Tone and Message Depending on Audience: Elder Russell M. Nelson

Depending on the audience of the conference Elder Russell M. Nelson, a leader in the LDS faith, uses a different tone and style. In “Ask the Missionaries! They can help you!” (October 2012) he is talking to those not very familiar with the church so his tone is very helpful and simple. In "Sustaining the Prophet " (October 2014) he is speaking to the church so he does not explain as much the vocabulary. 

In October 2012 there was a change in our church policy. The age in which missionaries could start their 2 year service changed to 18 for young men and 19 for young women. In light of the news of the age change for missionaries, he spoke in October 2012 to people learning about the church and also as a secondary audience, he instructed the missionaries on what they needed to do. In this talk he has a very simple form to his talk and definitely easy to follow. He lists the things that the missionaries can help people with, he is focused on the nonmembers but if members need help they can ask the missionaries as well. With each topic he either tells a story or expounds a little on that then moves on. In the end he shares his testimony or his beliefs and that is the end of his talk. It was not a complex message but it had a big influence on the church. He repeated, “ask the missionaries” so many times that people remembered it afterwards. If there is anything that people want to know the missionaries are their first option.

In comparison, Elder Nelson’s talk about sustaining the prophet, was catered toward members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Comparing this talk and the former, he did not have the tone as if he were talking to investigators or converts.  In this talk he uses many quotes by previous prophets, pictures of prophets, and a personal story of how he followed the counsel of the prophets. I believe he used the same slow voice when he talked which may be a result of his days as a doctor consoling patients. Because of his background as a world renowned surgeon, it is not surprising that he speaks with such care and love. He spoke as one of the audience saying "this gives us confidence" compared to speaking to the nonmembers or new members. In this talk he was more focused on hard doctrine and evidence with a strong testimony of the prophet. It was not as memorable with no catch phrase like “ask the missionaries” but his testimony is strong.