How To Stick Out in the Stack.

New Experiences

As some of you may know, I began a new job a few weeks back.  I work for a human resources company that offers staffing and HR resources for companies throughout the western United States as well as select locations on the east coast. 

This experience has opened my eyes to many things that I thought I knew.  Several of these revolve around the recruiting and hiring process.



Photo courtesy of bionicteaching, Some Rights Reserved

Resumes

I wanted to share with you one thing that I thought I was fairly competent in two weeks ago, but have since learned volumes about...resumes.

I have taken classes that taught how to write resumes, I have scoured websites, read blog posts and books and thought I had a fair handle on resume writing--after all, my high school business teacher used my resume as an example for like 6 years after I graduated!!

Yeah, not so much!

So here's when I realized exactly what is important in a resume: When I was on the other side of the table, reading 70+ resumes and trying to narrow them down to 4-5 that we would interview for an advertised position. 

In my few weeks at this job, we average 10-20 new applicants a day--that isn't counting emailed or mailed resumes, simply those people who physically walk into our branch office and fill out an application.  This may be more than most small businesses get, but here's the point:  The economy is tough and there is a lot of competion when you apply for a job. 


Here are four suggestions to help your resume stick out in the stack of resumes on the HR manager's desk:

1.     Don't Stretch.  Recruiters will often advertise for positions and not list the company for which you are actually applying.  If this is the case, do not, I repeat, do not use phrases like "I have wanted to work for your company for some time." or "I have great respect for your company and what you stand for".  Such phrases, when obviously not true or disingenuous, immediately turn off those reviewing your resume. 

If you do know the company, and honestly respect them, by all means, say so, but make sure it comes across as genuine...if they know it's just a tactic, it will fail every single time.   

2.     Job History.  As proud as you are of your job history, focus more on your skills than the jobs themselves.  If I am looking for a Customer Service Rep and you list your jobs prominently at the beginning of your resume as "Cashier", "Head Waiter" and "Construction Foreman" you will have painted a picture of who you are in my mind.  This picture may or may not be accurate, but it is still there.  You may actually be a great fit for the Customer Service Rep, but with dozens of resumes to review, you'll be passed up for someone else with job titles like "Bank Teller", "Administrative Assistant" and "Regional Sales Manager". 

How do you avoid this?  Focus on your skills.  List the skills you have acquired from being a cashier or construction foreman that will apply to a Customer Service position.  Skills like resolving customer concerns, assisting clients in making informed decisions, and setting and achieving goals and budgets.  This allows the recruiter or HR personnel to paint a picture in their mind of you fitting what they are looking for, rather than a picture of the person they think holds the job titles you listed.

3.     Don't put Objectives.  I'm going to be straight up, and this might make my high school business teacher mad at me, but...whoever came up with the idea of putting an objective at the beginning of a resume was completely stupid and never had to read through a stack of resumes!!!

When I read:

"Objective: To gain employment with a reputable company with good values where I can utilize my skills, grow as a person and have opportunities for growth."
 

Do you know what I think? NEXT!! 

Do you know why? Because I when I read that I hear:

"Its all about me, I want a company that will be fair to me, that will cater to my skills, spend their time and money to develop me into a better person and give me raises and promotions (or I will take the training they provided and go somewhere else that suits me)".
 

Even if you mean every word of your objective there are at least two reasons it's a bad idea. 1. The person reviewing your resume is busy, they aren't your mother and therefore don't have time to find out about your life's ambitions.  2. It makes you appear self centered (even if you aren't) and they are looking to fill a need they have, not a need you have.   So just delete the objective.

4.     Prove it.  My mentor showed me his resume the other day.  At the very top of his resume he listed "Achievements".  He has been interviewing people for employment for probably 15-20 years.  He said that the Achievements say all he needs to know about a person.  What have you done with your life?  "The proof's in the puddin'." , so to speak. 

And he didnt just list career achievements like "Took office revenue from $4 million to $10 million" He put things like "Married 20 years with 5 children", "Eagle Scout and Boy Scout Troup Leader", "President of local youth football league.", "Active member of Rotary International".  

