It is not recommended that you make a practice of using a manuscript for talks given in the congregation. On occasion, however, manuscripts are provided for certain convention discourses so that the same thoughts will be presented in the same way at all the conventions. In order to emphasize the principal ideas in such a manuscript, the speaker must first analyze the material carefully. What are the main points? He should be able to recognize these. The main points are not simply ideas that he feels are interesting. They are the key thoughts around which the material itself is developed. Sometimes a concise statement of a principal idea in the manuscript introduces a narrative or a line of argument. More often, a strong statement is made after the supporting evidence has been presented. When these key points have been identified, the speaker should mark them in his manuscript. There usually are only a few, probably not more than four or five. Next, he needs to practice reading in such a way that the audience can readily identify them. These are the peaks of the talk. If the material is delivered with proper emphasis, these principal ideas are more likely to be remembered. That should be the speaker’s goal.

AN EFFECTIVE reader looks beyond the individual sentence, even beyond the paragraph in which it appears. When he reads, he has in mind the principal ideas in the entire body of material that he is presenting. This influences his placement of emphasis.

If this process is not followed, there will be no peaks in the delivery. Nothing will stand out clearly. When the presentation is concluded, it may be difficult to remember anything as being outstanding.

Proper attention to the emphasizing of principal ideas can often do much to enhance the reading of an account from the Bible. Such emphasis can impart added significance to the reading of paragraphs at a home Bible study or at a congregation meeting. And it is especially important when giving a discourse from a manuscript, as is sometimes done at our conventions.