Elder Neil A. Anderson: Keeping Media While Revising Delivery

Elder Neil A. Anderson recently gave a talk entitled "Joseph Smith" at the October 2014, Saturday Afternoon session of General Conference. In General Conference, the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints come together and offer spiritual counsel to church members in meetings broadcasted around the world. I decided to compare his October 2014 talk with his "What Thinks Christ of Me?" from the April 2012 session. Elder Anderson is the Executive Director of the Church Audiovisual Department, so it is no surprise that he incorporates visual aides in his talks.

October 2014:

April 2012:

Elder Anderson starts off both talks with a story taken from the lives of Latter-day saints. He uses pictures to supplement the stories he tells. Powerful personal stories combined with images help the audience to comprehend his message and more easily remember it. Also, the pictures of the people in his stories—a smiling boy in Haiti or the Prophet Joseph Smith—allow the audience to more personally connect with the anecdotes. He is not informing them of the struggles and experiences of faceless strangers, but of their brothers and sisters in the gospel. The use of images also helps the younger members of the church. Little children sitting through the hours of conference struggle to pay attention to messages that are often above their ability to comprehend. Pictures are easy to understand regardless of age. In this way, Elder Anderson exhibited his consideration of all his audience—not just the adults.

A key difference between the two talks is the amount of movement. In the April 2012 sermon, there is one portion in particular where he changes the direction he faces after every phrase. This, along with his hand motions, stole the focus of the audience. His physical mannerisms distracted from the message in all its beauty and importance. In contrast, Elder Anderson remained relatively still throughout his October 2014 talk. This allowed the audience to concentrate on the spiritual teachings rather than the physical actions. His lack of fidgeting and constant hand motions conveyed a sense of confidence and assurance. Movement can sometimes suggest a sense of nervousness and agitation on the part of the speaker. Therefore, Elder Anderson’s calm and stillness developed his ethos. He was poised and sure of his message, garnering the respect and attention of the audience.