Brother Miller

Brother Miller was a former bishop, nearly retired caucasian 7th grade English teacher with an afro. He was very well spoken, and his grammar was impeccable, but something set him apart from all of the other “old” people of the ward. He got along best with those nearly a fifth his age. He wasn’t afraid to have fun, but at the same time, know when it was time to be serious. I have the privilege of to this day calling “Bro Mill”, as he likes to be called, one of my best friends.

He showed me that there are a lot of boring people out there and that there is nothing wrong with having fun and cracking jokes. I don’t want to be bored by someone to stand up there and read at me. We both like interactions, and when all we are doing is reading from a manual or rehashing word for word some already before given talk in sacrament things end up going down hill pretty fast. I feel that all to often people fall into this rut and don’t realize it, but end up justifying it because it’s spiritual. We don’t have to be crying to feel the spirit.

This being said, how does this translate to speeches or talks. Bro Mill would catch my attention and make me laugh almost immediately so I would give him my complete attention. Most often this is done through a sarcastic comment, a subtle joke, not a lame one, or through the telling of a great story with lots of embellishments but that still actually applies to something. Then I would be hooked for the rest of what he had to say and would end up learning something from him every time he spoke.

Curious Traditions of Mormon Oratory

“Hello, my name is Sister Jones*, and last week the bishop texted me (called me, cornered me, etc…) to ask me to speak on faith. I really didn’t want to at first, but…” And so the intro goes. It’s an interesting phenomenon, the seemingly requisite sacrament meeting introduction. Yet I’ve never seen precedent for this unusual manner of speaking in any other forum, be it a professional presentation, a general conference sermon, or a university lecture. Despite this, it seems that a Sunday cannot pass without this perfunctory prologue.

Last month, as I sat in a church meeting, the opening speaker began her talk in this manner. That alone isn’t enough to stop me from trying to understand the message she was trying to convey, but once she threw in a smattering of “likes” and “ums” I started to check out. Try as I might, I couldn’t help but wonder if her husband would struggle with the same mannerisms.

Once she had finished speaking, her husband confidently stood up. He smiled and began straight into a story. It was one I had heard previously in general conference. And yet, he told the story in his own words, not reading from the page with his head down, as some are wont to do. There was not a hesitant or apologetic nature to his sermon, and he spoke with conviction and inflection. Perhaps it was the contrast between husband and wife, but that day I saw the importance of confidence and directness in effective speaking.

*names have been changed

Learning From Stories

Car rides to school my senior year of high school usually consisted of my sisters, sophomores at the time, hurriedly putting on makeup, music playing in the background, while I drove. This routine changed to one of listening to one of the greatest story tellers I have ever heard after a trip to Portland, Oregon one day. 

My Mom and brother came with me  on this trip to and hear quite a few speakers at Best of EFY. One of these speakers was Hank Smith. I enjoyed his address a lot, but didn't

think much of it later on.

When we arrived home, my Mom did some research and found that he had released a series of his talks on CDs. They are all live recordings of an address he has given in front of an audience. My sisters and I started to listen to those CDs on our way to school. Even though I couldn't physically see Hank Smith speaking to me, his use of stories brought principles to life for both my sisters and I. His stories didn't leave us wishing for additional details, he always included a very in depth description of people, his surroundings, and his emotions at that time. By being so descriptive I felt myself immersed in these stories and connected to the people he was speaking about. He made a strong relation between the stories he was telling and the principles he was trying to teach.

I learned so much from Hank Smith that year, all because he really knew how to tell a story.

Messages of Faith, Love, and Personality

There is a man who was a family friend who lived down the street from me growing up. He called (and still to this day calls) me “Lizzy Lou”—my favorite nickname of my childhood, and one that is associated with endearment. I have always looked up to this man, and then he became my bishop, and now currently serves as the Stake President of my home stake. This man is a wonderful man, and because I know this, I pay close attention to his words when he speaks. I know that he has a message prepared for me, and that it is directed by the spirit.

Canyon View Stake Center

On numerous occasions his talks have included similar items that truly help me to listen, understand, and grapple with life messages that need to be applied to me personally. He asks questions—and only answers some of them. Other questions he leaves unanswered, for us to do the work to find the answers that best suit us. He tells stories; stories that leave me captivated, hanging on every word; and stories that dig into my soul and find similar events that are going on in my life. His stories accompanied with his testimony of love and faith, have a way of getting more than one message across. Another aspect dealing with his presentation, is on occasion he will let a tear or two slip. When he shows emotion, it shows power. It shows the power of the Holy Ghost testifying of the principle or truth of which he is speaking. He is not a blubbering baby who is hard to understand. He is a strong, faithful man, who has a pure and steady testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His questions, stories, and emotions bring power to his addresses, and I’m sure help more people in the audience than just me.

-Lizzy S.