Worth Recalling...

A few weeks ago I gave a talk at the Saturday night session of stake conference. My topic was Receiving and Recognizing Revelation and Inspiration in our Callings...not a light-weight topic, for sure.

To start out my talk, however, I decided to fall back on my public speaking know-how and began with a funny story...and it went as follows:

"A few days after President Archibald asked me to speak for conference, before institute started, he, me and Sister Cole were talking and he mentioned that he had ruined my night by asking me to speak...and then informed Sister Cole that my topic was 'Why I am not Married Yet'...(a bit of laughter)...and that I had 2 to 3 minutes to explain...(large round of laughter)...

"However fascinating that topic might be, I am afraid it wouldn't be very spiritually enlightening, (some laughter) so I am going to stick with the topic he really gave me."

I then gave my talk...it was a good talk, I think...to the point, somewhat interesting...but afterwards I am afraid that I did not accomplish what really needed to be accomplished, which was to deliver my topic so that those listening would remember what my real topic was in the first place. The reason why I say that is because of what occurred afterwards.

I had a number of people come up and say something to the effect of 'good talk, great job, etc.' Only one person came up to me who I knew really heard my talk.

But I had 4 people come up to me and inform me that they all had sons...about my age, returned missionaries, etc., etc...

AND I had one lady give me a four point plan as to how to get an eternal companion...I kid you not. It was all I could do to contain myself...

Now, just in case this wonderful sister actually has found my blog and reads it, I really do appreciate your advice, and I am so glad it worked for you and that it seems to have worked for others. I just enjoy finding humor in many things, and I definitely found it in this...you aren't the first to give me advice in such a format, and I firmly believe that if I continue to do what is good and right that hopefully one day I will find someone else who is doing that too and would like to hang out with me for eternity...and that it doesn't just take a 4 point plan.

Thankfully, that weekend was the extent of the 'I have a son' phase...but I really need to rethink how to start out my talks so that if I tell a joke or a funny story, it really has something to do with the topic of the talk...