Listing achievements from your business and personal life, volunteering and hobbies will say more about who you are to a hiring executive than any statements about how trustworthy, hard-working and considerate you may be.  Your achievements--business and otherwise--speak volumes.  Don't tell them who you are, show them through your accomplishments.

These are just a few impressions I have had from sitting on the other end of a resume.  I'm sure I'll come up with more, and when I do, I hope you'll indulge me when I share them. 

Take what you can use from this, "round file" the rest. 

But know this: If your resume doesn't stand out, you won't get an interview.  And if you don't get an interview, it's real hard to get hired, even if you're the most qualified person in your area code!

Question:  What will you do to improve your resume in the next few weeks?



If you find value in these posts, please share them with your friends, family and collegues. 

Twitter: @Skropp2

Saturday Morning Session

Speakers

President Thomas S. Monson - Prophet (New Temples and missionary ages)
Elder Quentin L. Cook - Quorum of the Twelve (Pornography/sexual misconduct)
Sister Ann M. Dibb - Young Womens General Presidency (Im a Mormon. I know it. I live it. I love it.)
Elder Craig C. Christensen - Quorum of the Seventy (Holy Ghost)
Elder Shayne M. Bowen - Quorum of the Seventy (To those who have lost a child)
Elder Russell M. Nelson - Quorum of the Twelve (Ask the Missionaries!)
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf - First Presidency (busyness/regrets/happiness)

Talk that you MUST watch

Elder Russell M. Nelson and Elder Shayne M. Bowen's talks tie for my talks that you must watch!  Elder Bowen spoke to those who had lost a child.  It was a very touching talk and not something that is addressed very often in a place like conference. 
Elder Nelson spoke about missionaries and missionary work.  I loved his point that you can ask the missionaries for whatever you need (within reason, of course)

Favorite Quote

"Declaring our testimony of the Gospel is good. But being a living example of the Restored Gospel is better." ~President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Notes

New Temples Announced - Tuscon, AZ and Peru
Young Men may now begin missionary service at 18.
Young Women may begin missionary service at age 19.

 

General Thoughts About the Session

What a great session of conference (is there any other kind??)!  The HUGE news was that the ages for missionary service were changed, from 19 to 18 for Elders and from 21 to 19 for Sisters.  Twitter was exploding with young people excited about being able to serve earlier! I even saw one bishop tweet that he just got his first text from a young man asking to start his mission papers!  That is awesome.
Sister Ann Dibb's talk was fantastic.  I love the question of "What would you write on your tshirt to describe your values?" Isnt that essentially what we do through our actions?
Twitter also was having a great time with Elder Nelson's talk about missionaries.  People began joking, one person tweeted, "Want some bacon? Ask the missionaries!" But the sentiment is true, the Elders and Sisters are sooo willing to help with whatever, be it, answering a question or performing service.
I was also impacted by Pres. Uchtdorf's comment about busy-ness.  It's so easy to get caught up in al that we have to do, so that we forget to do the really important things!
I highly recommend watching this session.  It will be up on www.lds.org to view probably within a day, and transcripts are usually up within a week. 

The next session of Conference begins at 2pm MST today.  Check it out! www.byutv.org,  www.lds.org, or BYUTV on satellite.

Click here to view these talks individually or the entire session.

Follow me on twitter @Skropp2 and the hash tag #ldsconf as well. 

I will have another summary of the afternoon session posted later today!

Get Behind the Wheel

A large portion of my job is hauling equipment with a truck and trailer. It's not uncommon for me to spend 4-6 hours a day driving.



My truck, trailer and machine at work

I've learned there is a lot about driving truck that can be applied to business and leadership.

Allow me to explain:

Look Ahead

Semi's are big, and they weigh A LOT when loaded. My weight is usually around 85,000 lbs. You can't stop over 40 tons like you can stop a little family sedan.

When you drive truck you've got to look a long ways ahead of you. You have to know where to turn, what lane to be in, what traffic is doing, what stop lights are doing, and a million other things.

Likewise, in leadership and business, we can't look at only what is happening now. We've gotta keep an eye on what's going down the road. If we fail to look and plan ahead, sooner or later the full weight of our business will crash and burn. Plan ahead.

