COACHING A CEREMONIES TEAM

Ceremonies COACHING A CEREMONIES TEAM Session Length: 60 Minutes Learning objectives: Understand the importance of creating a positive atmosphere. Learn how this atmosphere can be accomplished. Learn key techniques for encouraging ceremonialists. Required Materials: Flipcharts if desired. Power Point presentation file if desired. Guide to Inductions. Guide for Officers and Advisers. TRAINER PREPARATION Introduction (If you wish to break your session into portions, use this): 5 Minutes The trainer introduces himself and briefly explains his inductions background. If possible, it is helpful for all participants to introduce themselves and past/current ceremonies positions. This helps the trainer discern the level of the audience and in some cases may help connect advisers together in a network they did not previously have. Trainer Tip: Coach and Adviser are used interchangeably throughout this session. SESSION NARRATIVE Coaching as Advising: Consider this quote: The difference between success and failure of a lodge starts with the ceremonies of the Order. What is the source of this quote? (Solicit responses). Would it surprise you that this quote is directly from the Guide for Officers and Advisers (page 27)? That should tell you how seriously our national organization considers the inductions program. Let s consider a few more key phrases from the GOA. Although we might not always understand or remember all that happened, our most vivid and lasting impression of the was probably formed during the Ordeal ceremony. Proper attire, well-laid-out ceremonial grounds, rehearsals, and, very important, memorizing speaking parts, contribute to meaningful ceremonies. In a few, simple sentences we ve established where success begins for a lodge (ceremonies), a reason to strive for success (positive and inspirational impressions for our members), and the rudimentary

Ceremonies Coaching a Ceremonies Team 2 elements of meaningful ceremonies. Ceremonies set the tone for the lodge program. Before we begin with how to coach ceremonies, let s set the tone for the lodge program and the adviser s role. Mission of the : The mission of the is to fulfill its purpose as an integral part of the Boy Scouts of America through positive youth leadership under the guidance of selected capable adults. Trainer Tip: Point out positive youth leadership and guidance of adults. Leadership doesn t imply the youth does everything, and guidance doesn t imply the adults always sit back and let be what will be. If participants have been to NLS, reference Situational Leadership. Guidance styles can vary according to the skills and readiness of the youth leaders. The Purpose of the : As Scouting s National Honor Society, our purpose is to: Recognize those who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives and through that recognition cause others to conduct themselves in a way that warrants similar recognition. Promote camping, responsible outdoor adventure, and environmental stewardship as essential components of every Scout s experience, in the unit, year-round, and in summer camp. Develop leaders with the willingness, character, spirit and ability to advance the activities of their units, our Brotherhood, Scouting, and ultimately our nation. Crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others As we can see, a coach/adviser has a big role in making the happen for the youth Within the Inductions process there are roles for coaching and evaluating, and both roles have aspects of the other. Let s discuss some differences between Coaches and Evaluators Element Coach Adviser Evaluator Time with the Ceremonialist Multiple opportunities to advise and coach over time, perhaps even years Organization Knowledge of the Ceremonialist Authority Position Evaluation Skill Expectation Advises ceremonialists on organizing and conducting team events Has the ability to relate ceremonialist needs to situations in his real life beyond Scouting Delivery and communication become more important than knowledge as the coach/adviser encourages the ceremonialist to learn on their own. Medium: the coach is the key evaluator in the beginning stages of the team; as time progresses the coach/adviser encourages and guides the team to selfevaluate and build trust through team debriefs Likely a single opportunity to impart knowledge at a Section or National event Has no role in the organization of the team Only sees what is portrayed in the ceremonial ring Knowledge slightly outweighs delivery and communication as the ceremonialists are presumably looking for improvement areas and ideas High: the evaluator builds rapport by being an expert and delivering feedback in a respectful and supportive manner, with probably one shot to both improve the team and encourage them beyond their present abilities

Ceremonies Coaching a Ceremonies Team 3 Key Words Teacher, mentor, feedback over time Expert, book and process knowledge, immediate feedback What are some other contrasts of a coach adviser and an evaluator? (Solicit responses). To be sure, there is a lot of overlap, and both roles have deep importance in their own ways. Some coaches become great evaluators, and vice versa. The great opportunity of a coach adviser is to serve the whole ceremonialist. The lessons we learn from the ceremonies can be applied to many situations. An evaluator discerns how well the ceremonialist will communicate those lessons to a candidate. A coach adviser can do the same, but also has the opportunity to guide the youth to internalizing those lessons in everyday life. Keys to Coaching Ceremonialists: Great coaches have a skill more valuable than more than specific knowledge of how to memorize a part or the right gesture at a particular time. That skill is curiosity and awareness of the myriad of ceremonial resources that are available to the ceremonialists and advisers who immerse themselves into inductions. What resources do ceremonies advisers have access? Trainer Tip: The trainer may solicit answers for participant discussion. The trainer should be prepared to discuss why these resources are effective for a ceremonies team. Ceremonies books. Knowledge of the text and fine print is critical to guide the ceremonialists in what to do and when to do it. Remember, if it s not dictated in the book then it is up to the interpretation of the team. Guide To Inductions (available online at http://www.oa-bsa.org). A critical resource for all Inductions focused Arrowmen. Guide for Officers and Advisers (available online at http://www.oa-bsa.org). A critical resource for advisers and for ceremonialists who expect to grow into chapter or lodge leadership. Field Operations Guide (available online at http://www.oa-bsa.org). Lists guidelines and policies regarding ceremonies at Section Conclave. The reality is that most sections conduct competitions rather than evaluations. Although this is not the preferred method, all coaches and advisers can push to integrate key elements of evaluations and receive useful feedback on the portrayal of their team. Spirit of the Arrow booklets. Know anyone who has studied these after briefly reading them during the Ordeal? These booklets can be easy inspiration to feed to ceremonialists trying to break through to a better understanding of their part and the Order. Lodge inductions handbooks. If your lodge has a handbook with standards for inductions and ceremonies (e.g. standard call-out ceremonies, Arrow of Light ceremony, camp checklists, etc.) an adviser should be aware of its contents. National training syllabi available at http://training.oa-bsa.org. Currently almost a decade of national conference training material. Note that national conference training syllabi is considered an unofficial resource, and may not follow the Guide to Inductions or latest published national conference standards. syllabi that apply to inductions. It is recommended that close study is given to sessions on evaluating ceremonies. Unofficial ceremonial resources (one such example is The Drum). Other examples of unofficial resources may be mentioned. In each case it must be emphasized that these resources are unofficial and are not national policy; ceremonialists should not be expected to follow a particular interpretation of a part or ceremony contained in an unofficial publication. All

