TOP TIPS FOR ASSIGNING SPEAKERS
AND DELIVERING YOUR TALKS
These guidelines have been prepared to help you to prepare your talks and to communicate
ideas clearly to audiences in a different culture to your own.
The first section lists recommendations to help you assign team members to talks.
The second gives additional tips for delivery in foreign contexts.
When you are initially choosing talks ensure that there is a balanced mix of male and
female speakers. In particular there is a need to have male speakers open the training
events in some cultures. Ideally, it should be a highly respected, well known church leader.
If you are using interpreters, and if you have local team who are experienced Alpha leaders,
it will save time if you use them to do the demonstration talks in the local language. Just
make sure they receive the transcripts in plenty of time so that they are prepared. Please
ask the Local Coordinator to double check the speaker is giving the talk as written, and not
presenting their own version!
The first demonstration talk should always be given by the GAT team.
If the Alpha Course talks are available in dvd in the local language, you might want to use
one or two of them instead of a live speaker so that the delegates can see how the dvd’s can
be used. However, if most of the delegates don’t have access to that kind of technology, we
would advise against using dvds.
Talk name
Gat Host
What is Alpha?
Who
1 Local Coordinator
2 Relationship Manager (if
possible)
3 National Director (if
applicable)
Local team
People/Skills required
The first choice is the person who locals will
refer to after the training event for assistance
on how to run the course – either the Local
Coordinator or the Relationship Manager. If this
is not possible this role could be done by the
GAT team leader. This person should know the
programme well and what talks are coming
next. They provide the link between talks and
any administrative information.
We recommend this talk is given by someone
local because it is a very key talk which must
be understood. Whoever the speaker is, they
need passion and enthusiasm for Alpha; to be
clear and easily understood; to be warm and
engaging with the delegates.
GAT TEAM SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION MAY 2011
Talk name
Who
Essential
Elements
GAT Team
Who Is Jesus?
Gat Host/Course
Leader/Speaker
Why Did Jesus
Die?
GAT Team/GAT Host to
narrate opening
Alpha in a Wider
Church Ministry
1
2
3
4
Ideally local clergy
GAT clergy member
Relationship Manager
Strong (possibly male)
speaker from GAT Team
Summary Day 1
GAT Host
Hosting Small
Groups on Alpha
GAT Team
Facilitation Skills
GAT Team
Demonstration
Session: How
Can We Have
Faith?
GAT Team / GAT Host to
narrate overview and
introduce speaker
Localising Alpha
Why and How
Do I Pray?
Panel including
Relationship Manager,
Local Team and GAT
Team
GAT Team / DVD
People/Skills required
In many instances it has proven valuable for
the first speaker from the GAT team to be
male. The Relationship Manager and/or Local
Coordinator will assist you in deciding this. The
person giving this talk should be a fun,
enthusiastic person, who has lots of practical
examples to share and who can engage the
delegates.
The GAT Host introduces the demonstration
session and the Course Leader. The Course
Leader then introduces the Speaker, as they
would at the beginning of an Alpha evening.
The speaker should deliver the talk from their
own experience.
Due to its theological teaching, the best person
to give this talk would be clergy, if available.
The content of this talk challenges church
leaders. As such, it is best delivered by clergy,
the Relationship Manager (if they have good
experience of the local church culture) OR
(depending on the local culture) a strong, male
speaker from the GAT Team.
This talk must be lively – it is the first
interaction of the day! Preferably delivered in a
slightly different way each day. For example,
you could take pictures of the day’s activities
and then show them during the summary the
following day.This requires confidence,
creativity and someone with whom delegates
will interact.
The speaker should be lively, have a sense of
humour, be warm, have a good rapport with
delegates; have very strong Alpha DNA and
experience. The sketches must be prepared
and practised in advance.
The speaker should be lively, have a sense of
humour, be warm, have a good rapport with
delegates; have very strong Alpha DNA and
experience. The sketches must be prepared
and practised in advance.
The GAT Host introduces the demonstration
session and the Course Leader. The Course
Leader then introduces the Speaker, as they
would at the beginning of an Alpha evening.
The speaker should deliver the talk from their
own experience.
Local Coordinator, people who have run
courses; people with strong Alpha DNA.
Ideally the speaker should be someone who
enjoys prayer and prays in accordance with the
modelling in the talk. The GAT Host introduces
the demonstration session and the Course
Leader. The Course Leader then introduces
the Speaker, as they would at the beginning of
an Alpha evening. The speaker should deliver
the talk from their own experience.
GAT TEAM SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION MAY 2011
Talk name
Who
Summary Day 2
GAT Host
Presenting the
Teaching on
Alpha
GAT Team
Summary: Why
& How Do I
Read the Bible?
How Does God
Guide Us?
GAT Host to do narration of
overview and introduce
speaker / GAT Team
How to Pray for
People on Alpha
GAT Team
Summary: Holy
Spirit Talks 1 & 2
GAT Host/GAT Team
How Can I be
Filled with the
Holy Spirit?
