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How to Give a Dharma Talk

Before the talk stay silent for several minutes or more, stay focussed, calm and clear. Enter the hall when people have settled down so the hall is rather silent.

Give a clear title to your talk

Make sure that you use the title in different ways through the talk; otherwise the talk may seem to lack co-ordination or seem unrelated to the title.

It is sometimes tempting to give a simple talk for beginners. Please try to avoid this, as there are always dedicated and experienced followers of the Dharma in the hall.

Always remember to speak to the person furthest from you in the hall. If unsure that your can voice can be heard, ask them to raise their hand if they cannot hear.

If you speak too slowly, you may induce sleepiness upon the listeners.

If you speak too quickly, you will block the opportunity to understand what you have to say.

If you speak too loud, you will make it difficult for people to listen to you!

If you speak too quietly, people will have to make an effort to hear. Relaxed listening with an upright posture generates inner receptivity for the listener.

Your words and your feelings must flow together. If you feelings and tone of voice come across as intense and absolute, you will sound intolerant, no matter how clearly you express your words. People in the audience will then go on the defensive or feel judged.

If you are nervous, pick out three people – one to your left, one in the middle and one to your right, and talk to them. Notice one or two people who appear sincerely interested.

Be mindful with ‘we’ you and ‘l’ language. ‘We’ means everybody, including yourself.
‘You’ language excludes yourself. It is a challenging form of language. E.g. 'You have the opportunity to change. Are you willing to take the steps?’

‘I’ language refers to personal experiences or personal views. ‘!’ language can be used to refer to all but it has to be made clear. E.g. ‘I am a human being passing through birth ageing, pain and death.’

Speak in short sentences rather than long sentences.

If you quote the Buddha or another authority, make sure the quote is accurate, and not something you have heard elsewhere. Don’t guess what he or she said. Check the text if in doubt and be ready to name the book and passage.

Remember to pause for a two or three seconds every now and then to allow listeners to absorb the Dharma.

Prepare a talk well with easy to read notes to refer to. It is worthwhile giving many hours to the preparation.

On deeper Dharma, there are generally fewer stories. Too many stories or too long stories weaken the theme of the talk.

Try to give as deep a Dharma teaching as possible in the last five minutes of the talk
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Try to make as much eye contact with as many people as possible during the talk.

Remember Dharma teachings are to lead everybody further in their understanding than it is as present.

It is useful to finish a talk with a couple of minutes of silence.

Never repeat the same talk in the same place. Never give the give the same talk more than two or three times. After all, we are pointing to the Original Mind, not simply repeating the past.

If you have a question and answer session at the end, make sure it is connected to the talk. Some listeners prefer the silence to Questions and Answers, so it is useful to keep any Q and A down to a few minutes. Announcements in the hall should be made before a talk rather than afterwards to protect the silent atmosphere for reflection.

After your talk, be mindful of the judge within! On a retreat, the Dharma talk is major focal point for the day. The Buddha never gave lightweight teachings. Nor do we. To serve the Dharma is the greatest privilege. You are the voice of the Buddha!

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