1. Girl Scout Promise – I Promise…
Are you a sister to every Girl Scout? Do you want to make the world a better place? If you answered yes then you will want to Plant a Seed to Grow as a Leader.
Join us for a journey through the Girl Scout Promise and Law as we enhance your leadership skills. Each online module will provide tools, tips and encouragement that can be developed at your own pace, on your own time, and when you need it.

2. I Promise…. What will you finish this sentence with?
 This course has tools to empower you to try new things that might increase your influence during meetings.
Try to remember a situation in a meeting you wish you could blink and do over if you had the chance! Volunteers will plan parent meetings, camp- outs and more…at any of these meetings you could be challenged by others and that’s ok. It is how you handle the challenge that matters the most. So challenge yourself and promise to try some of the tips we discuss today.

3. 4 Challenging Situations While Leading or Attending Meetings
*Speaking up in groups, presentations and meetings
*Getting and KEEPING the floor
*Gaining credibility and respect from others
*Setting and maintaining reasonable limits
Four challenging situations while leading or attending meetings can be:
*Speaking up in groups.
*Getting and KEEPING the floor.
*Gaining credibility and respect.
*And setting and maintaining limits.
Any combination of these situations can be stressful and uncomfortable.

4. Gaining Credibility and Respect from Others Take yourself seriously; Treat Yourself with Respect.
Be confident in your verbal communication!
*Ask questions
*Avoid qualifiers- “Can I ask a stupid question”
*Avoid flowery words-“Super”
*Show a sense of humor
Being confident while speaking is a breeze for some and a real challenge for others. If you feel less than confident when speaking publically try one of these tips:
*Instead of stating "I have a question”, try using “I” statements. For example; I am confused by that…, or I don’t understand that…
*Avoid asking if you can ask a stupid question. Respect yourself by not calling your questions stupid.
*During meetings, avoid describing ideas as ”super”. To be taken more seriously try describing ideas as “great” or “fantastic”.
*Try to have a sense of humor, some meetings are unexciting and stale, but necessary. If there is an opportunity to laugh and brighten everyone’s mood, do it!

5. Be confident in your nonverbal communication!
*Use gestures
*Generally keep head straight
*Avoid fake smiling
*Use direct eye contact
*Speak with volume
It may be obvious to others if you are uncomfortable during meetings, so try one of these tips to help:
* Some of us are more animated when we speak than others. By using gestures when speaking, like moving your hands and arms while explaining details, can keep your audience interested.
* Avoid frequently tilting your head during meetings, it can appear as though you don’t understand something.
*Avoid smiling to please others. You can still appear confident and friendly without constantly smiling.
*During an uncomfortable conversation, it is natural to look away briefly, however what you have to say is important, so look people in the eyes and tell them what you think.
*Try to speak loud enough so everyone in the meeting can hear you.

6. Think about it…
Think of a person from whom you would like more respect.
*Commit to one thing you’ll do to invite him or her to see you differently the next time the two of you communicate.
Think of a person from whom you would like more respect.
* Commit to one thing you’ll do to invite him or her to see you differently the next time the two of you communicate.

7. Getting and Keeping the Floor
*Challenge interruptions
*Ask for the response you want
*Reward the behavior you want more of
*Say “although” if delivering good or bad news
Distractions can keep us from getting and keeping the floor while speaking, but stop waiting for an invitation to take it back! Try one of the following tips to help get the focus back on you.
Challenge interruptions-by using direct eye contact or stating, “Just a minute….I’ll be finished shortly.” Others will sense that you have something valuable to say.
Ask for the response you want-
During meetings, set simple guidelines for speaking during the meeting. For example, state that you have a lot of material to cover today and will give opportunities for questions.
Reward the behavior you want more of –
By acknowledging someone's patience… or their flexibility to wait and ask their questions, will encourage a repeat of that behavior.
To smooth the sting of having to deliver bad news, Say “although”
For example: “Although the camp date we wanted to reserve is already taken, I did book our second choice”.

8. Find a partner Partner A:
Pick a skill we have discussed and tell your partner why you would hesitate to use this skill. Tell her or him the negative consequences you fear would occur if you used it.
Partner B:
Your job is to interrupt your partner. A good way to do this is to wait until you get the gist of what she is saying, then jump in and start to describe a similar situation or feeling you have experienced.
You will need a partner to try this next exercise.
Partner A: Will pick a skill we have discussed and tell your partner why you would hesitate to use this skill. So, tell her or him the negative consequences you fear would occur if you used it.
Partner B: Your job is to interrupt your partner. A good way to do this is to wait until you get the gist of what she is saying, then jump in and start to describe a similar situation or feeling you have experienced.
Partner A, your assignment is to stop the interruption by using one of the tips we discussed:
Say something witty to redirect the conversation back to you, for example “MMM HMMM, now let me finish”.
Use direct eye contact and say, “I’ll be finished in just a minute and then tell your story”.
Reward the behavior you want more of and say, “Thank you for listening to me, I get nervous with these exercises”.
Keep talking and use a kind hand gesture to indicate your partner needs to wait until you are finished speaking.

