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.
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| 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.
I find that a lot of the time when we really know a speaker before we hear them we value them more and trust what they are saying more. It is interesting because we see this in instances concerning celebrities too. When we feel like we've gotten to know a celebrity through their performances, writing, speeches, etc. we are more willing to listen and consider what they are claiming.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of how Preach my Gospel encourages missionaries to ask effective questions. While in a public speaking setting the audience may not be able to answer these questions allowed, the introspection and contemplation that questions can spark allow people to learn different things from the same message.
ReplyDelete