Look Behind

As important as looking ahead is looking behind you. Watching what's behind you helps you plan as well. It's important to see that little sports car coming up quick in the other lane, or the idiot in the 4x4 that is so close to your trailer you think you're actually towing him.

In business, looking behind you and recognizing mistakes or areas for adjustment will also help you avoid a future crash.

Accept Help

Fun fact: Next time you're on the interstate watch for this:

When one semi passes another, the semi being passed will often either hit his high beams, or turn his headlights on and off to let the other semi know he is clear to move back into the right lane.

Driving a truck and trailer makes it difficult sometimes to judge when the tail end of your trailer is past the truck you're passing. This gesture is extremely helpful!

As a "thank you" you will see the truck that has just passed flip on his hazard lights, or turn his clearance lights on and off a couple times.

These are nearly universal signs used by upwards of 90% of trucks.

As we travel down the road in our business take notice of the suggestions and insights of others. They often have a different view than you do that will help you avoid misjudging a situation that could cost you a lot of time, money and frustration.

Take the Wheel

So next time you're driving and you see one of those asphalt cowboys, take notes! They just might teach you something that'll lead to a huge payload in your leadership!



Question: What can you learn about leadership from your commute and/or travel?



If you you enjoy these posts, please share them in your social circles.

Twitter: @Skropp2

Gathering Your Thoughts When You Have No Idea

Cool Ideas

 If you're like me, you get some way cool ideas on a fairly frequent basis...
 
What!!? You don't?
 
Ooohhh, let me guess,

 

You're one of THOSE people that thinks that everyone around them gets awesome ideas but you never do?
 
I used to think I didn't either. But do you know what I've found?

 

We ALL get them, but most of the time, we choose to dismiss them before we consciously realize we had one! 
 

Dismissing Ideas

 

Why do we dismiss them?  

I don't know, it's kind of silly, in all honesty.

If we listened to all the ideas we had and acted on one or two, you and I would've probably ran into Chris a couple months ago on some remote Caribbean beach just down from where we anchored our yacht! (If that's your thing...my point: we could be wealthy!)
 
Having great ideas is vital in business, leadership, and personal life.
 
I believe that you're smart. I believe you have a unique perspective of the world and that with your perspective and skills you could improve the lives of countless people! Your ideas are valuable! And they are right there in YOUR BRAIN!!
 

So how do we capture these ideas?

 
1. Be Aware: Pay attention to what you're thinking. Some of your best ideas will come when you are supposedly "not thinking". Proactively ask yourself what you are thinking about.
 
2. Write it Down. Committing your ideas to paper conveys to God (and your subconscious) that you value those ideas. When I show my wife I value her cooking, I typically get to enjoy MORE great food. The same applies here: Assign value to your ideas and you'll begin to receive and recognize more fantastic ideas!
 
3. Sundown Rule. Before the sun goes down the next day, share your idea with someone. Your spouse, children, close friend, mentor--someone! Articulating your idea out loud will clarify your idea and spark other related ideas in your mind and from those with whom you share them.

4. Come back to them. Keep all your ideas (good, bad, or ugly) in a note book or on 3x5 cards. Go back and review each idea once every couple weeks or each month. Some time may give you added perspective on an idea.
 
5. Act! You may have no idea how to bring your idea to fruition, but don't let that stop you! Take a cue from Andy Andrews. Andy says if he doesn't know what to do he asks himself this question:

"I know you don't know what to do, but if you DID know what to do, what would you do RIGHT NOW? (emphasis added)

Then make plans to do that one thing with your idea right away. Research the idea. Write a blog post about it. Do a brainstorming session. Seek further counsel.
 
YOU are intelligent. YOU have great ideas. You just need to convince yourself of as much!
 

 

Question: What do you do to recognize and develop new ideas each day?

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings! Please pass them along to your friends, family and associates if you find them valuable!



Twitter: @Skropp2

 

What Do Tractors Have to do With Leadership?

What Do Tractors Have to do With Leadership?

A lot if you're Joe Scarlett.

