Billy, I never got nervous giving talks, impromptu or not. I was/am really good at it and know how to captivate an audience. That's one thing I'd say JWs do well is help people get over fear of public speaking. Demos were/are another story, though. I can do them... I just hate them. I think it's because it's too much like field service. I can give a talk in front of 1000 people without a problem, but talking one on one with someone I don't know about something they don't want to hear is terrifying.
I'm curious, when you were asked to do a demo for a Service Meeting part, how did the request make you feel?
by Stand for Pure Worship 42 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
KateWild
I ferlt respected and valued. I only have been asked a handfull of times. All the elders wives, kids, in-laws and prostpective in-laws just do the demo's. Nepotism is real in the BOrg.
How are you doing SFPW? This is a nice thread, thank you
Kate xx
-
Phizzy
I haven't read the whole thread, but what I hated was the fact that you were expected to deliver a totally unreal script that was either printed in the K.M or was at the very least to be what the audience expected to hear. I usually adapted mine to be realistic, insisting my HH objected in some way, "not interested" or similar, and then I would do my sales job.
This was still somewhat hypocritical, as it bore little relation to how I acted on the actual DtoD work.
-
thedog1
In our hall some bros play it safe and ask the usual suspects like elders' wives and pioneers to do them. I have tried to be more inclusive and use a variety of people, some appreciate it, others panic.
-
NVR2L8
Stillin...I had forgotten about the list of "approved" publisher we could use for demonstrations...Most of the parts I had included demonstrations and it was a pain to find participants that would clear the final elders' approval...
Once there was a part about singleness and the elder couldn't find a single brother or sister who remained unmarried to devote his or her life to fulltime service. So they interviewed a teenager who had just finished high school and auxiliary pioneered for a few months...after the meeting I asked the brother if he knew that this young girl was engaged to be married at 18 years old and was a lame example of singleness especially when Paul said one just pass the bloom of years before marrying...His reply was that he had to interview someone...I told him there were many fine examples in WT and Awake volumes....
-
Stand for Pure Worship
This comments on this thread are fascinating and a bit unsettling because much like XBEHERE, I don't like asking anyone to do a demo. For one thing I know people have things going on, ya know like, real life responsibilities. Plus not everyone is comfortable with being on the platform and in front of an audience. I always tell whomever is going to do it, to not make it complicated for themselves. Also, I call myself trying to help them out by saying if Bro.Overtime goes overtime on his part, they won't have to worry about going up there at all as I'll be looking to cut my time either to end the meeting on time, or to give the next brother time on his part. Now I feel weird even about that because I get the feeling some of you actually liked going up there!!!
In harmony with Julia's point, I'm aware of ones that feel underutilized so I'll ask those ones to do it too so as not to feel left out. I never ask the same folks over and over again, and typically when I do ask it's either going to be that Sunday when I see them, or worse case scenario, Monday night. In the rare case that a part slipped by me and I didn't find out until that night or the night before, I don't ask anyone at all. There just will not be any demos for that part. That makes two less people stressed the way I figured, but then again, some of you liked doing it. Fascinating. Surprised some of you like doing it.
-
ShirleyW
"In harmony with Julia's point" . . . please SFPW, this ain't the Ministry School are the Watchowel Study, rmemeber, such a pious, smug, lover of Jah like you shouldn't be here to begin with, leave the meeting language at the meetings please.
-
daringhart13
I used to have to beg people to do it.....they hated being my 'demonstrators'......nothing like those dry, dull presentations at 8:50 p.m. on a Thursday night........
.....sure to induce sleep.
-
Stand for Pure Worship
"In harmony with Julia's point" . . . please SFPW, this ain't the Ministry School are the Watchowel Study, rmemeber, such a pious, smug, lover of Jah like you shouldn't be here to begin with, leave the meeting language at the meetings please.
You're right, Madea. This isn't Best Man Holiday either.
-
problemaddict
SFTW,
I was the serial late talk, go-to-guy in most if not all of my congregations, except of course when I was in a foreign land learning a new language. Even then, the second meeting I went to I was dragged up to the stage in an improptu scenario where I played the "gringo". I'm used to giving last minute parts and going on the fly on stage.
Because of this, I got very good at it. I had also been very good in the ministry. So I would say I got the demo call once a month easy. I had friends that could jump in with me, but usually I just wanted to try to grab someone who I never see up there. So if there was time, i would grab someone who i knew, that could come up on stage.
SEVERAL TIMES i was chastized by the brothers for this, because there might be "things I don't know", because I am not an elder. Well they are here, they go out in service, they comment, they might be shy but they agreed to help......whats the problem?
There was just something about not having it ran through them that they just couldn't stand.
That was very frustrating and I believe, without merit.