Getting the Most out of General Conference

Here are some tips to try before, during, and after conference.

Next month will be general conference, so now’s the time to start preparing to hear and benefit from the inspired messages given by prophets, apostles, and other Church leaders.

Before Conference

• Make conference more personal by reviewing the names and faces of the General Authorities so you’ll recognize them and be ready to hear their messages. (You can find the photos in conference issues of the Ensign and at lds.org/go/321.)

• Make a list of questions or concerns you would like help with. Ponder and pray about your list, asking to receive guidance during conference. You could also study related scriptures.

• Have note-taking materials and your scriptures ready.

• Get a good night’s sleep so you can be alert and awake for general conference.

During Conference

• Attend, watch, or listen to all the sessions of conference. Focus just on conference rather than trying to do other activities at the same time.

• Listen carefully and intently. Be especially ready to receive answers to your questions—whether your answers come from talks, prayers, songs, or promptings from the Spirit.

• If you decide to take notes, keep them short and simple so you can pay close attention to the speaker and to the Spirit. Consider writing down what the Spirit teaches you or some specific things we are counseled to do, not just the exact words of the conference speakers.

• Sing the congregational hymns, even if you watch or listen to conference at home.

After Conference

• Pray to give thanks for the counsel and inspiration you received.

• Study the conference talks again. They are posted in text, audio, and video formats at conference.lds.org within days after conference. Study the messages on your own or with your family and friends. If you are unable to listen to all sessions of conference, be sure to study what you missed.

• Use your notes to help set personal goals to act on what you’ve learned or what you’ve been prompted to do.

• Follow the prophets by obeying their counsel.

Conference Videos for Youth

Did you know that youth.lds.org posts short conference video clips meant specifically for the lives of youth? Find them at youth.lds.org by clicking on “From Church Leaders.”

Study, Ponder, and Apply

“Remember that the messages we have heard during … conference will be printed in the May [and November] issues of the Ensign and Liahona magazines. I urge you to study the messages, to ponder their teachings, and then to apply them in your life.”

President Thomas S. Monson, “A Word at Closing,” Ensign, May 2010, 113.

Photographs by Josue Chavez and iStock/Stella Kitts