These can be given by a leader or helper who has the appropriate gifts and time to prepare the material. On a large course, this needs to be someone who is able to speak to sizeable gatherings. The talks are also available on video – some course leaders find this helpful because it distances them from the material and enables the guests to be more open and honest in their response to the talk.

Others find that there is simply too much else to think about, and that time saved preparing the talk enables them to organise the administration and pastoral care more effectively. In the long term, we would recommend a live speaker doing the talks, but the videos provide an effective second best.

It’s useful if the guests follow the talks by using an Alpha Course Manual, although they should not be charged for these.

The book Alpha - Questions of Life is a key resource. It is based on the Alpha course, with separate chapters covering the content of each talk. Speaker material is also available on CD-Rom, containing each of the chapters from Alpha – Questions of Life for live speakers to use as talk notes.

All these resources can be obtained from the Alpha Publications Hotline.