Training Topics for Roundtables

[mmckenziets]

Greetings,

 

I'm now serving as the district trainer for my district.  I've sent out a basic survey to get ideas on what topics district memebers would like to see/attend.  As I continued thinking about this, I wondered what others do for training at various levels.  So, what trainings are provided at the district levels for both adults and youth?  Tonight I'm presenting on how I utilize the Interactive Merit Badge books as a Merit Badge counselor. 

 

Other areas I have considered include:

• Communicating with Parents and Scouts
• Digital Communication Methods
• Venturing and Varsity
• Servant Leadership
• Youth Protection and the Digital World
• High Adventures
• Order of the Arrow and your Troop
• Copyright, Your Troop, and How not to get in Trouble
• Effective Patrol Leadership Counsels
• Awards Beyond Merit Badges

If you have other ideas, please share them, as I'd like to build a large number of presentations/trainings that can be utilized by all.

 

Thanks,

Matt

[Krampus]

@@mmckenziets, personally I'd like to see districts focus on issues that impact troop operations and success. Recruiting, retention, problem solving, leadership development (unit level of adults and scouts), succession planning, engaging sideline scouts/parents, etc.

 

I'd ask troops what they need. Don't phrase it like "What training do you need?", but rather "What issues do you have?" and develop your training/topics around those responses.

 

I think scouters tune out when they hear "training" or "meeting" or "round table" or stuff like that. If you ask them what their problems are you can then tailor your program to meet their needs. Any outcome of this should be available electronically AND in person. Should be quantitative so that there are things the units can actually take away, use and measure for effectiveness.

 

Anything else is just more noise, IMHO.

[Stosh]

Krampus is correct.  99% of the roundtable training out there centers around what someone else thinks we need to learn and it's a waste of time.  I go to all roundtables but have been known to leave when the breakouts occur.  I really don't want to waste anymore time than I have to. 

 

CAUTION: Graphic example, mature audiences only!

 

If some teacher in a school thinks it's important for all her students to be able to track a budget and expenses for a a month because their future success in life is dependent on it, and one kid in the back of the class stands up and says, "Hey, Teach, with all due respect if you want to teach us something that will help us with our future lives, in our neighborhood you had better be teaching us how to load, shoot, clean and store a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun.

 

Well, it'll never happen because we teach only that which WE think is important,  Like I said at most roundtables, I leave early.

[desertrat77]

I concur with Krampus and Stosh.

 

When I was an ASM/SM,  I'd attend RT regularly.   And rarely get anything out of it.   Announcements, rehash of metrics, popcorn, the same district/council folks waxing eloquent about things that did nothing to help the unit.    A bit much to take after a long day at work and no dinner.

 

Matt, I think your approach is sound, particularly the surveys.   Please keep us posted and let us know how it goes.

 

For what it's worth, in my current district, we haven't had a RT in several years.   They aren't missed.   But I'm sure there would be benefit from getting together regularly.

Edited March 11, 2016 by desertrat77

[Stosh]

Went to RT tonight, shoulda come home early.

[desertrat77]

Stosh, I can identify.

[Krampus]

Went to RT tonight, shoulda come home early.

 

 

Stosh, I can identify.

No RT this month due to spring break (and poor planning by not picking a day that wasn't during break to hold the RT), so they sent out a "newsletter". Filled with JTE, service hour reporting (asking for info), recruiting reporting (asking for info) and notices about dinners no one attends. That's it. 30 seconds to scan and then deleted.

[mashmaster]

We sit around a table and talk about 1-2 topics every month.  This month we talked about pack budgets and calender planning.  

[gumbymaster]

While I am sure there are others on the Forum here that are also Round Table Commissioners, I'd like to put out my take.

 

For the cub scout roundtables, most of our attendees are relatively new parents who have just been drafted into their position of responsibility and really need/want a lot of hand-holding and affirmations of what they want to do is ok.  Generally this works out well, and the topics encouraged by the National CSRT Guidebook are relevant to their needs.

 

We also do a lot of "off-book" topics of interest.  Things like local areas to camp, where to get resources, etc.

 

There are many Experienced Scouters, who I have no doubt find the Roundtables to be repetitive to what they previously learned either by experience or prior roundtables; they mostly come to get district information and the announcements.  However, the most valuable reason to encourage them to remain even for the breakouts and other topics is because their experience, when incorporated into those breakouts discussion time, make them so much better for everyone there.  The RT Commissioner does not know everything, and these events work so much better when our experienced Scouters remain to share their wisdom.

 

I totally understand that they probably don't get a lot out of it themselves, but overall, it can help so many more Scouts, by making those Scouts' leaders better at doing their jobs.

[JoeBob]

Do not prepare a batch of PowerPoints and expect to have your library appreciated.  The new guys will be bored, and the old guy will go home early.

Come up with games/challenges that get your participants involved. 

Knot Races: 6 folks to a team. A list of 6 knots.  (Use the knots from T21) One piece of rope.  Each person uses EDGE to teach the person next to them a knot from the list until all knots have been tied. Have the least experienced pick first so that they get to teach the simple knots.  Scout Handbooks allowed.

Pioneering Challenge: Move a bucket 1/4 full of water that is 10 feet from the sidewalk to the sidewalk without any of your team leaving the sidewalk.  Divide into groups for challenge.  (6 to 8 per team is good)  Materials: misc posts and staves 4 to 6 feet long, assorted ropes and cords.  Teams have to select a leader, make a plan and execute it.  Include the pro-scouters, so that they learn to work with the volunteers.  

(Our winning team had 2 guys build a tripod with a rope loop hanging that served as a fulcrum a few feet onto the grass.  2 guys lashed 3 sticks together to make a 10 foot pole.  The least experienced fellow tied a knot around the end to keep the bucket handle from slipping off.  Passed the 10 foot pole through the loop, speared the bucket handle, pushed down on our end and rotated the bucket onto the sidewalk.  Fun!)

Edited March 20, 2016 by JoeBob