I was recently asked to help out with giving khutbahs (Friday sermons) for the local community jummah where I live. At first I hesitated but I decided to go for it. I had given khutbahs before at my MSA but that was several years ago. This would be a lot different since it’s not just college students but parents, elders, young children and the general masjid crowd.

I believe I did a poor job, so have mercy on me with your comments, haha.  There are several areas I can improve upon after watching this.  I recorded it for this exact reason so I can critique and improve on my khutbah presentation skills. Here are some things I thought I could improve on:

• Memorize the ayah(t) that are referenced in the khutbah. Listen to qaris to get the tajweed correct.
• Don’t type out the entire khutbah, because I barely read from the paper.
• Use bullet points since I like to talk and rant away instead of reading a paper.
• Improve my vocabulary and use a thesaurus for better words.
• Talk to myself first before everyone else.
• Use “I” less and “we” more.
• Do better research in finding relevant ahadith.
• Re-read and understand the ahadith before the khutbah so there is no forgetting.
• If something comes to mind, try to organize your thoughts in your mind before presenting it.
• Stop shaking so much. Exercise and stretch before. Loosen up the muscles.

What are some of your thoughts and comments?  InshaAllah I will be giving more in the future, so I have a lot work ahead to improve my presentation skills.  JazakAllah khair.  Thanks!