Photo Courtesy of www.joescarlett.com 

Mr. Scarlett is the retired CEO of Tractor Supply Company and founder of th Scarlett Leadership Institute. Recently Mr. Scarlett was interviewed by Chris LoCurto for Dave Ramsey's EntreLeaderhip podcast. I would strongly recommend listening to the whole interview. You can find it, along with a bonus interview with Mr. Scarlett here.

I could write 5 blog posts on the information in the interview, and I just may. But for today I want to share the 5 things Mr. Scarlett advised aspiring leaders to do to prepare for leadership.

Prepare for Leadership

1. Set Clear direction

"Do the people that work for me, do they clearly know where we are going?" 

 Know where you're going, know where your organization is going. Be able to convey that direction to your team members.

2. Delegate

"If you're micromanaging, forget about it, I'm not gonna promote you."

Mr. Scarlett spent a lot of time on delegation. He said the ability to delegate is one of the most essential skills of a leader. If you can't delegate your success is limited to only what you can personally do.

3. Humility

"Do you have a big ego? If you really think you're great, you can stay where you are!"

Being humble is an critical to being a great leader. 

4. Communication

"The further up the ladder you get, the more important communication becomes."

Always be honing your communication skills, verbal, written etc. know how I give a speech, write a report, pitch an idea to the Board of Directors, etc.

5. Be a cheerleader

"Be the first one to recognize performance."

Be a positive uplifting influence. Be the first to praise and encourage. Celebrate success. Smile

This was just one small portion of a fantastic interview. Again, click here to listen in its entirety.



Question: What are you doing today to prepare for greater leadership opportunities?



If you just LOVE these posts (or even moderately like them) please pass them along to friends, family and colleagues!

Twitter: @Skropp2

Do You Have 20 Minutes?

Do You Have 20 Minutes?

As many of you probably have heard, Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and world renowned leadership expert passed away July 16, age 79.

Photo courtesy of www.StephenCovey.com

Dr. Covey has meant a lot to me. As a young missionary, my mission president fed us a steady diet of Dr. Covey's teachings. When I returned home one of the first things I did was purchase "The Seven Habits" and read it. It has profoundly changed my life. Not only have I grown as a person, husband, father, friend by applying its principles, but it started me on a journey of self improvement that continues today. My insatiable appetite for growing and improving as a person is a result of Dr. Covey.

As I read Dr. Covey's obituary I was in awe of the man portrayed. Certainly he was a household name, and had trained hundreds of thousands of people, some very well known, but he was a man that was content to be a father, husband, friend and Christian. These areas are where, I believe, he gauged his success or failure as a person.

I want to share a quote from Dr. Covey that his children say he would often repeat to them:

"If you will spend twenty minutes each day with the Savior of the world in private worship, you will spend eternity in his presence." Stephen R. Covey

The obituary said his daily routine was to get up early, find a quiet spot and spend time in reflection, prayer and scripture study.

Think about that quote.

Think about the type and character of the man who said it.

Then answer this:

Question: Do You Have 20 minutes a day? How do/will you spend those 20 minutes?

I know that Christ lives and is the Savior of the World! I know that it is only through His sacrifice that we have hope of redemption.

If you enjoy these posts, please pass them along to those you associate with!

Twitter: @Skropp2

I Can't Hear Myself Think!!

Was I the only person that heard that as a kid?? Without fail I'd be listening to music in my bedroom, jammin out to something super awesome...like Matchbox 20 or 98 Degrees (hey, don't judge!) and my mom would just walk in...she didn't knock or anything!! Ok, she may've knocked and I just couldn't hear it!
Anyway, she'd come in and invariable say something very close to,

"Geez! Your music loud enough??? I can't even hear myself think!!"

And I, of course, would respond with something brilliant like,

"It wasn't THAT loud!"

Here's my question:

Do you ever feel like saying today what your mom said to you then?

"Geez, it's so loud, I can't even hear myself think!"

We live in a loud world. We are bombarded with information from the moment we wake up to the second our eyes shut at night.

