Dorothy's General Conference Analysis

Unfortunately I was out of town this past week and had limited access to listen to General Conference but have been able to listen to a few of the talks since they were initially given. Like mentioned in other posts, Elder Uchtdorf's talk seems to be a favorite. His use of connecting one of his main ideas to a relevant modern day reference, such as Lord of the Rings, caught many people's attention. It is unusual to hear apostles and prophets make these correlations so Elder Uchtdorf's talk resonated with many people. While I have been listening to talks from this past weekend with the idea of connecting speaker's talks to personal stories, I have thought about how each personal story used acts as a sort of parable for the lesson the speaker is trying to convey. By using a story to explain a situation, the person listening feels like they can relate and apply that same principal in their life. Personal stories also act as a way for certain people to brand themselves. For example, Elder Uchtdorf is known for talking about his years as a pilot and likes to talk about planes. President Nelson has shared stories about being a heart surgeon. By sharing these personal stories and experiences, the audience feels a deeper connection to the speaker and a greater desire to listen to them.