Devotional Speaker Information

Fill out the Campus Devotional Speaker Information Form.

This form will be sent to you separately via Adobe Acrobat Sign, where you'll initial, sign, and date it electronically.

Provide a few potential titles for your talk. Titles should not exceed 60 characters.

Devotional Script Guidelines

Please follow these guidelines as you prepare your typed script:

• Use Arial font, 12 pt., single-spaced
• Include the talk title at the beginning
• Do not type in all capital letters
• Include references (see "References" below)
• Follow the BYU–Hawaii Devotional Principles (see the section further down this page)

Length: Devotional talks run 20–25 minutes, roughly 3,000–3,500 words. We recommend practicing by reading your talk aloud — note that reading from a teleprompter can affect your pacing.

After You Submit: Wait for the review committee to return your script before making any further edits. Additional edits should be made in "reviewing" mode. Once your remarks are finalized and receive final approval, no further edits can be made.

All references and citations used in your script should be included. Use the examples below as formatting guides:

• Scriptures: 2 Nephi 25:26
• Websites: www.byuh.edu
• Hymns: "Come unto Jesus," Hymns, no. 117
• General Conference Talks: Russell M. Nelson, "Think Celestial!" Liahona, Oct. 2023, 117.

For additional guidance, refer to past BYU–Hawaii Speeches to see how references are formatted in published talks.

Images, scripture verses, and quotes can all be used as media in your talk and will be incorporated into a PowerPoint template created by the university. If you prefer to add graphics directly yourself, just let us know — we'll send you a link to the slide template, and we will help with formatting.

Slide Guidelines

• Maximum of 10 slides
• Quotes and scriptures on slides should be 50 words or fewer

Permissions & Format

Please confirm BYU–Hawaii has permission to use all content (photos, graphics, quotes, etc.) from the copyright owner. Send images as .jpg attachments via email.

Content Guidelines

As instructed by the Church Educational System (CES), only illustrations or paintings depicting the Savior may be used — please avoid photographs of models or actors portraying Jesus Christ.

Marking Media in Your Script

• Highlight all media items in yellow
• Indicate when each slide should appear and disappear, [SLIDE 5 UP], [SLIDE 5 DOWN]

Submission

No slides will be accepted after the submission deadline. Please send all devotional media to monet.montemayor@byuh.edu.

Any media that isn't public domain or your own original work requires permission before it can be used in a published devotional.

Already Covered

BYU–Hawaii has the Church's permission to use general conference quotations and most scriptures (Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price) — no additional steps needed for these.

Requires Additional Permission

You'll need to request permission separately if you plan to use:

• Quotes from worldwide devotionals or face-to-face events
• Church artwork
• Any other Church materials not listed above

Response times average around 45 days, so please request permissions as early as possible.

Requesting Permission from Personal Contacts

If you're using media from a personal contact, explain what you'd like to use, how it will be used, and where it will be published. The contact must provide a written statement granting you and BYU–Hawaii permission to use the media.

Why This Matters

This step ensures BYU–Hawaii has the legal right to stream and publish your devotional. If permission isn't granted at least three weeks before the devotional, your talk and/or media will need to be adjusted.

Please send all permissions documentation to monet.montemayor@byuh.edu.

The teleprompter rehearsal will be held in the Cannon Activities Center at 10:00 AM on the day of the devotional. We'll make sure you're comfortable on the stand and at the pulpit, and run through any graphics you have. Teleprompter operators will follow your pace and flow.

If you'd like additional practice, contact Monet Montemayor at monet.montemayor@byuh.edu to schedule an extra rehearsal.

Details to know for the day of your devotional.

Dress Code: Sunday best. You'll receive a lei from the university prior to the devotional — please wait to wear any additional lei, including lei po'o, until after the devotional concludes.

Guest Seating: Reserved seating will be available for your guest(s) during the devotional. Please let University Events know how many guests you'll have as soon as possible.

Following the devotional, a private luncheon will be held from 12:00–12:50 pm in the Banyan Dining Hall. This luncheon allows student representatives the opportunity to interact with you in meaningful ways that support their spiritual and academic development.

Photo by BYU–Hawaii Photography

The luncheon will include you (the speaker), one guest, a member of the President's Council, and the eight students previously selected.

Additional family members or guests will need to make other arrangements.

Two-thirds of our students are young single adults (18–35), living and working 19 hours a week on campus. They come from more than 60 countries, primarily within Oceania and the Asian Rim, where English is likely their second language, and many are converts with varying degrees of gospel understanding.

Photo by BYU–Hawaii Photography

Your audience also includes married students, students living off-campus, and faculty and staff of diverse ages and backgrounds. While you can direct the heart of your message to campus-based students, keep all these groups in mind as you prepare your remarks.

Topics that resonate with this audience include:

• Dating, marriage, relationships, and family life
• Balancing school, work, and spiritual life
• Overcoming challenges and building good habits
• Mental health and spiritual resilience
• Career development

• Avoid politics, divorce, race, violence, severe depression, sexual orientation/gender identity, suicide, and other sensitive topics. BYU–Hawaii devotionals reach a wide audience and should stay doctrinally focused; sensitive subjects can distract from the uniting truths you're sharing.
• Avoid commenting on the experience of speaking at a devotional. Disclaimers about your speaking ability can undercut your credibility, even if you feel the weight of the assignment.

• Pay special attention to what latter-day prophets are currently sharing with young adults.
• Resist the inclination to focus your message on yourself — find a balance between personal stories and other teaching styles.
• Balance doctrine with application. Too many specific applications or stories can obscure the "why" behind your message; too much doctrine without application can make it hard for your audience to act on what you've taught.
• Include at least one invitation as part of your message — this encourages students to "ponder and prove" what they've learned, following the university's learning model.