9. Speak up in Groups, Presentations and Meetings
*Say something
*Support
*Sounds interesting”
*Elaborate
*When possible, add value
*Summarize
Speaking up in groups, presentations and meetings can be stressful, so take small steps in low-risk situations, and build on your success.
*Say something-anything-to establish yourself as a participant.
* Say “good job” to support after people speak.
*If something sounds interesting, say it.
*Elaborate on a topic if your audience seems confused.
*When possible, add value to the conversation by using personal experiences or facts.
 *And summarize your discussion to ensure the point of your conversation was clear.

10. Set and Maintain Reasonable Limits Decide you are as Important as Everyone Else
*Recognize your limits
*Accept that you can’t please everyone
*Say no
*Be sure to offer a reason why and state what you are willing to do.
*Follow through
*Everyone has limits, even Juliette Gordon-Lowe had to rest some times.
*Accept that you cant please everyone..
*By saying no to others sometimes, you can say yes to something you need or want to do.
*Be sure to offer a simple reason why you are saying no to others and state what you are willing to do, when possible.
* And follow through on the limits you set with others, don’t take them back.

11. Practice the below phrases and try to use one of them the next time you need to say no.
“I don’t think that is going to work for me.”
“I don’t think that would be right.”
“Would love to, but I can’t.”
“I understand you want me to do X, Y and Z. I am already doing A, B and C with the same deadline. Which one would you like me to work on first?”
Let’s practice phrases and try to use one of them the next time you need to say no to others.
Try:
*“I don’t think that is going to work for me” or
*“I don’t think that would be right”
*“Would love to, but I can’t”
*“I understand you want me to do X, Y and Z. I am already doing A, B and C with the same deadline. Which one would you like me to work on first?”

12. Find a partner Partner A:
You need to leave a presentation early to keep an important appointment with your boss. But you have a burning question that you haven’t yet heard an answer to, so you decide to ask your partner, a co-worker, if she would stay a few minutes after the presentation ends to ask the leader your question.
Partner B:
You and your partner have worked in the same department for two years. Although you’re not close friends, your relationship has always been friendly and you’ve helped each other on several occasions before. Now she’s asking you to stay late after the presentation ends, and you’re feeling torn. You have been looking forward to the extremely rare opportunity to get home in time to have an hour to yourself before your husband gets back after picking your son up from soccer practice.
You will need a partner to try this next exercise.
Partner A: You need to leave a presentation early to keep an important appointment with your boss. But you have a burning question that you haven’t yet heard an answer to, so you decide to ask your partner, a co-worker, if she would stay a few minutes after the presentation ends to ask the leader your question.
Partner B: You and your partner have worked in the same department for two years. Although you’re not close friends, your relationship has always been friendly and you’ve helped each other on several occasions before. Now she’s asking you to stay late after the presentation ends, and you’re feeling torn. You have been looking forward to the extremely rare opportunity to get home in time to have an hour to yourself before your husband gets back after picking your son up from soccer practice.
Your assignment is to say no to your partner.

13. What happened when you said no?
Partner A:
*Does the fact that your partner said no affect your relationship? If so, how?
*Is there anything she could have said or done to make it even easier?
Partner B:
*What made it easy or difficult to say no?
*How do you think your relationship with your partner would be affected if you had given in and said yes to her request?
So what happened?
Partner A:
*Does the fact that your partner said no affect your relationship? If so, how?
*Is there anything she could have said or done to make it even easier for you?
Partner B:
*What made it easy or difficult to say no?
*And how do you think your relationship with your partner would be affected if you had given in and said yes to her request?

14. Action Planning *It is not what you know that makes a difference.
*It is what you do with what you know that counts!
Coming soon…Be a Sister to Every Scout
Thank you for your participation today. Remember it is not what you know that makes a difference, it is what you do with what you know that counts. Use the tools in this module to turn your new awareness and desire for change into goals that will give you more impact in your communication.
If you enjoyed this module, coming soon is:
A Sister to Every Scout-Dealing with Difficult People.