Public Talk Manager

This window allows you to view, update, and maintain all public talk outlines, along with congregation‑specific history and speaker information.

Figure 71. Public Talks Manager window

How to Access

You can open the Public Talks Manager by either:

• Selecting Database > Public Talks > Manage.
• Clicking the Public Talks button on the toolbar.

Public Talks List

This list displays all available public talk outlines. Selecting a talk updates the Details Panel, Talk History, and Speakers List for that outline..

Each outline displays:

• Talk number and theme
• Outline date (bottom left)
• Category (bottom right)
• Has multimedia indicator (bottom left)

Double-clicking a talk opens the Talk Update workflow, creating a new update or opening the existing one for editing.

Filtering Options

The Public Talks Manager supports filtering to help you narrow the list of outlines.

Full details are documented in the dedicated topic: Filtering Options .

Talk Updates Menu Button

The Talk Updates button provides access to all update‑related actions for the selected outline.

Figure 72. Talk Updates menu button

Menu options include:

• Add Update for This Talk…
  Create a new update entry for the selected outline.
• Edit Update for This Talk…
  Enabled when an update already exists.
• Remove Update for This Talk…
  Remove the existing update entry.
• Send Pending Updates…
  Submit all pending updates you have created.
• Clear Pending Updates
  Remove all pending updates without sending.

Updates are queued and can be submitted in batches using Send Pending Updates…

For full details about creating or editing a talk update, see the dedicated help topic:

Submitting Talk Updates

Closing the Window With Unsaved Talk Updates

If you attempt to close the Manage Public Talks window while you still have pending talk updates, a confirmation dialog will appear. This prevents accidental loss of work.

The dialog presents three choices:

• Send Updates and Close
  Immediately sends all pending updates and then closes the window.
• Keep Editing (Don’t Close)
  Returns you to the window so you can continue reviewing or modifying your updates.
• Close Without Sending
  Closes the window and discards all pending updates.

Use this prompt to ensure you don’t unintentionally lose changes you intended to submit.

Outline Information

Displayed at the bottom of the window:

• Outline date
  The official issue date (e.g., “September 2015”).
  Read‑only.
• Category
  The outline’s category from the S‑99a document.
  Read‑only.
• Has multimedia
  Indicates whether the outline includes official images or videos.
  Read‑only.

If you notice an official change, please use Talk Updates > Add Update for This Talk… to notify us.

Details Panel

This information is stored locally in a secondary database and can be edited as needed.

Count

Number of times this talk has been given in the congregation.

Notes

Use this field for any congregation‑specific notes (e.g., “Excluded per announcement sheet, March 2024”).

Last given

Select the date the talk was last given.

You may use the dropdown arrow or adjust the date fields manually.

Talk never given

When checked:

• The date field is disabled
• The date is automatically set to 01‑01‑1900
• The talk is treated as “never given” in date‑ordered reports

The software refreshes Count and Last given automatically at startup, provided your Assignment History database is up‑to‑date.

Availability

Exclude from

Specify the date from which the talk is excluded from selection.

Exclude talk

Temporarily removes the talk from selection lists when managing talk exchanges.

Supporting Tools

Talk History

Shows all dates when the talk was given in your congregation, including:

• Date
• Speaker
• Congregation

This list is populated from your Assignment History database.

Speakers List

Shows all speakers who give this talk, including:

• Speaker name
• Congregation

Report Viewer

You can open the Report Viewer from the View menu on this window. The Report Viewer lets you generate, preview, print, and export reports.

See also: Report Viewer

Search (Find)

Use Find to search within the current database window.

For full search instructions, see Finding Entries.

Navigation

• Parent topic: Public Talks