1 GAT Team Clergy
2 Local Clergy
3 Mature GAT Team
Member
Summary Day 3
GAT Host/GAT Team
How to Run an
Alpha Day/
Weekend
Local Team
Overview
Sessions
2 Day Version – GAT Host
4 Day Version – GAT Team
How to Start
Running an
Alpha Course
1 Local Team
2 GAT Team
3 Relationship Manager
Q & A sessions
GAT Host leading a panel
which includes members
of the Local Team and
GAT Team
People/Skills required
This talk must be lively – it is the first
interaction of the day! Preferably delivered in a
slightly different way each day. This requires
confidence, creativity and someone with whom
delegates will interact.
This talk requires an experienced speaker who
is eloquent and articulate. The speaker must
have all the good habits and as few as possible
of the bad habits outlined in the talk.
Speaker should be a mature Christian with
experience of God guiding them in different
ways.
Ideally given by the Prayer Leader; the
sketches need to be prepared and practised in
advance. The actors need to be happy to act
silly during sketches. Watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt91Q-4LRfk
for some ideas.
Confident, experienced speaker who won’t be
nervous speaking on the topic of the Holy
Spirit.
Mature Christian, confident speaker,
experienced speaking on the topic of the Holy
Spirit and leading prayer time OR handover to
someone else on team to lead prayer time.
This talk must be lively – it is the first
interaction of the day! Preferably delivered in a
slightly different way each day. This requires
confidence, creativity and someone with whom
delegates will interact.
Preferably the Local Coordinator if that person
administrates it for their own church course.
The two day versions are very quick overviews,
which lead into demonstration sessions, and
which the GAT Host introduces.
The four day versions are much longer and are
talks in their own right. Requires a confident
speaker to hold the attention of the audience.
Someone with genuine hands-on experience of
running Alph, preferably similar to the local
context, or multiple contexts.
Questions regularly cover material that has
already been presented, which people have
missed. Panel needs to be people who are
warm and have good rapport with delegates;
very strong Alpha DNA and experience, and
are able to gently correct and guide.
GAT TEAM SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION MAY 2011
Talk name
Who
1 Relationship Manager
2 Local Coordinator
Action Plan
Commissioning
Ideal-a combination of both
the Relationship Manager
and the Local Coordinator
(if strong Local Coordinator
(eg NAO / National
Coordinator)
Clergy – combination of
Local Team & GAT Team
People/Skills required
This talk is very directive and interactive,
requiring someone who can think on their feet,
offer suggestions and provide solutions. The
speaker needs genuine hands-on experience
of running Alpha – preferably similar to the
local context.
Tips to Remember When Preparing your Talks:
1.
Don’t assume Alpha will run in the evenings – it most likely won’t. Very little
happens in the evenings in some parts of the world because of safety in travel
and early morning starts. Alpha may be run on Saturday mornings or Sunday
afternoons. It may be a good idea to say an ‘Alpha session’ rather than an ‘Alpha
evening’ so the audience doesn’t think Alpha has to be run in the evenings.
2.
Wherever possible, use a simple story to illustrate your point. Begin with
phrases such as, ‘My friend and I….’, or ‘I know someone who….’. Setting and
detail are not important.
3.
Repeat your main point several times throughout your talk. Don’t be afraid to
ask the audience at the end of your talk or at intervals during the talk, what the
main points were.
4.
When talking about Youth Alpha, bear in mind that ‘Youth’ in developing
world nations usually refers to the age group of 13-35. It’s not uncommon to
have young adults in their mid-to-late-twenties participating in a Youth Alpha
course.
5.
Try to weave in your own story of how you came to faith at some point in
your talk. People love hearing stories, especially when they’re personal!
6.
Have some interactive parts to your talk. Either a game for the delegates to
do, some drama, or getting them to practice something themselves, like the small
group discussion.
7.
Warm up the audience. Be generous in complimenting the audience on the
beauty and hospitality of their country. They take great pride in welcoming
foreigners!
8.
Make sure you show appreciation publicly to the local team. They need to be
empowered and raised up, so invest in them and openly encourage them.
GAT TEAM SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION MAY 2011
9.
Speak Slowly. Even to the point of sounding silly! You must practice speaking
slower than normal. When we speak fast we slur our words together, making it
even more difficult to be understood. A sentence should take twice as long to
communicate than if you were speaking normally to your peers. It may be a good
idea to practice with a watch and a second hand, taking twice as long to read a
sentence and annunciating each syllable clearly. Be sure to give the audience
permission to wave at you if you’re speaking too fast or if they can’t understand
you.
10.
Avoid Bad Habits.
You should be aware of the following bad habits while you are giving your talks:
–
Slouching
–
Speaking with head bowed
–
Shouting! The microphone (if using) is there to project your voice for you,
there’s no need to shout into it!
11.
–
Supporting yourself on the table or lectern – makes you look bored
–
Hands in pockets
–
Playing with buttons/clothing
–
Rigid
–
Rocking sideways or front/back
–
Pauses: ah, um, er, etc
–
Repeating words: actually, okay, alright, really, just
–
Mispronouncing words
–
Rubbing nose, ear, chin, hair, etc
–
Cracking knuckles, adjusting specs, looking at watch, etc.
