Audience participation during public talks

by Bonnie_Clyde 16 Replies latest jw friends

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  Bonnie_Clyde

  We hear so much about the boring talks.

  Several years ago an attempt was made to liven things up a bit by randomly choosing people before the public talk, handing them a slip of paper with a question on it, and asking if they would like to answer the question when called upon during the talk. That must have been 20+ years ago. Anybody know why that practice was discontinued?

  Also, some of the brothers tried to liven up the service meeting by using props--can't remember any specific examples right now. But that was stopped too. I think it was in a effort to keep the meeting more "dignified."
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  jaguarbass

  When I gave talks back in the 70's I would use that technique. I just thought it was up to the speakers discretion. I saw somebody do it, so I did it. The talk didnt tell me to do it. If somebody were to do it today, others would copy.

  We had an outline that we were supposed to follow. But we were allowed to use different techniques to present the information.
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  gymbob

  I remember that!

  We had some wild service meeting parts back in the early 70's. I remember one time all of us teenagers in the cong. dressed up like hippies and we were "protesting" the meeting, marching up and down around the seats between parts! If i'd only known then what I know now....(That was at the hall in Long Beach, CA, on 55th & Cherry Ave., if anybody knows it).

  Too bad they put a stop to all the fun not long after that, don't know why.....
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  yaddayadda

  I remember those good old days. The talks were more interesting back then for sure. It was the same at the Service Meetings also - there was encouragement to use props and other devices to stimulate the audience.
  
  Remember the old days when they had regular slide shows as well?
  
  Those tricks are gone because the GB are hellbent on cracking down on any kind of independent thinking, innovation and creativity. Even the CO's have been curtailed. Most CO's these days are complete drones, like the elders. The Borg only want to crush individual initiative in the interests of organisational conformity. It is the same in any centralised, high control system, from the Moonies to North Korea. Conformity is good, individualism is bad. You are at the meetings to be propagandized by Big Brother, not be entertained by him.
  
  Mind control systems are all about depersonalising and sucking the creativity and colour out of people. That's what being absorbed into the global collective is all about. Unity at all costs.
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  stillajwexelder

  I remember that - discontinued because we were told it is a PUBLIC TALK --- not a Public Discussion
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  garybuss

  Back in the 50's we had the dash and the steering wheel out of a real car as a permanent fixture on the Kingdom Hall stage. It was mounted on a stand and the Witness people would set 4 folding chairs behind the car dash and demonstrate how to talk while driving to the literature sales calls.
  
  In those days we did real sales with a sales pitch and a published price. The Magazines had the price printed right on the front cover.
  
  Success was measured in literature sales and recruiting efforts. Compliance and obedience was assumed. Not like today.
  
  
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  neverendingjourney

  Even the CO's have been curtailed. Most CO's these days are complete drones, like the elders. The Borg only want to crush individual initiative in the interests of organisational conformity

  Ain't that the truth. As a kid, one of the few highlights at the meetings was the CO visit. They would often bring movies for the congregation to watch, and they put on a show in their talks. They used humor; they involved the congregation in their parts. Even some of the duller ones took liberties in their talks to make it entertaining and memorable. Our congregation's CO when I got baptized was in that mold. He gave entertaining talks and used a lot of memorable illustrations. You can tell he was not tied down to an outline. If anything, it made the time go by faster. This was in the mid to late 90s. The CO that replaced him was the complete opposite. His talks were just like any other boring talk any regular elder gave. There was no flair to it at all.
  
  I figured that it was just an isolated CO without much of a gift for public speaking. Well the CO that followed him and the CO that followed after that were all in the same boring mold. They were tied down to a strict outline. There was no humor, no memorable experiences or illustrations, just a boring talk like every other. I think there must have been some directive from the Society to cut back on some of the liberties the COs were taking. The result is that the meetings are almost impossible to sit through. Back when I was an active witness, I would even go so far as praying for a good talk if I was bringing along a study. I didn't want them to be put off by how boring everything was. It's just another method being used by the GB to tighten the reigns on the congregations. They don't want people deviating too far from what they teach. They also don't want any charismatic personalities to outshine their supposed authority as the religion's governing body. It's damn near torture for a child to sit through a meeting or an assembly these days. Even a lot of the talks at the assemblies are being read word for word. Talk about boring.
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  OnTheWayOut

  I saw somebody do it, so I did it. The talk didnt tell me to do it. If somebody were to do it today, others would copy.

  We had an outline that we were supposed to follow. But we were allowed to use different techniques to present the information.

  Nobody would copy it. The brother who does it would be severely counselled and not allowed to do it again.
  They have clearly spelled out to elders that they are to adhere to the outline and use the NWT and stick with
  very little in the way of outside materials, and to use NO AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION whatsoever. They want
  uniformity of talks, IMO, to make the meetings all lull everyone into a hypnotism state for the purposes of unity
  and so that drones can sit at longer session at DC's without really seeing the difference.
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  SnakesInTheTower

  I remember my dad having a public talk in the 70s where he had the audience participation. I was just a kid, but I seem to remember that the audience members were portraying members of the press asking him questions which he answered. Dont remember the topic. I do remember years later seeing an update to the outline saying to toss the old one and not have audience participation.

  As for props...OMG! I used tons and tons of props during my talks and parts...I once used a small step stool and a huge step ladder for an illustration. In rehearsal the ladder just barely cleared the ceiling...it actually scraped it, but during the meeting the brothers bringing the ladder out were more careful and just barely cleared the ceiling. (Until the day we sold that KH that little scrape was on the ceiling) People were standing in the back to see the ladders and all of the labels on it. People remembered it for years, even remembered what the talk was about and its application...so unusuall... Now people reminisce.... .. "remember when we used to do fun thing like that?".... sighhh

  I had another time where I had the 2 sisters on the stage pantomiming (but no audio) that they were talking together. I was not even on the stage, I was in the library with the cordless mic and narrating what the audience was about to see. Everyone wondered where I was until they heard my voice. Then the brother and I came out of the library talking about something and joined the conversation.

  One of the best things I remember as a kid in the 70's was the congo overseer (PO) had the part on the district convention in 1978.....

  the year of the international here. The elder was talking about being prepared. He wore one of those Brockabrellas (see above illustration) on his head during the whole part.... what a hoot! He suggested we wear those to the convention (it being an outdoor stadium), and many did!!! Where we were it was hot as hell. 100 degrees plus on the field (astroturf at the time, later the field was returned to grass, stadium has since been replaced)

  Ah, the good 'ol days. I actually, before being deleted, wanted to do a creation talk as a slide show.... with digital photography and sound and animation and PowerPoint that would have been cool... and definitely not boring....sighhh.....I never got the chance.

  Guess the GB/BorgTower Publishing Corporation wants em all in lockstep now..... FU8K EM!

  SnakesInTheTower (of the "reminiscing about the good ol days" Sheep Class)
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  Mysterious

  Yeah I recall COs being more entertaining when I was a kid as well. They used to show slides from their pioneering or missionary trips and quick builds and such. Or they had stories. I remember one drew pictures on a whiteboard during his talk. I just put down the dronery to me growing up.