by dothemath 29 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Tenebreux,
The new #2 talks (since January '03 ?) do not allow for an introduction or conclusion. You simply go to the platform and read the assigned material and then sit down at your seat again. That is all. No commentary from the reader is allowed. If I have some time I will post the instructions for the #2 talk from the KM.
edited, Sorry Fairmind I didn't see your response.
Wow that is a big change.... I had no idea they changed it to just read. I agree that isnt going to help much with trying to become a better public speaker. Reading a book in front of people is one thing, giving a speech is another.
I wrote this in another thread a few months ago:
As far as the theocratic ministry school meeting changing:
The Theocratic Ministry School changed format starting about two years ago. The changes were minimal but in dubdom it still caused a stir. I have however, heard other elders complain that the changes weren't significant enough and that the lackadaisical attitude of the friends toward their talks still exists. The changes as I recall are:
1. First talk isn't 10-12 minute instruction talk with questions/answers but it is a 5 minute talk on a speech quality point taken from the new school book. (5 minutes)
2. The next talk is the instruction talk but it has no questions (10min)
3. The bible highlights used to be 6 minutes. Now it's 6 minutes of review and 4 minutes of answering the exact same question each week (last year there were two questions, this year the society cut it back to one). The question is: "What did you find interesting in this weeks bible reading" (or something similar). (10 minutes)
4. bible reading. The same as before except that now no comments are made by the speaker at all. He just reads several verses from the bible or an excerpt from a WT (a bible reading my foot). 5 minutes
5. talks 3 and 4 are the same. Sisters give talk number 3 exclusively, front and back schools. Talk number 4 is supposed to be for brothers who are a little more experienced; they've progressed from bible reading talks but aren't ministerial servants and can't give the other parts. (talks 3 and 4 - 5 minutes each)
This is all from memory because I don't have kms with instructions at work. If there is something I got wrong I'll correct it tomorrow.
The only other significant change is that the school overseer isn't supposed to give negative counsel from the platform anymore. Find something positive and mention it, and discuss the points in the school book for the entire audiences benefit. the school overseer is supposed to talk to the student after the meeting and put the mark of performance in the student's personal copy of the school book. They are also supposed to make sure that the student performed the exercise associated with their school counsel point. The exercises can require several days to complete depending on which one it is.
would hate to be in the ministry school now if the attendence has gone down a whole lot; it seems that every time I would turn around I would have a talk to give, usually a #2 talk but now I bet it seems that the brothers in the smaller congs would have one every other week, lol.
Littlerockguy, the last cong I attended was very small and the last three times I attended the MS I did the #2 talk. That's not the reason I never went to another meeting though.
You are correct - in most congregations now the Number 2 talk is basically public reading practice.- it is easy to volunteer or and thus great for a brother reaching out - he gets platform exposure on an easy assignment and is seen to be reaching out - - number 4 talks with no assigned material are by far the most difficult assignment on the school these days
Hello tenebreux! It does not work that way any more. No introduction and no conclusion.
Wow, that's amazing. Putting those talks together was actually one of the few things I really enjoyed doing. I absolutely hated hearing the same things repeated constantly, so I always tried to approach the subject from a unique angle that no-one had ever heard before, including myself. There's nothing quite like the adrenaline rush of "Will I be hauled into the back room and charged with apostasy for this or not?"
And thanks very much for that information, TheListener. This is all news to me. I take back what I said, the original poster is absolutely right. They have indeed taken all the work and thought process out of it.
hey dothemath.
Your problem is that your looking at the school ALL wrong. Your attitude stinks.
You simply go to the platform and read the assigned material and then sit down at your seat again. That is all. No commentary from the reader is allowed. If I have some time I will post the instructions for the #2 talk from the KM.
bizarre
and defd
hey dothemath. Your problem is that your looking at the school ALL wrong. Your attitude stinks.
Why do people go to this "school" - taxes already pay for reading lessons, and more
My attitude's all wrong?...........all I see is that a lot more could be accomplished than just a dry reading from the stage.
When brothers had to include an introduction and conclusion, then they had to think about what they were reading, and would benefit from it a lot more.
They want people to do more personal study, yet this doesn't require any at all.
Do the "Sisters" still have to direct their discussion towards another sister?..You know us lower class citizens?
I always hated trying to come up with an original setting. I remember some sisters would get nervous and talk real fast. Their talk would only last two minutes!..
Then we had the poor sister that wet her skirt..Poor thing.
Snoozy...Who always checked to make sure the guys fly was closed...
