1. COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY Module 07 of the series for Group Leaders NEXT

2. 06 About this self tutoring module This interactive module is based on the New Zealand publication called “ An Operating Guide for Managing a Scout Group”.An Operating Guide for Managing a Scout Group It is designed for Group Leaders who are unable to attend a training course, or who prefer to learn at their own pace at home. There are 9 of these interactive modules in the series and they may be downloaded free of charge from this website: region1.scouts.org.nz/ Note: Click the and buttons to navigate through the module. BACK NEXT BACK

3. 07 Communicating is a challenge BACK Most people will tell you that communicating is a problem in their organisation. And they are generally correct. However, often the problem is that people don’t make time to read information sent to them, or listen closely when told something. Do you remember a TV programme that had the glamorous spymaster saying “I vil tell you this only once”? The message never seemed to get through correctly, and mayhem ensued. It’s a human problem. So, how do we beat it? We tell people in many different ways. Table the topic at a meeting. Report it in the meetings minutes. Mention it again in a monthly newsletter, several months running. Send out a news flash via email near the time. Pick up the phone and ring people who prefer this method of communicating. Send out a text message as a last minute reminder. With luck, one of the methods used will get through to those who are really difficult to communicate with. NEXT

4. The more mature of our leaders will respond well to printed newsletters, especially if it includes lots of photos and colour. They will read it from cover to cover. Send it via email but ensure it is printable because they will print it in order to read it. Younger leaders will respond better to links to a website or attachments and seldom print anything. They will read it on the screen and print just the bits they need. The really young leaders are quite good with emails, web-links and attachments, but their preferred method at this time, is a text or email message on a smart phone, or Facebook. 07 Newsletters BACK Accept that you will have to print some copies of your news and hand deliver it or mail it with a stamp. Consider using online tools like ‘Mail Chimp’ for creating and delivering news items. This application has a mail out database that you can set up and maintain. See if any parents in the Group have experience with this sort of application and may be able to help.Mail Chimp’ NEXT

5. 07 Newsletters BACK NEXT If you choose to create a monthly Group newsletter and mass email it to parents and leaders, as well as printing and mailing a few copies, make sure that it is sent out on the advertised publishing date no matter what. People learn to expect the newsletter on the advertised date and look for it and believe it or not, most of them make time to read it. Don’t have an advertised publishing date? Better make one – set it now.... If your newsletter is frequently late, it becomes like yesterdays newspaper – old news and people don’t make time to read it as thoroughly, if at all. How often have you received a Scout newsletter several weeks late and found that some of the advertised events have been held, or the closing dates have long gone? See what we mean? It’s old news – move on.... Incidentally, on average across NZ, 51% of our members will read the newsletter.

6. 07 Group Committee Meetings BACK NEXT Regular meetings don’t necessarily mean monthly meetings. In this day of affordable and mass electronic communication, the need for people to attend meetings regularly to hear the news and make reports is no longer as critical as it was. Consider holding Group Committee meetings twice a term. The rest of the time, use a combination of monthly newsletters, personal visits, emails and phone calls. When you do hold a meeting, make sure you start and finish on time and that the coffee and tea is hot when the attendees arrive. Finish on time and 75% of them will get together after the meeting and network to sort out issues. The other 25% will get off home smartly as the social side is not their scene and that’s fine. Let the meeting start late, or run over time and that 25% will start to miss the meetings. If your Zone has a laptop PC and a projector, borrow it and set it up at each meeting. Display the agenda and show copies of correspondence in and out etc. Include the financial reports. View a typical Group Meeting agenda

7. 07 Group Council Meetings BACK NEXT A meeting of the Leaders in a Group is called a Group Council Meeting. It’s a good idea to hold one every term to make sure that communication between the sections works effectively. If you recruit a new leader for each section each term, before very long the majority of them will not have met the leaders in the other sections. Topics for such meetings would be: 1.Coordinating the programmes and agreeing on the themes for the next two terms. 2.Organising the transition of youth members from one section to the next 3.Organising training for the leaders and booking them on Zone run courses 4.Coordinating plans for events such as ANZAC, Mudslide, Campfire night etc. 5.Making leaders aware of Group funding initiatives 6.Agreeing on budgets for the coming year and listing equipment needs etc.