Be aware of difficulties caused by your accent. Translators and delegates
who are not listening to the translation may find your accent difficult to
understand if it is not one they are used to hearing regularly. For English
speakers, this includes people from Australia, NZ, various parts of the UK or the
US and Singapore. It will be difficult to understand you correctly. Therefore,
speak slowly and clearly, being aware of your accent. Avoid all sarcasm.
12.
Be aware that Christian terminology that we use may not mean the same
thing in the culture you are going to. Try not to say ‘non-Christian’ for those
who don’t go to church regularly. In most African countries, if you’re not Muslim
and not the village fetish priest, you’ll consider yourself a Christian. It may be
more helpful to say ‘non-Spirit filled’ Christian, nominal Christian or someone who
is ‘not born again.’
GAT TEAM SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION MAY 2011
Do not use the word conversion, as in many countries with Muslim populations
conversion is illegal.
13.
Don’t use big words or concepts that are relevant to your culture but not to
your local culture. Technical words associated with your expertise should be
reviewed with a local before you speak. For example, the following words can be
very difficult to understand:
–
Unanimously
Annulled
–
In favour of
Eliminate
–
Goodwill
Surveillance
–
Accommodate
Similarly – think about the words you are using that are applicable to your culture
but may not exist in the culture you are going to (e.g. malls, pubs, elevators). A
good example of this in an Alpha talk would be if you were to use Nicky’s quote
‘Trying to run an Alpha Course without going to an Alpha Conference is like trying
to drive a car without any lessons.’ This does not translate in many developing
nations as many people DO drive cars without any lessons!
Don’t dwell on how ‘we’ do it at ‘home’. Instead, explain in principle why it’s
important and suggest how it could be done in their country. (Example:
marketing student Alpha in universities – don’t dwell on the UK Alpha advertising
on drink mats in pubs. Rather suggest that the Christian Union (or local
equivalent) run Alpha for 1 term and everyone brings a friend.) Don’t assume the
audience will think that the pub or the bar is a socially acceptable place for a
Christian to be. If possible, avoid stories which take place in a pub. Be sensitive
to the different cultural attitudes towards alcohol and smoking.
14.
Be careful about making comparisons, long analogies and giving spiritual
application to natural things. Often people in other cultures don’t use these
kinds of abstract ideas. Be careful about detailed comparisons, as your listeners
will get lost, as well as the translator if you are being translated. It can be done
and of course it’s biblical to do so, but you must be clear about how the analogy
fits together. If you do use an analogy, be careful about switching back and forth
between the spiritual application which you are drawing and the natural event or
item which you are drawing it from.
GAT TEAM SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION MAY 2011
Additional Tips for Speaking Through a Translator
1.
Send prepared transcripts of your talks to your translator: As soon as you
have prepared your talks, please send the transcript to your team leader who will
forward it on to the translator. This should be done as soon as possible so that
the translator can:
–
translate the transcripts, and have time to clarify any words or sections
s/he is unclear about
–
advise whether there are any stories or jokes which they think are
inappropriate or won’t be funny for the audience you are speaking to
2.
Meet with your translator before you speak: When you arrive, find out who
your translator is and meet with them before the training event so that you can:
–
discern the level of their understanding of your language
–
ensure they are prepared – eg, have a copy of the transcript, have Bible
verses, either translated or marked in a Bible
–
ensure the local Bible translates the verse similarly to how your Bible
translates them
–
share the important points and key words you will be making and ensure
they are translated correctly
3.
–
understand how best to work together
–
pray together
Presenting with a translator requires additional preparation and
consideration by the speaker:
–
How often would the translator like you to pause for translation? It may
be better for you to speak in much shorter sentences than usual so that
the translator remembers what you have said, especially if you go ‘off
script’
–
Will you need to say a complete sentence before they can translate? The
structure of some languages means a translator needs to hear an entire
sentence before being able to translate effectively.
–
What is your signal that they haven’t heard or understood what you have
said or that you are talking too fast?
–
You both do not need to read a Bible verse. Ensure the translator has the
verse in advance and then hand over to them to read it when you reach
that point. (This is a great time-saver too!)
GAT TEAM SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION MAY 2011
4.
Present to the audience, not the translator: Always present directly to the
audience and not to the translator. Some people in the audience will understand
you and not the translation, so you need to keep them engaged as you speak as
well as command authority to those listening to the translation.
5.
Do not use idiom and “Christianese.” Idioms or expressions, such as “far out”,
“He’s lost his marbles” and other such expressions will not be funny nor do they
translate well into the local language. They are often very confusing and distract
rather than help illustrate what you are trying to say. Equally, Christianease,
such as “under the blood”, “The Holy Spirit is moving” “Redeemed by the blood of
the Lamb” will often be translated literally and will not make sense to your local
audience. It is helpful to be aware of how often you use expressions such as
these and edit your talks to remove anything that might be confusing.
At almost all GAT events the translators will be volunteers, and are often inexperienced
at translating. In this circumstance preparation (both by the speaker and the translator)
is the key to communicating successfully. Please be aware of this and encourage and
equip your translators as much as possible.
GAT TEAM SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION MAY 2011