Troop 1616 After Meeting Review
September 29, 2008
September 29, 2008
I have one major problem that I really need to get sorted out in order to continue advancing as quick as I want to in regards to learning leadership. How do you take Scout A and Scout B who are both senior leaders of the Troop from not having self-confidence to having self-confidence in a fairly quick time. I know the saying that people will develop confidence as time goes on but these two leaders just do not seem to be making any progress in regards to self confidence. I am not trying to put Scout A and B down but I am just making observations.
One the things that I am going to be doing is giving them more and more responsibility in each meeting. We started off by just having them do announcements but are now getting to the point where they should be taking responsibility for the majority of the meeting.Hopefully time will pass and the self confidence they need to do the job will come to them otherwise it could be a rough few months for these scouts.
Back to the meeting this week we had another orienteering Classroom session. This is our last classroom session and the next monday we have a meeting will be the field session to test our newly learned skills. Hopefully are hard work at teaching and showing the skills will pay off and the scouts will have a great time. We will just have to wait for next week to come before I can tell.
Your in Scouting Service
mark
Junior Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
One the things that I am going to be doing is giving them more and more responsibility in each meeting. We started off by just having them do announcements but are now getting to the point where they should be taking responsibility for the majority of the meeting.Hopefully time will pass and the self confidence they need to do the job will come to them otherwise it could be a rough few months for these scouts.
Back to the meeting this week we had another orienteering Classroom session. This is our last classroom session and the next monday we have a meeting will be the field session to test our newly learned skills. Hopefully are hard work at teaching and showing the skills will pay off and the scouts will have a great time. We will just have to wait for next week to come before I can tell.
Your in Scouting Service
mark
Junior Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Confidence is proportional to trust. Trust much and you will engender much confidence, trust little and you will engender little confidence.
ReplyDeleteHave you adequately modeled what is to happen at a troop meeting? Now let them have it. As they learn they will make good.
They will not do and say everything that you do, and so much the better. Allow them to do things as they see fit and lead them to discover their own strength.
Step back from saying or doing anything at the Troop meeting and let them have at it. (Happily I have another room where we meet, I stay in it most of the time.) After the meeting ask some questions (five is my limit). When they drop the ball empathize, let them know that it is not the end of the world and you drop the ball sometimes yourself. Help them back into the saddle and keep on cheering for them.
You might have to prepare yourself to be patient and let it take as much time as is needed.
ReplyDeleteI have two specific suggestions.
Try to get your gentlement to incorporate into the meeting something they are good at and you and they both know it: knots, which merit badge counselors are really good, cooking demonstration, or whatever. Just make it something they're good at so they can demonstrate their expertise in something relevant to the troop's program. Perhaps the boys will feel more confident and receive the respect of their peers for their obvious skill.
The second thing is back them to the hilt on something and be prepared to not agree that it is the best way. Although I'm the committee chair circumstances required me to supervise the last patrol leaders' conference. I asked if having a game for guys not going to the next outing at the same time as menu planning for that outing would be resented by the planners. My SPL son said that he believed it would give an incentive to finish a process that can drag on in debates for a laboriously long time. While I felt that it might actually cause planners to put a minimal amount of thought and work into their menu I just said that I hadn't thought of that and I'm sure he's right that they'll want to finish faster. Maybe he's right. I'll wait and see, but I encouraged his decision since he knows that he has to approve all the menus (take responsibility for the content). He can change his mind if he feels that the result isn't what he intended, but he knows he's got the support of the adults, even his dad.
Playing to their strengths to earn their peers' respect and supporting their decisions will hopefully give them a sense of self-confidence. It goes without saying, of course, that you're complimenting the things they do right. Some of my guys try to act like they don't care about anything, but I can see that they want adults to approve of them.
Just a couple of ideas. Good luck!
Confidence comes from understanding and executing skills successfully.
ReplyDeleteSo to breed confidence, you must breed success.
If you are looking for a quick fix, then have small quick successes. In Scouting a great way to accomplish this is by having Scout A and Scout B lead a task.. Make it small, but meaningful and praise a lot at its comletetion. The guys need a pat on the back when they do well.
If they do not do well,find positives in the task and work on them.
If you want resposibilty..give responsibility.. and set the young leaders up for success.
OK.. so how do we accomplish this and keep it successful. Like I said, start small and meaningful. Orienteering and map and Compass are great tools to start.
Assign each leader a specific skill to teach. Introduce them as the map experts. This gets them feeling right away that you count on them and that you trust them. Be there to lend a hand, but let them go way out on the limb.
When things look like they are getting out of hand, see how they handle it.. if it continues to go south, make a suggestion or two or have the group take a 5 minute break.. give Scout A and B a break too.. they will need it. Encourage them and offer pointers. At the end of the task... praise and reinforce the idea that they had done well.
Have them do follow up training, and one on one training with Scouts that need additional help.
The key is that no matter what they do... as long as it is positive and helpful.
Doing breeds confidence... Success locks it in.