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How to Use Alpha Live
Many Alpha course leaders prefer to give live talks on their Alpha course but struggle to find appropriate points in the talk to insert their own material.
These Alpha talk transcripts are the original transcripts from the talks given by Nicky Gumbel on the Alpha course at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) and on The Alpha course DVD. They are also the scripts on which all the live HTB Alpha talks are currently based.
These transcripts have been designed with the live Alpha speaker in mind. They have been color coded so that speakers can identify the core Alpha talk content, and separate it from other key elements of the Alpha talk which may be personalized or adapted for contextualization, such as personal stories, trivia, quotes and humor. Links on the right side of the page will direct you to Personal Stories/Testimonies, Stories and Illustrations, Quotes and Video clips used by other Alpha speakers around the country to contextualize the talks to their audiences.
These talks are separated into the following sections to help live speakers to prepare a talk:
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Sections of the outline highlighted in yellow are personal stories or testimonies that Nicky Gumbel tells in the classic Alpha talk. These may be personalized by replacing the content with a live speaker’s personal story. The speaker may also tell the story about Nicky in the same way Nicky tells stories about others. |
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Sections highlighted in pink are stories that Nicky tells about someone else (about a friend or a story he heard or read about). You may use these stories or replace with your own. |
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Quotes are key to the talk to emphasize a point and to enable guests to engage and relate to a point made. . A quote should be replaced with something equally effective to maintain the balance of teaching, story, and references to other information sources. |
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Video clips are often useful for: raising questions, introducing an issue, or illustrating a point in a dramatic, visual way. As people tend to watch a lot of films in our culture, they are often a good way to get the guests’ attention and help them relate to the point you are making. Effective video clips do not need explanation - they speak for themselves. Video clip suggestions are posted at the top of each outline and can be inserted where you determine appropriate in the talk. |
Text left untouched in the outlines is the standard key message content of the Alpha talk and should not be changed.
Green boxes identify key Bible passages used in the talk.
Red type identifies a part of the key teaching text that may be removed or altered for contextualisation often supported by instructional notes in the margins.
NOTE: Key elements of this script are: personal stories, humour and reference to media / popular culture to draw the guests in to engage with the talk.
Parts of the talk may need to be contextualised for other contexts or cultures but make sure you maintain the key elements of humour and personal testimony. Notice how quotes, and stories are used throughout to add emphasis to the main points of the talk (theology and testimony).
The Bible translation used in these transcripts is the NIV Inclusive edition. We recommend that you use this translation in your Alpha talk. However, where there are longer excerpts of the Bible in the talk (highlighted in green) you may choose to use a Bible translation that is commonly used or endorsed by your local church.
Where quotes are used effectively in the Alpha talks – we advise that you consider first how the quote effectively emphasises a point in the talk before you consider how well known the quote source is. Instead of replacing quotes you might consider explaining, briefly, who the person is to put it into context for the guests, eg a lot of the CS Lewis quotes are key to a lot of Alpha talks. If he is not well known in some contexts you may try explaining that he is a well-known Christian author and philosopher from England. Similarly, when referring to great philosophers in history, such as Socrates, or great historians, such as Josephus, you might consider researching who they are and adding this into your talk rather than removing it completely.
The Alpha Course Transcripts are taken from The Alpha Course DVD 2007 – 2008 edition and are based on Alpha – Questions of Life by Nicky Gumbel
Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, A member of the Hachette Livre UK Group. All rights reserved.
"NIV" is a registered trademark of International Bible Society.
UK trademark number 1448790.
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