Adult Leader Training

I am often asked … “How do I get my troop’s adult volunteers to use the patrol method?” I’ll answer that question with a one sentence Scouter job description. Over the past decade of writing the blog at Scoutmastercg.com I’ve been looking for a one sentence definition of Scouting. Something we can tell ourselves that focuses us on what’s important about our work as Scouters. I think I may have found it, listen in and see if you agree....

I hope you had a great summer… The picture for this week’s podcast is one of my favorite campsites on Proulx lake in Ontario Canada’s Algonquin Provincial Park. We took twenty people in three crews this year and had a great time. I am glad to be back, and this week I’ll answer some of the email questions you have sent over the break. In 30+ years as a Scouter I have been through difficult situations....

Lots of answers that you may find useful! It’s been a little while since I answered some email questions, so this is catch-up week. Listen as I talk about several different questions listeners have sent in over the past couple of moths, no doubt you have experienced something similar before, or may encounter these issues in the future. In This Podcast A deer in your pajamas?… [0:20] Intro 1:o3 Email about a difficult situation [7:30]...

I’ve headed up a number of Scouter training events, and been trained in several different volunteer positions. Scouters are typically gregarious, good-spirited folks; but the dedication and single-mindedness required to be a good Scouter sometimes makes us difficult trainees. Here’s my do’s and don’ts for getting the most out of a Scouter training course: Do Expect to Learn. To get the most out of training you have to be open to new ideas and techniques, even those you have may have tried and rejected deserve a second chance....

Sponsored By ScoutmasterCG.com Backers What advice do you have for a Webelos Den leader who just crossed over with his Webelos into a Scout Troop? In this podcast I give my best answer. Also a number of email questions concerning a lost handbook, questions about “duty to God”, faith specific prayers and reflections, working with old Scouts as a new Scoutmaster, and who ought to know medical information concerning individual Scouts....

Every Scouter has been there. You’ve been there, and so have I. Your fellow Scouter, a parent, or Scout has a question. You think you know the answer. After telling them what you think there’s a little shadow of doubt in your mind;”did I get that right?”. That shadow grows, and you go looking for some resource that backs you up. You try the Scoutmaster Handbook, you look over your training notes (you do have training notes, don’t you?...

Where do you go find answers to Cub Leader questions? During the years I spent as a Cubmaster and Webelos Den Leader formal training sessions helped , but the most valuable advice I received at the time came from those long talks in the parking lot with folks who had been there and done that. Wm. David Levesque’s new book, “For the Love of Cub Scouts”, contains the hard-won ‘between the lines’ sort of information and advice that can only come from an experienced Cub Scout Leader....

In addition to the program-oriented courses offered through MyScouting.org completing these six online training courses are a worthwhile way for any Scouter to improve their safety IQ. As a young Scoutmaster I felt a lot of these things were limitations, but now I don’t see these safety practices as restrictive. Quite to the contrary I feel more empowered and confident that I can help my Scouts plan and supervise potentially risky activities....

No volunteer is expected to be an expert with an encyclopedic knowledge of Scouting. All we really need to is the will to learn and the good sense to accept and apply what we learn: We ought to take advantage of as many training opportunities as possible. Familiarize ourselves with informational resources. Have the humility to correct ourselves if we find we are off course. Be open to new methods and ideas....

Wood Badge is Scouting’s premier adult leader training. It was a mystery to me before I took the course, but it turned out to be simple to understand and very useful to my work in Scouting. Wood Badge is much like any modern corporate leadership course but it does not cost $3000, it is outdoors, and it is fun. The first Wood Badge course was presented in 1919 to train Scoutmasters but now any Scouter can particpate....

Jargon is an Old French word meaning “the chatter of birds”. At it’s best Scouting jargon encapsulates a complex idea or definition for easy reference. At it’s worst jargon can become unintelligible, pretentious, convoluted vocabulary of the initiated. Scouting has a lot of acronyms and initialization: ‘ We talked about EDGE at the PLC and encouraged them to use MaSeR during their SSC and SMART exercises.’ Scouting jargon is not, in itself, a bad thing....

You have been asked to take on one of the greatest, most challenging roles in Scouting; you are a new Scoutmaster. What next? Get trained! Here’s the steps; Be prepared for training by being teachable. A new Scoutmaster may have a strong, determined personality. While this is desirable in some respects it can also make us less than receptive to training. You may have a number of preconceived ideas of the work of Scouting that may or may not help your Scouts achieve the aims of Scouting....

This post introduces a new contributor to Scoutmastercg.com; Walter Underwood. You can learn more about Walter by reading his profile. I really like the idea of a regular, brief and focused discussion amongst the adult leadership to air any concerns or ideas; we’ll be having one of these discussions in our troop pretty soon! – Clarke A couple of times a year our adult leaders sit down to discuss the troop program....

I have contribution syndrome, maybe you do too, it’s not all that uncommon. David Axson, author of the The Management Mythbuster, says successful leaders ask great questions. The problem is I talk way too much; I natter away and watch the interest and engagement in my Scout’s faces turn into despair. Contribution Syndrome: No matter what the situation, it is the compulsion to contribute; to show how smart you are at every possible opportunity....

This may sound pessimistic – but it is an unfortunate reality. Sometime, somewhere this month (and every month thereafter) a Troop of Scouts will start off on a hike that will end in some sort of tragedy. The major tragedies we see on the news – a lost scout or group of scouts, a serious injury, a death – all probably preventable. The smaller, yet often more poignant, tragedies don’t get publicized....