been giving student talks for a year now. lol

  This was back when us Girls, had 6 minutes for our talks. I bombed out after 3 1/2 and my householder and I had to go sit down.

  I felt humiliated. This was up front, not in a second school.

  I can still see me doing this. The dress I wore, the style of my hair.

  After that, I memorized my talk AND went up there with a full manuscript and felt good,

  as I usually never even had to glance at it, but it gave me confidence to have it there.

  What good little boys and girls we were.

  What great men and women we are.

  And to think, we all made that journey together, and together, we are ALL out! (Mentally, if not able to be physically out, yet)

  LoisLane
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  Terry

  The natural ability of the brother preparing the talk and giving it had alot to do with the psychology of "enjoyment."

  I know plenty of guys who sweat bullets. Of course, there were some pompous speakers who loved the sound of their own voice.

  The best speakers were usually Circuit Servants. But then, they were minor celebrities with an eager listening audience.

  At first, I had little confidence. In fact, I would memorize every word before I gave a talk.

  Then, I discovered something about myself I had not considered previously and it freed me up to start giving much better talks.

  I realized, if I UNDERSTOOD the information I could cover the material with freshness and active thought while speaking.

  That really freed me!

  I could work up an hour talk for Sunday with only about an hour's work instead of hours and hours of memorization!

  I'll never forget feeling very guilty about being highly praised for my talk, "How Practical is the Search for Wealth", delivered before the Watch Tower study.

  One brother said to me, "That must have taken you weeks of work! How long DID you work on it, brother Walstrom?"

  I simply couldn't tell him, "Awww, that was nothing--I'm just using my own extemporaneous ideas around the core idea."

  So, I just shook my head and said something other such as, "I really couldn't say for sure."

  I was such a shy teen and young adult, I can credit more improvement to my observation of talented people with outgoing personalities than

  anything taught in the Theocratic Ministry school.

  There were two brothers in prison with me who became models for imitation. Brother Danny Beene and brother Tollie Padgett had extraordinary luminosity

  and friendliness in their personalities. I watched them, imitated them and became them! Fake it till you make it!

  Personality and intelligence are much more important qualities than simple knowledge of speaking skills.

  Once you know how to use whatever skills you possess--then and only then does it become delightful to get up in front of people and watch their faces

  as you deliver information. (Or, should I say: propaganda.)
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  Separation of Powers

  Like alot of you, I enjoyed giving talks and did so for many years at every level. I was always taught the need to "not waste people's time." I took pride in dissecting the information. I spoke to the audience with the authority of someone who took the information seriously and saw the importance of it in their own life. Although I received many accolades for my ability, I only felt satisfied when someone mentioned a particular point that affected them or touched their heart.

  I don't give talks anymore...out of choice. I do miss the idea of being used by the holy spirit and for just one minute helping someone recognize how they are unique in God's sight, that someone cares for them, that life is worth living, that Jesus did everything that needs to be done for your salvation, all of those things that I thought made the person more of an individual than part of the collective.

  I am dismayed by the utter lack of effort made by most of the brothers I hear nowadays. The brothers with the dramatic voices that would be better off reading audio books then giving talks. The burnt out elders that use the same illustrations or stories. The brothers who read from the outline or go over every point, not making any formal application of it. It is obvious to me that they simply don't care that they "waste my time." Shoot, give me the outline and let me read it to myself! At least, that way, I don't have to get dressed up and put on a tie!

  SOP
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  3rdgen

  Fulltimestudent, Your story absolutely takes the cake. I almost did a spit take with my coffee picturing that burly school overseer in drag with bad make-up and wig with his wife giviving a talk acting like nothing is weird!!! Hahahahahah He even stuffed his dress to look like boobs. I wish I could have seen it! I also wish I could have been there for the reeming he got from the Cong. Servant!
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  Glander

  Hoser - "... The only thrill I get is when someone comes up after to tell me how great my talk was... asking them what point they really enjoyed. blank stare. lol Then I say you obviously weren't paying attention if you can't remember what it was about."

  I knew elders who would pull that old chestnut on well meaning people who went to the trouble to tell the speaker they enjoyed the talk.

  It was a prick response and a good indicator that he had a big ego.
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  Aunt Fancy

  I always hated giving talks and finally I would get a terrible explosive headache before giving them so I stopped years ago. I didn't mind being a householder though. My husband on the other hand enjoyed it and did a lot of research to make it interesting, he was an excellent speaker.

  He was a born in and the very first time he gave a talk he was around 8-10 years old and the talk was about masterbation. He kept telling his mom that he didn't want to do it but she wouldn't give in. When he gave the talk it fell apart because he was so embarrassed. It just shows you how weird some of these brothers are. Why in the world would you give a child a talk about masterbation. It is bad enough that they give sex talks to an audience full of children but then to assign it to a child is down right stupid.