We wake up and what's the first thing we do?? Check our favorite blogs (I don't drink coffee, so it really is the first thing I do, haha). We check our email, maybe flip on the news or the radio. We read a paper or a magazine. Then we head for work or otherwise start our day. Favorite CD in the changer, music, books, podcasts on our phones.

Our phones are on 60 second repeat of dings, chimes, and rings from calls, texts, twitter and Facebook.

Get my point? It's so loud, you can't even hear yourself think. It's not that any of these things are inherently bad, it's just a constant onslaught.

What's my point?

Where are you going with this Mark??

Do you want us all to become Tibetan monks?

Sacrifice our iPhones on the alter of Greater Enlightenment?

Take a vow of silence pertaining to all things electronic, 140 characters or not?
No. I don't.

Here's my point: 

Lately I've started just shutting off the radio, turning off my favorite podcasts and just thinking. I know. How boring and old fashioned of me! Old man. Grinch.
I dont turn it off all day, and not every day.  But I turn it off for 30 minutes  here, an hour there. On my drive home from work or as I'm going about my day.

And here's what I've learned:

1. I'm more relaxed.
   

 Just thinking to myself calms me down. I can work through what I'm facing. I can plan my day, evening, week. I can sort through what I think about situations I'm facing. Heck, sometimes I even relive a funny joke or conversation from earlier in the day (burnt rice or nitrous anyone??) Maybe people who meditate are onto something....

2. I can solve problems.

     Without the distractions I can logically think through problems I'm facing. I can figure out what the actual problem is (it's not always what I think), I can think through my options, I can come up with a plan of action. And if there's another person involved I can try to understand their perspective. I can overcome obstacles.

3. I can get new ideas.

      This has been HUGE for me lately. As I'm working to move my dream of business ownership forward I have ran full speed, head first into a mental wall-- more than once!! Thinking has provided me with multiple ideas that I believe could be very beneficial, very successful, and very profitable. Will I use them? Some. But even more important than the ideas themselves is that I'm teaching myself to think...

4. I'm (re)learning how to think.

      In our fast paced, high energy, information packed lives, it's easy to get caught up in just taking information and storing it. Don't get me wrong, we need to, and ought to, learn, study and grow. What I'm saying is that God gave us a filter and a processor.  I believe He expects us to analyze the information we receive and add to it out of our own reasoning. We need to reason, deduce, question with boldness, and create. In short, we need to think. Quiet time with just our thoughts trains us to do so.

5. I come to know God.

      Elijah learned that the Spirit was in the still, small voice rather than the wind or the earthquake or the fire (1 Kings 19:11-12). I too have learned it is easier to hear my Heavenly Father speak to me when I turn off all distractions and shut my mouth. I haven't heard an audible voice, but I have felt that still small voice in my soul.  It is worth every missed song on the radio and every podcast I put off until the next day. 

Spending time with just my own thoughts has been one of the most enjoyable and rewarding decisions I have made in my life recently.

Question: How does spending time quietly with your thoughts help you personally, professionally, and/or spiritually?


Twitter: @Skropp2

If yo appreciate these posts, please pass them along to all your friends and relatives...after you finish your quiet time!

I See Success...

"Success is the progressive realization of a worthwhile idea."

That is a quote by Earl Nightingale.  And by that definition, Today, I am successful.

It may seem like a small thing to many of you, but today I took the first actual steps towards the "...realization of a worthwhile idea" that I have had in my mind for probably almost a decade.

Soccer Camps

For nearly 10 years I have had the dream of starting a soccer camp.  A business that was mine, a business that combined several of my passions--soccer, coaching, business ownership, and financial success--into one place. 

Today I took the first real steps in making that dream a reality.  This morning my sister went with me to our local soccer complex.  There she took pictures for me to put on the new blog I just started.  I got some great ones, and I started my blog this afternoon.  You can check it out at www.afterpracticesoccer.blogspot.com. If you have any interest in soccer, haha. 





Dissatisfaction and Discouragement

"Dissatisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the absence of things but the absence of vision."  ~Anonymous

More than once in the past I have found myself dissatisfied with my life and discouraged with where I seemed to be going (or not going, as was more often the case...).  This has rarely had anything to do with where I was, I've had great jobs, with great pay and management.  It just was not my vision.  Like it says in Proverbs 29, "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (vs. 18).  I dont think it means that you just disappear, I think its like when fruit perishes, it just gets old, brown and dead looking.  Likewise, when we don't have vision, our lives get old, boring, stale and frustrating. 

