Communications Merit Badge Introduction

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Communications Merit Badge Introduction
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Agenda

• Communications Merit Badge Introduction
• Requirements Summary
• Communications Theory
• Requirements Detail
• Individual Plan

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Why communications?

• Required for Eagle Scout
• Vital lifetime skill
• Learn new things
• Influence the world with your ideas
• Fun

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Requirements

• Teaching
• Selling
• Telephone
• Public Speaking
• Listening and Reporting
• Writing and Telecommunications
• Résumé
• Careers

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Communications Model
Coding
Decoding
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Reasons for Communicating

• Teach
• Messages
• Learn
• Sell
• Share ideas
• Get a job

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Types of Media

• Voice
• Group
• Individual
• In person
• Phone
• Written
• Paper
• Electronic
• Pictures

• Sounds
• Multi-media
• Touch
• Rumble strips

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Engage Brain First!

• Sender
• What is your message?
• Who is your receiver?
• What is the best way to get your message received
  and understood by your receiver?
• Tell Three Times
• Tell em what youre gonna tell em
• Tell em
• Tell em what you told em

• Receiver
• What do you want to learn?
• Who is the sender?
• Receive actively
• Listen
• Check for understanding

Plan!
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Teaching
Develop a plan to teach a skill. Have your merit
badge counselor approve the plan. Make teaching
aids. Carry out your plan. With the counselor,
check to see if the learner has learned.

• Plan
• Aids
• Teach
• Check to see if learning occurred

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Selling
Choose a product or service. Build a sales plan
based on its good points. Try to "sell" the
counselor on buying it from you. Talk with the
counselor about how well you did in telling about
the product or service and convincing the
counselor to buy it.

• Sell what people need
• Believe in your product
• Emphasize benefits to the buyer, not features
• Show me!
• Dont forget to close the sale!

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Telephone
Do the following a. Show how you would make a
telephone call inviting an expert in the field of
your choice to give a demonstration to your unit
on that person's area of expertise. b. Show how
to create an effective recorded message and how
to leave a voice-mail message.

• Think about what you want to say
• Introduce yourself
• Speak clearly
• Be concise
• Act naturally
• Write a recorded greeting down
• Return your calls!

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Public Speaking
Do the following a. Write a five-minute speech.
Give it at a meeting of a group. b. Show how to
introduce a guest speaker.

• Prepare
• Know your topic
• Write your speech or notes
• Rehearse
• Deliver
• Speak clearly
• Modulate
• Body language
• Time limit

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Listening Reporting
Attend a town meeting where two or three points
of view are given. Listen and take notes. Make
a report from your notes. Tell your troop or
patrol what you heard.

• Active Listening
• Pay attention, dont interrupt
• Ask questions for clarification
• Listen to what is said, not just you want to hear
• Take notes
• Summarize notes and prepare report

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Writing and Telecommunications
Do ONE of the following a. Write to the editor
of a magazine or your local newspaper to express
your opinion or share information (on any subject
you choose). Or, write to an individual or
organization to request information (on any
subject). Send your message by fax or electronic
mail, if possible. Otherwise, mail a traditional
paper letter. b. Create a page on the World Wide
Web for yourself or to give information about
your Scout troop, school, or other organization.
Include at least one article and one photograph
or illustration. c. Use desktop publishing to
produce a newsletter, brochure, flier, or other
printed material for your Scout troop, school,
chartered organization, or other group. Include
at least one article and one photograph or
illustration.

• Plan what you want to communicate
• Plan how you want to do it
• Write
• Review and Revise (several times)

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Résumé
Prepare an autobiographical résumé that you would
use in applying for a job.

• The purpose of the résumé is to get an interview.
  The purpose of the interview is to get the job.
• Résumé elements
• Objectives
• Skills or Qualifications
• Educational Experience
• Work Experience
• Awards, Honors, Society Membership, Interests,
  Hobbies
• Be concise (one page)

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Careers
Find out about careers in the field of
communications. Choose one career and discuss
with your counselor the qualifications and
preparation needed for it.

• Resources
• Library
• Web