Avoid "Pud-ing" around

When you are giving a talk or a speech, do you find yourself falling into the P.U.D trap?
P-Pauses that show uncertainty or
U-Uhm's that distract your audience or
D-Double words that sound like you are stuttering.

We need to avoid doing this because it is distracting in a speech.  We don't want people to walk away from our talking counting how many uhms we said in our talk.  We want them to have a good take-away message.  And how are we going to send that good message with them.  Elder Nelson gave a good talk a few years ago titled, "Ask the Missionaries! They can help you! This was a great talk.  He kept repeating that phrase over and over throughout his talk.  You can't help but remember it because it was said so often.  Another great talk is by Elder Uchtdorf, a talk that he has become known for. Forget Me Not is a talk that I think most of us remember.  Elder Uchtdorf was able to create an image with these simple little flowers and had some great things to say for each of the five petals it has.  These are 2 great talks that can serve as a good reminder. 

You also need to be very conscious of the time you are given to prepare.  You should fill the whole time without going over.  As soon as you go over your lose your audiences attention.  Be considerate of them and their time.  Become the expert on your subject.  The more you research and know the better prepared you will be for your speaking assignment.  You have to adapt the message to your audience.  Make sure that you have the right material.  The audience is making judgements of you before you even get up and speak.  You need to do something to draw them in, even if it is just a smile.  You need to have a strong introduction and conclusion.  Make sure that your speech is from credible sources. 

Another good example of good speakers are those that speak at Time Out For Women.  They have such of way of making you laugh one minute and then turning it around and making you cry in the next moment.  Hillary Weeks has come to the several Time Out For Women conferences that I have been to.  Both times she shares this video Beautiful Heartbreak.  This is a great video and is a tear jerker every time. I'm also reminded of going to EFY one summer with my sister.  The director taught us all a song about scripture reading it goes like this:
I read my scriptures every day;
Scripture reading is the way,
To have him with me every hour.
I face the world with scripture power.
This is a simple little song.  He made us learn it the first day.  And then we we came together as a group again later that day, he made us sing it again. We were all a little bashful and shy about singing this.  Well he kept doing this every time we were together. By the end of the week we all belted this little song out at the top of our lungs.  This was also a good take-away message because 20 years later I'm still remember it and am singing it to my kids. 

This week was a good reminder on how to deliver a good speech/talk.  If we practice all of these things we will connect better with our audience.  Hopefully they will take something away to be remembered 20 years later.  I need to practice these little bits of advice for future callings in the church that I know I will have.  My patriarchal blessing is pretty specific on things to come in my life.