When I have lost my vision, I get very discouraged and depressed with where I am in my life.  When I think of what I want to accomplish, who I want to be, and begin to make plans to that end, I find joy, excitement, and energy.  It has been amazing the excitement I've felt in these past couple weeks as I've been working on how to get closer to my goal of owning my own company focused on coaching soccer. 

When you have vision

"When you have vision it affects your attitude.  Your attitude is optimistic rather than pessimistic." ~Charles R. Swindoll

I don't expect you to understand.  I really don't.  How such a seemingly simple thing--a few digital photos and a stupid little blog with only one post could affect my attitude so profoundly.  I'm pretty sure most of my family and friends don't understand it--and thats ok.  It isn't their dream, it's mine.  I'm emotionally attached to it, its been nagging at me for years now!  While you see a little blog, I see a blog with thousands of visitors, I see an ebook that is downloaded hundreds or thousands of times, I see a summer soccer camp that people travel hundreds of miles to attend with world class training and elite coaches.  I see seminars and day camps dedicated to helping youth and adult, player and coach, to achieve whatever it is they want to accomplish--whether that's a professional soccer career or simply to coach their 10 year old daughter's rec team better. 

I See Success

I see success.  I see lives changed.  I see a life filled with joy and peace because I am still in the process of progressively realizing my worthwhile idea...that is even bigger and greater than today.  I see a man that my wife and my children can be proud of because I reached for my goal, I overcame my obstacles, I endured the hardships. 

I don't expect you to see that.  But I do.  And you know what, I may fail.  I may never reach what I hope to achieve.  But I will never give up reaching for it. 

"I'm going to be a great leader of this generation.  The stars in the space up there are my witnesses." ~Toba Beta

 That is why I am so excited for this stupid little blog.  So laugh if you want when, and if, you look at it.  But someday, somehow it will be something.  It will mean something.  It will achieve something.  Or I will go out with a blaze of glory and a content heart, knowing I did all that I could do.

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice.  Not something to wish for, but to obtain." ~William Jennings Bryan

Question: What are you doing to achieve your vision?





If you find value and benefit in these posts, please share them via Twitter, Facebook, Email, etc with all your friends, family, neighbors and fishing buddies. 

Twitter: @Skropp2



Photo copyright: Linda Sieverkropp, All Rights Reserved.

"The phone's for you, it's the Bishop..." Part II

"The phone's for you, it's the Bishop..."
 

Ok, quick, you hear those words, how many excuses can you come up with in 10 seconds?? "Gee Bishop, My family is going to be in town this week, and Brooklynn's coming down with a cough and there's a huge solar storm that's suppose to hit the earth late Saturday night or early Sunday morn..."

So what does that call usually lead to?

Last week we talked about 8 Tips to Preparing a Conference-Caliber Talk. This week, let's go over 7 Ways to keep Grandpa awake and Jr. Quiet.

Ok, that's a tall order, but these tips will make the presentation of your talk 77.36% better, or your money back!*

Visualize the entire congregation in their bunny slippers
ok, that probably do very little, but feel free to try it out! Ok, take two...ACTION!!

Pray
Before going up to speak, pray to have the Spirit with you...then LISTEN to it when you speak.

Don't tell about what you thought when the Bishop called you
We all know the feeling, it's not necessary to explain how much you didn't want to talk.

If you tell a joke, make sure it's pertinent to your topic
Natural humor is funny, canned jokes get old fast!

Remember you have a unique perspective
At this moment, you are the conduit for the Father to teach His children, take comfort in that and seek to say what He would have you say.

15 minutes means 15 minutes
My Mission President taught me this one. The bishopric plans out the meetings, that's why they give us a time frame. If they say 15 minutes, don't speak for 16, and don't speak for 13. This keeps the meeting on track.

