Comments on: Things We Ought to Bring Back: Speech Training

By: Floyd the Wonderdog

Floyd the Wonderdog — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:24:50 +0000

Our Stake President instituted training for High Councilors. Not just speaking, but all aspects of the calling. As a result, members actually look forward to HC speakers and we are mor confident in our callings.

On the downside, our Bishop has instituted use of conference talks as topics for Sacrament Meeting talks. As a result the speaker typically reads us the talk. I’ve already heard conference and read the talks, so I take the topic and write my own talk.

The High Priest “Teachings for Our Time” lesson is a re-reading of a conference talk. I use my calling as an excuse to attend the Elder’s Quorum that week. They actually prepare a lesson.

When I was bishop we gave the youth public speaking instruction given by an English Professor. The youth were excited to speak in church. Unfortunately following administrations have assumed that the ability just magically appeared in the youth. Sad.

By: Michelle Glauser

Michelle Glauser — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:32:11 +0000

Wow, just think how much better our essay writing would be if we’d had this training at church.

By: bfwebster

bfwebster — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:40:39 +0000

Speaking of former training that is no longer done — I had the advantage of being called (as a student) into the Teacher Development Class my senior year of HS (1970-71). It was a very rigorous 12-week program that included a few weeks of student teaching. Our teacher was our former bishop — and he accepted no excuses whatsoever for missing any of the 12 lessons. The materials were a thick notebook. It was a great class.

After graduating from high school and going off to BYU, I was called to be the Teacher Development instructor for my BYU student ward and did that all through my freshman year.

I credit those two experiences for whatever skill I have as a teacher. Unfortunately, the quarterly “teacher development” meetings that the Church now holds just aren’t enough. ..bruce..

By: Bored in Vernal

Bored in Vernal — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:39:24 +0000

Queuno, I agree that Seminary teachers need to already be good. But the training really depends on your coordinator. I’ve had some very competent ones, who have improved the quality of teaching demonstrably.

By: Bored in Vernal

Bored in Vernal — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:37:31 +0000

When DH and I were young married students at BYU we used to drive the 7 hours to Las Vegas to visit his family. En route, we gave each other topics and presented 10 minute impromptu talks to each other. I think all the practice is why I don’t fear giving talks today.

I’d love to see more training and better-prepared talks in the Church. I really liked Ivan Wolfe’s series, it was quite helpful.

By: queuno

queuno — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:14:24 +0000

There are certain callings that require certain non-gospel skills. Pianist. Technology specialist. Financial clerk. Scouting (I would contend).

It may be great to develop these skills outside of a calling (I remember my home ward doing extensive organist training for youth with piano skills, to develop future organists). But for those particular callings, you can’t learn on the job.

Seminary teachers, for example, need to be demonstrably good teachers already. (Because heavens, we know CES doesn’t develop ‘em!)

By: queuno

queuno — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:10:14 +0000

The local council provides plenty of good training for adult Scout leaders. They have to be willing to show up for it, however.

I’ll stand by my statement that the Church needs to do a better job of training scouters.

Local councils and districts assume you’re in it for the long haul. They assume you’ll take Irving’s word as law, not Salt Lake’s. They don’t necessarily understand the peculiarities of LDS Scouting (this is not a place to debate these, although we do need to recognize that they exist).

The Church needs to augment BSA with Church-specific instruction on how to do Scouting, in the Church. You end up with new leaders who are torn between the helpful BSA people and the not-so-helpful Church people (whose program he has to follow, anyway).

I’m queuno, and I’m a scarred, yet recovered, ex-Mormon (Cub) Scouter.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:01:25 +0000

There are quite a few music handbooks and ward music specialist manuals lying around the library — I’ll see what we used to do to teach song leaders, accompanists, and congregations to sing, and maybe that will give us some new ideas, along with the ones you-all can share.

By: Researcher

Researcher — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:42:28 +0000

We were just the opposite yesterday with the music, BruceC; I kept trying to speed things up and the chorister kept trying to slow things down. I don’t know if she realizes she’s doing it, so I tend to ignore her and try my hardest to keep the tempo to the top of the range.

It’s tough since congregations tend to drag, and so keeping the organ up to tempo is like swimming upstream.

The number one organist’s trick (that I know) for getting the congregation up to speed is to play several measures staccato, but I don’t like doing that too frequently (and never during the sacrament), and I don’t like to seem like I am fighting with the chorister, either, so I usually compromise, which usually ends with the song a little slower than it should be.

And if the chorister doesn’t know how to start the song or does a big long pause between each verse… aargghhh!!

(Probably more than you wanted to know!)

By: Maurine

Maurine — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:38:03 +0000

Dane wrote,
“we never call a person to serve in a musical calling unless that person has some musical background.” That may be true, but over and over I see people called to music positions where they can only fail miserably. Our ward has called several people to be choir pianist, who are beginning pianists, and who can’t begin to accompany the choir. I have seen these poor sisters break into tears in the middle of choir practice. Years ago, my daughter was called to be the Primary pianist. When she told the bishop that she didn’t play that well (she didn’t!) he told her not to be so modest, of course she could play because her mom taught piano. After a month of total stress, the Primary president asked her if it would be ok to release her. That’s how bad it was. Ardis, maybe you need to do a session on music.