Ceremonies Coaching a Ceremonies Team 4 unofficial resources should be weighed according to its ultimate contribution to the candidate. Some resources can be very helpful for the ceremonialist to find his ideal method of portrayal for the candidate. Resources that draw the attention away from the candidate should be deemphasized within the team in favor of other resources. Inductions standards from the National OA Conference. The Inductions & Ceremonial Events (ICE) committee publishes the evaluation standards online for each national conference. Standards can, and often do, change from conference to conference. Updates result from previous conference practices, survey feedback, and logistical needs of a particular conference. Web searches on the national OA website may uncover previous conference standards for reference. National Leadership Seminar (NLS). The OA s flagship leadership training for youth and advisers. National Lodge Adviser Training Seminar (NLATS). While not a specifically inductions-focused program, NLATS brings advisers from across the region and nation to discuss and train on being a top-quality adviser. Coaching & Organizing the Team: There are many lodges who simply get by with a lodge inductions adviser and no other adults in support. However, a dedicated coach on the team or chapter level can be an outstanding addition to the program. This doesn t have to be complicated or elaborate, as there are a lot of resources available. Using your knowledge of Scouting and OA, what can you expect the role of the coach/adviser would be for an inductions team? (Solicit responses) Possible responses: Advises the chapter inductions officer or lead ceremonialist. Stores costumes when not in use. Advises ceremonialists on costume maintenance. Arranges rides and practice locations when the officer cannot do so. Locates and introduces resources (guides, manuals, experienced Arrowmen) to the ceremonialists. Starts the team with the text and diagram movements as a starting point on the inductions journey to mastery. Prompts the ceremonialists to use equipment checklists to ensure proper planning for crossovers, call-outs, Ordeals, Brotherhoods, and other ceremonies. Guides / prompts the ceremonialists to thinking deeper about their part. Encourages inductions discussions and practices as part of the regular chapter program. Helps the team brainstorm recruitment and retention strategies. Ensures each ceremonialist brings along an understudy to inductions gatherings and practices. Understudies can form their own ceremonies team and/or participate in the ceremony as support roles and non-speaking parts. A critical role of an inductions coach or adviser is to make sure your current ceremonialists are sharing their knowledge with the next generation. We ve all experienced troops, chapters, and lodge situations where the leadership level dips for a while. This can be at least minimized by putting the bring a friend recruitment strategy at the front of the team s mind. Are there other features of this role? From the experienced advisers, what has worked best for your inductions and ceremonies teams?

Ceremonies Coaching a Ceremonies Team 5 Evaluation Basics: 20 Minutes The trainer should now give an overview of Guide to Inductions, Appendix 13, entitled Evaluator Training. Give particular emphasis to the Introduction and Evaluator Basics sections. Trainer Tip: Spend adequate time on the difference between Competitions and Evaluations. Ultimately, the position of Evaluation is in line with the spirit of Scouting the actions of Scouts are compared to a standard rather than each other (very similar to Scout ranks). The Scouts will naturally create competition amongst themselves as they work together. This is OK when it s used to build confidence and trust within the team. All youth should understand that the adviser and structure of evaluations is one of personal bests rather than you vs. me. Brief descriptions of each bold heading should be given for the sections Text and Movements, Personification Basics, and Delivering the Evaluation. It is unlikely that trainers will have time for a hands-on demonstration by utilizing a ceremonialist. Encourage coaches and advisers to further their knowledge by reviewing the Guide to Inductions in detail and seeking guidance from experienced evaluators. Conclusion: 5 Minutes As we ve seen there are many similarities between a coach/adviser and an evaluator. However, the adviser has a special opportunity to be a consistent influence and encouragement for each ceremonialist. As we ve seen in Evaluation Basics, ceremonies and inductions is not a competition. Thus, every Scout can take part in ceremonies and strive to find himself in the lessons and values of the Order. Coaches and advisers have a special place in making this happen by guiding our youth to greater levels of self-understanding. Let s take some questions with our remaining time. APPENDIX: RESOURCES & SOURCE MATERIALS 2007 Guide to Inductions http://oa-bsa.org/resources/pubs/gti/ Guide for Officers and Advisers http://www.oa-bsa.org/resources/pubs/goa-2010.pdf Operations Update 09/2010: Mission & Purpose http://oa-bsa.org/annc/opup/opup-09-10.pdf