8. 07 Group web site and calendar BACK NEXT It’s a great idea to have a Group website and or Facebook page. You can publish the programmes for each section, add contacts for the parents to use, and add photos of recent activities so the youth members can show their parents. BUT…. Do you have someone who can update the site at least weekly or more often? People visit a site to see what’s new. If nothing is new week after week, then they stop visiting or relying on the site for information. Here is an example of an ‘online calendar’online calendar It’s exactly the same for a Group Calendar as for a website. If parents and leaders find the calendar is out of date they stop using it. Whoever takes on the job of maintaining the calendar will need to be able to update it as soon as a change is decided, and someone has to tell them that changes are needed. Another little communication challenge for the Group Leader !!! Don’t know how to set this up? There will be someone in your Group who does. Here’s a link to a Group website

9. 07 In conclusion….. BACK NEXT There is no one method of communication that suits everyone. Some don’t enjoy or are uncomfortable with reading. Some prefer phone calls. Some prefer to receive a sheet of paper they can refer to. Some prefer e-mails they can refer back to. Others prefer Texts or Facebook messages. Make a note of how people prefer to be communicated with and try and accommodate them when you can. We tell people in many different ways. Table the topic at a meeting. Report it in the meetings minutes. Mention it again in a monthly newsletter, several months running. Send out a news flash via email near the time. Pick up the phone and talk to those people who prefer this method of communicating. Send out a text message reminder, the day of the meeting So let’s go back to the first screen.

10. NEXT BACK 07 Check your understanding decide on one form of communication and stick to it. use a variety of methods and repeat the message often, particularly as the time approaches for the event, meeting or required action.. Click what you believe is the correct statement 2. Web sites and calendars are a great idea but what is the ‘factor’ that makes these a first port of call for the Group members? Have them built professionally and don’t mess about with them. Appoint someone to update them at least once a week and keep that person informed so they know what and when to update information. 1. When communicating with group members:

11. Congratulations. You have completed the Group Leaders training module 5 Please click on this link and advise the Zone Training Leader.click on this link The modules in this series are: GLs Support – 1. Scouts is a value based organisation GLs Support - 2. The Group, the committee, the AGM and you GLs Support - 3. Recruiting and inducting adult volunteers GLs Support - 4. Supporting your Group team GLs Support - 5. Leading by example GLs Support - 6. You are not alone GLs Support - 7. Communicating effectively GLs Support - 8. Planning and development GLs Support - 9. Protecting SCOUTS assets EXIT BACK 07 This module is complete

12. A typical Group Committee meeting agenda would be: 1.Apologies. 2.Approve previous minutes. 3.Discuss matter arising from the previous minutes. 4.Correspondence in and out. 5.Finance report from the Treasurer. 6.Fund raising events planned (National and Group). 7.Section reports - verbal 8.Progress on achieving the Group Development Plan. 9.Leader Training courses and registrations required if any. 10.Equipment needs if any reviewed. 11.Zone and National Events due soon. 12.Date of next meeting. BACK

13. Correct !!! Well done, you understand SCOUTS approach on this. BACK

14. Sorry !!! There is a better answer. This is what most organisation do, but there is a better way of communicating important information and that is using different mediums for communicating with people. This way there is a better chance everyone will see the message eventually. BACK

15. Sorry !!! There is a better way of doing this. While a professional looking website is what we all want, what we need is one that is simple for you or a committee member to update. If it’s complex and has all the bells and whistles, it all becomes too hard to update weekly or more often by people who are not profession web developers. BACK