Have you got an event coming up and need to prepare what you or your speaker will say? Are you struggling to know where to start? Take a deep breath and keep reading on as we have some helpful information for you. Here are some practical tips for preparing a Christian talk.
1. Be focused and sharp rather than too broad
Make your main point clear and simple. Remember the phrase K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid)! At the end of the day, an audience will not engage with a speaker who rambles on or uses excessive fancy words.
It's very effective to make 3 clear points during your talk. This is especially helpful for your listeners as it gives them something to follow and digest. It's also helpful for you, as you can systematically work your way through.
2. Make it personal
Stories from your personal experience can be powerful. Just try to make sure they’re relevant, illuminating and succinct. If you begin your talk with a story, this is very likely to immediately capture your audience’s attention.
Sharing your personal experiences will help your audience to connect with you. In turn, they will be much more responsive to what you’re saying.
3. Keep it engaging
Consider leaving time for Q&A, group work or reflection. Don’t make it a one-way conversation! This will draw people in as they feel included and a part of the session.
Videos, printed materials like worksheets and quizzes, and sometimes slides can help here too which brings us to our next tip.
4. Only use pictures in your PowerPoint
When preparing a talk it's tempting to put together a slideshow summarising your talking points. However, most people find it very distracting to read text while listening, so this will not help.
Pictures paint a thousand words so use images to get your point across. This will be engaging to your listeners and will not distract them from your message.
5. Know your audience
It's all very well coming up with an interesting talk, but unless it's carefully written for your audience, it will likely go over some people's heads.
Your audience will determine what main talking points, personal stories and jokes you decide to use. So, make sure you're aware of who will be listening and how best to engage them.
Whether you're leading a session yourself or writing content for another speaker, it's a big responsibility to come up with topic material. We hope this was helpful and you feel inspired. Now it's time to find a speaker!
We are a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to serving churches, Christian organisations and charities by providing them with a space to meet. Our large conference centres host a full range of events.
