Do not go overtime.Īt this point if not before, arrange your material in logical sequence. It is better to convey a few points that are of real value to the audience and to do that well. If you try to cover too much, you will have to speak too fast and your coverage will be shallow. If some of the information does not fit any of your main points, discard it-even if it is very interesting-or put it in a file for use on another occasion. Put each item under the main point to which it belongs. When you choose scriptures to support the main points, note ideas that will help you to reason on those texts in a meaningful way. Select details that will add freshness to your presentation. Decide what directly relates to your main points. Once you have your theme and the main points in mind, organize your research material. The fewer the main points, the more likely your audience will remember them. How many main points should there be? Perhaps two are enough for a short discussion, and usually five are sufficient for even an hour-long discourse. These will become your framework, your basic outline. Identify the main points that you need to discuss in order to develop your theme and achieve your objective. In most cases you will soon have more material than you can use, so you will need to be selective. Be realistic in the amount of research that you do.
Do not settle for generalities, but search for specific points that are informative and truly helpful. Look for material that will be of particular value to your audience. Keep reminding yourself of it as you prepare.Īfter you have determined your objective and have selected a theme consistent with it (or analyzed how your assigned theme fits in with that objective), you can do research that is more focused.
When your objective takes shape, write it down. By keeping your mind open, you will often get fresh ideas.Īs you take these steps, keep asking yourself: ‘Why is this material important to my audience? What is my objective?’ It should be not just to cover material or to give a colorful talk but to accomplish something beneficial for your audience. Before doing so, however, you may find it helpful to do some research. If you are assigned only a subject, then it will be up to you to choose the theme. If you are to develop the assigned theme on the basis of published material, study that material with the theme in mind. If a theme is assigned, analyze each main word carefully. It is the central idea that you want to convey, and it indicates the angle from which you plan to discuss your subject. Your theme is not merely a broad subject such as might be represented by a single word.
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