In a 2011 First Presidency message, then-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf told the story of a Church member speaking with a friend of another faith about general conference.

“You say you have prophets and apostles?” the friend asked. “And twice a year in a worldwide conference they reveal the word of God?”

“Absolutely,” the member replied.

“What did they say in the last general conference?”

Elder Uchtdorf wrote: “At this point the good member of the Church went from feeling excited about sharing the gospel to feeling embarrassed. Try as he might, he couldn’t think of the details of a single talk.

“His friend found this troubling and said, ‘You mean to tell me that God speaks to man in our day and you can’t remember what He said?‘” (“General Conference — No Ordinary Blessing,” Ensign, September 2011).

To not just avoid such a scene but to remember and apply the messages shared during general conference, here are some ways to prepare to commit these messages to memory and apply them to one’s life.

The suggestions listed here come from the “Ideas To Prepare,” “Ideas for Study” and “General Conference Activities for Children and Youth” sections in the Gospel Library’s general conference additional resources; two First Presidency messages from President Uchtdorf, “General Conference — No Ordinary Blessing” from September 2011 and “The Word of God to His Children” from March 2018; “5 Steps for Making Conference Stay With You” from the March 2018 Liahona, digital only; and posts from @youngwomenworldwide on Instagram.

Before

“I give you my personal witness that long before a speaker in general conference makes that long walk to the podium, he or she has invested immense effort, prayer and study in response to the assignment to speak,” Elder Uchtdorf wrote in the March 2018 Liahona. “Every conference message represents countless hours of preparation and heartfelt pleading to understand what the Lord wishes His Saints to hear.

“What might happen if we as listeners matched the speakers’ preparation with our own?”

Here are ways to prepare well before the opening hymn of the Saturday morning session begins.

• “As you prepare for general conference, I invite you to ponder questions you need to have answered,” Elder Uchtdorf wrote in 2011. These can be questions weighing on the mind or current struggles one needs help with. Write them down.
• Learn more about the members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by reading their profiles either on ChurchofJesusChrist.org or on the Church News.
• Review past conference talks. Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, shared on Instagram, “One of my favorite things to do to prepare is to read talks from the Prophet and the Apostles from the most recent conference.” To read any previous messages from a particular leader, sort general conference messages by speaker.
• Study how to receive revelation. Consider watching the “How I #HearHim” video series for examples from Church leaders on how they have felt the Spirit.
• Invite others to general conference. They could be family members or friends, less-active Church members or friends of other faiths.

During

Listening to 10 hours of sermons, songs and prayers in two days can feel a bit like drinking from a fire hose. But here are a few ways to make the most of the messages.

• Listen for answers to questions in the messages and music. Elder Uchtdorf wrote: “Answers to your specific prayers may come directly from a particular talk or from a specific phrase. At other times answers may come in a seemingly unrelated word, phrase or song. A heart filled with gratitude for the blessings of life and an earnest desire to hear and follow the words of counsel will prepare the way for personal revelation.”
• Look for truths instead of doubts, as suggested by Sister Katie Hughes of the Young Women general advisory council in a Young Women Worldwide Instagram video. “I think that’s something that can be helpful as we’re anticipating all these questions.”
• Be open to other answers the Lord has prepared. Don’t discount a message just because it seems repetitive. Elder Uchtdorf taught that prophets use repetition because it is a law of learning. “We continue to hear messages on similar issues because the Lord is teaching and impressing upon our minds and hearts certain foundational principles of great eternal importance that must be understood and acted upon before we can move on to other things,” he wrote.
• Record thoughts and impressions. Taking notes on what exactly a speaker has said can help one remember the message better because they were more engaged in listening. But Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles compared this to writing the large plates of Nephi. Instead, he encourages writing on small plates, or recording one’s own revelation and impressions. “If you are recording the individual impressions that are coming to you by the Holy Ghost, you are creating your own small plates,” he said.
• For younger participants, keep fingers and minds engaged using a general conference notebook for youth or Primary children, conference coloring pages or conference squares.
• Bring someone to general conference. The person or people one invites could come to one’s home, one’s stake center or, if given the opportunity, the Conference Center in Salt Lake City.
• Use cellphones and such devices to engage with the messages instead of distract from them. Follow Church leaders, official Church accounts, the Church News and #GeneralConference on social media. Install and use Church apps, including Gospel for Kids, Gospel Living and Gospel Library.

After

In his October 2010 general conference address “Trust in God, Then Go and Do,” President Henry B. Eyring, then first counselor in the First Presidency, said that as he was preparing to write his messages, he received clear direction from reading the Book of Mormon. “I am to build trust in God and His servants enough that we will go out and obey His counsel,” he said.

Here are some ways to “go out and obey” the counsel God has given in general conference.

• Record answers and impressions in one’s journal. Do it soon. These memories will fade faster than expected.
• Share thoughts with loved ones. Ponder how the messages have brought one closer to Christ.
• Consider what changes to make after hearing these messages. Elder Uchtdorf wrote, “If we listen to and follow the promptings of the Spirit, they will serve as a Liahona, guiding us through the unknown, challenging valleys and mountains that are ahead (see 1 Nephi 16).”
• Follow the five steps shared in the March 2018 Liahona to make conference “stay with you.”

1. After conference, choose an inspiring quote, lesson, principle or talk.
2. Write the principle down where it can be seen daily, and share it with family.
3. Make a goal for how to apply this principle to one’s life each day.
4. Be accountable to someone and support one another.
5. As the next general conference approaches, share with one’s family lessons learned and blessings received from applying this principle.

Texts for all general conference messages will be available in English on Gospel Library by the Wednesday after it ends, and in other languages within two weeks, according to ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

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