Creating Your Personal Chalk Talk

Father Martin's "Chalk Talk" transformed how millions understand addiction. This worksheet guides you in developing your own powerful, personal approach to educating clients and families about substance use disorder and recovery.

"The best teachers don't just deliver information—they change how people think."

Clinician Information

Your Name

Credentials

Primary Setting

Primary Population Served

Your Progress

0%

0 of 15 sections completed • 1 Chalk Talk(s) developed

Understanding the Chalk Talk approach and its power

The Chalk Talk Method

Techniques for engaging and educating effectively

Creating Safe Spaces

Environment and communication for effective education

Developing Your Talk

Creating and refining your personal presentations

Integrating compassion into treatment planning

Getting Started

1

Start with Foundations – Understand the philosophy behind Father Martin's approach

2

Explore the Topics – Review the essential topics every SUD patient should know

3

Work Through Modules – Build your skills in engagement, environment, and compassion

4

Create Your Outline – Use the builder to design your personal Chalk Talk

5

Practice & Refine – Present, get feedback, and continuously improve

Essential Topics for SUD Patients

Your Chalk Talk blackboard—the key topics every person affected by substance use disorder should understand. Use this as a reference when developing your presentations.

Your Priority Topics

Which topics are MOST important for your specific population? Rank your top 5:

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2

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4

5

Chalk Talk Outline Builder

Create and save your personal Chalk Talk outlines. Use this structure to develop focused, engaging presentations on specific recovery topics.

Your Chalk Talks

Basic Information

Chalk Talk Title

Core Topic

Duration (minutes)

Target Audience

Learning Objectives

By the end of this talk, participants will be able to:

Opening Hook

How will you grab attention in the first 30 seconds?

Key Analogies & Metaphors

Visual Elements

What will you draw or display?

Interactive Elements

How will you engage your audience?

Main Points

Stories & Anecdotes

Closing

Key Takeaway Message

Call to Action

Practice, Feedback & Improvement

Feedback Received

Self-Reflection

Improvements for Next Time

Developing Your Personal Chalk Talk