Smile
Take joy in the Gospel. Let the Prophet Joseph's view in D&C 128:22-23 permeate through your talk.

Testify
Bear testimony frequently THROUGHOUT your talk, not just at the end. It invites the Spirit to confirm your words to those who hear it.


By employing 7, or at least some of these suggestions, you will have a better chance of keeping Grandpa awake and Jr. quiet, not a 100% chance, but better.  And the great part is, that those listening should learn something, and you will invite the Spirit, and we all know that the Spirit is the most important part of any talk! 

Question: What suggestions do you have for giving a great Sacrament Meeting talk?





*Offer not valid in Alaska, Hawaii, the continental United States, or any of the 7 major continents. Most restrictions apply! :)



If you find value in these posts, please share them with your family and friends (and even strangers, I really don't mind!)

"The phone's for you, it's the Bishop..." Part I

"The phone's for you, it's the Bishop..."

Ok, quick! You hear those words, how many excuses can you come up with in 10 seconds??

I'll bet most of you would suddenly be sick in your hotel room, on vacation and not sure when you were coming home!  It's funny how such humble, God-like men can elicit such general feelings of panic and horror when they call on the phone or catch you in the hall by their office!

So what does that call usually lead to?

"We'd like you to speak in Sacrament Meeting next week..."

"Will you accept a call to..."

"In reviewing the tithing records we discovered you've overpaid and are due to receive a refund"

"I just got off the phone with the Prophet, he wanted me to let you know your calling and election has been made sure..."

Ok, the last two are pretty unlikely--probably totally out of the question--but the first two are really what freak each of us out, right?

So this week, I want to give you 8 tips to preparing a conference-caliber talk!

Consider this a "Speech Buffet", take all to want, leave what you don't!

Pray
The moment I hear I'm giving a talk, I pray and ask for Heavenly Father to bring thoughts to my mind. When I do this, I invariable get ideas at random times...like making a sandwich (true story, ask my mission buddy, Elder Busath, more than once, while making a PB&J sandwich I'd say, "Elder! I just received revelation!!").

DON'T start writing the talk right away
(unless Bishop called you Saturday night or Sunday morning...then by all means, write fast!!). I've found if I begin writing right away I will limit the thoughts and ideas I get on the subject. I will typically not actually write my talk until 24-36 hours before I am to give it.

Ask for input from friends and family
I believe one of the keys to a great talk is kicking around numerous thoughts, ideas and perspectives in your head for a few days. Getting ideas from others and testing your ideas on them gives you a good sense of how to direct the talk to benefit the audience.

Structure your talk around the Plan of Salvation
Elder Bruce R. McConkie was the master of this. Every talk I've heard of his, regardless the topic, included the pre-earth life, atonement, and eternities. Doing this provides the necessary context to drive home the importance of any gospel topic.

Write in note/bullet format
I know many of you have to write out your talk word for word, and I understand.  But if you can do it, notes and bullets are great for inviting the Spirit. Making notes or bullets instead of writing your talk out word for word will allow you to deliver the talk in your own voice, rather than sounding like you're reading an article out of the Ensign. This also allows you to skip parts if time requires.

Utilize the Church Resources
From mobile apps to the notebook function and search bar on lds.org you have a MASSIVE library of material from which to draw in writing your talk. The Brethren have provided such resources, don't miss out on their benefit.

Use the language of the Scriptures
Even if you don't quote the scriptures word for word or give the reference, using the verbiage of scripture brings the word of the Lord and the voice of the Lord to your talk (see how I did that? D&C 68:4) .  Elder McConkie and Elder Maxwell were great at this!

Determine what you uniquely can convey about your topic
 If its on missionary work and your a convert, share parts of the story. If its on the importance of Personal Progress, talk about how you're helping your daughter with hers. I believe in revelation. You were asked to give this talk because Heavenly Father knew you have something to share that only you can. Discover what that is and share it!

By following these 8 steps as you prepare your Sacrament Meeting talk you will find that the Spirit will teach you and prompt you as to what you should say.  And as we all know, the Spirit is the real teacher when we speak, so do all you can to invite his influence into your talk! 

Question: How do you prepare a talk you are asked to give?

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