Order of the Arrow Lodge Leadership Development www'oabsa'org

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CHAPTER MEETINGS
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CHAPTER MEETINGSLEVEL 2

• Session Length 60 Minutes
• Target Audience Those members that have held
  Chapter Office, or been a Chapter or lodge
  Committee Chairman.
• Learning objectives
• How to handle different situations that come up
  during a meeting.
• Make Chapter Meetings fun and keep them from
  being boring business meetings.
• How to work within a thinly populated membership
  spread or a large area.
• How to work within a small area with a densely
  populated membership.      

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HOW TO HANDLE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS THAT COME UP
DURING A MEETING

• Problems will arise during some meetings, it is
  only natural that we have to learn how to deal
  with them and reach the best solution. Stated
  here are some problems that might arise with some
  solutions. The best solution will be followed by
  an (). Read the problem, ask for suggestions,
  and have them written on a flip chart. Make sure
  the ones stated in the text are written down, and
  ask the group what the best solution offered is.

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HOW TO HANDLE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS THAT COME UP
DURING A MEETING

• Your group is having trouble getting started on
  course. You have tried to make everyone feel at
  ease. You allotted time for everyone to get
  acquainted with each other. And everyone is
  cooperative and interested, but no one wants to
  speak up.
• What do you do?
• Possible Solutions
• Wait until they are willing to speak up
• Suggest that the group possibly vote on what to
  do next.
• Give some specific assignments to different
  people and have them complete their
  assignments.()

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HOW TO HANDLE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS THAT COME UP
DURING A MEETING

• Your group works very well together. The members
  get along together very well as a group.
  Discussions are always lively and brisk. Everyone
  contributes as a part of the group.
• How do you insure that this continues?
• Possible Solutions
• Let group members lead more of the discussions of
  the group by reducing your leadership.()
• Before proceeding to another point or topic make
  sure that an agreement has been reached.
• Dont let the group lose momentum, keep the group
  firmly under your control.

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HOW TO HANDLE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS THAT COME UP
DURING A MEETING

• Productivity of the group is very good. Two or
  three members do most of the talking and all of
  the work. While everyone seems happy, you would
  like to get more members involved.
• How would you make those changes?
• Possible Solutions
• Use the power of your office and tell it like it
  is. Outline changes, and see that they are made.
• Propose changes. Explain why you feel that they
  are needed, let the group decide how and or if
  any changes will be made. This keeps the whole
  group involved in the decision making process.()
  
• Dont do anything that would be perceived as a
  threat to the groups productivity.

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HOW TO HANDLE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS THAT COME UP
DURING A MEETING

• The group works well together and there is a very
  positive relationship among members. But you are
  unsure about your lack of direction of the group.
• What can you do?
• Possible Solutions
• Leave everything alone the group is fine.()
• Slowly give the group more direction by asserting
  yourself more.
• Ask the group if they would like you to provide
  more direction, then comply with their answer.

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HOW TO HANDLE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS THAT COME UP
DURING A MEETING

• The group was doing so well, but now it is really
  falling apart. They cant stay on the subject for
  bickering. Someone suggested not having any
  meetings for two or three months.
• What should you do?
• Possible Solutions
• Dont get involved let everyone have their say.
• Vote on the suggested recess.
• Propose a new course for the group. If no one
  disagrees strongly, make new assignments and see
  that they are followed through with.()

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HOW TO HANDLE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS THAT COME UP
DURING A MEETING

• Your group has just completed a very well rounded
  discussion on a topic they chose. The problem is
  that while several activities would be
  appropriate and each activity has been discussed
  no one wants to take any action.
• What do you do?
• Possible Solutions
• Suggest moving on to another topic. If no one
  disagrees, list some possible topics.()
• Choose an activity for the group and make the
  appropriate assignments.
• Keep quiet and let the group arrive at a
  decision.

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HOW TO HANDLE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS THAT COME UP
DURING A MEETING

• You have an Adult that constantly voices his or
  her opinion to the point that it is disruptive to
  the meeting.
• What can you do to get the meeting moving along?
  
• Possible Solutions
• If in your meeting policies you have a time limit
  on adult comments politely remind the adult that
  they are allow only so much time to talk on a
  subject. A good time limit for this is one
  minute.
• Call a short recess so that all advisors can meet
  with their chairmen and ask your advisor to meet
  with you and the adult during the break. (Go
  somewhere as private as you can come up with)
  Politely inform the adult how you feel about his
  disruptions and remind him that the meetings are
  the responsibility of the youth, while you value
  his opinion he must let the youth make the
  decisions.()
• Tell the Adult that he or she needs to discuss
  the issue after the meeting with you and the
  Chapter Advisor and Staff advisor.

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POINTS ON HOW TO STAY CALM WHEN SOMEONE IS
TRYING TO RATTLE YOU

• Take a deep breath and make a confident, positive
  statement. Keep your emotions under control. Say
  to yourself Relax, I can handle this. Instantly
  put the situation in perspective and take it in
  stride. Defuse the situation with humor. Suspend
  your judgment seek understanding first,
  diagnose, then prescribe. Protect yourself from
  negative influence of other people.

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MAKE THE CHAPTER MEETINGS FUN AND KEEP THEM FROM
BEING BORING BUSINESS MEETINGS.

• Have an agenda and follow it.
• Limit discussion time for any one topic.
• Remember the old Cub Scouting saying KIS MIF
  keep it simple, make it fun!
• Do more than just have a meeting.
• Have everyone come in costume to a Chapter
  meeting once a year.
• Dont hold a meeting if its not needed.

• Do some kind of different fun activity at every
  meeting.
• Do beadwork.
• Have refreshments.
• Have ceremony team practices.
• Hold meetings at different places where you can
  do your business then have fun.
• Examples Theme Parks, Scout Camp, State
  Parks,Your Local YMCA, Your Local 4-H
  Fairgrounds, and at your Camp-O-Rees.

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HOW TO WORK WITHIN A THINKLY POPULATIED
MEMBERSHIP SPREAD OVER A LARGE AREA

• Keep your meetings to a minimum.
• If possible hold your meetings at events where
  everyone will be attending anyway, like
  camp-o-rees.
• Develop a Chapter Chat Room where everyone can
  keep in contact over the Internet. With this idea
  you can also hold your meetings over the
  Internet. You have to set up rules to follow to
  do this, or your meetings wont have any order
  and will not work.
• Develop a Chapter Website to keep members
  informed. You can have a page that is password
  protected where only voting members of the
  Chapter Committee can go and place issues up for
  discussion and even votes. Deadlines for voting
  would have to apply.

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HOW TO WORK WITHIN A THINKLY POPULATIED
MEMBERSHIP SPREAD OVER A LARGE AREA CONTINUED

• Develop a Chapter email list and send out
  periodic updates. This keeps postage to a
  minimum. Send the email to the Chapter Advisor
  and Blind Carbon Copy everyone else so that you
  dont give out everyones email addresses.
• When you hold a meeting, hold it at as central a
  location as you can to limit travel time by all
  members.
• Have a Transportation Committee that people can
  contact if they want to come but need a ride.

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HOW TO WORK WIHIN A SMALL AREA WITH A DENSELY
POPULATED MEMBERSHIP

• Hold regular meetings.
• Take field trips to areas that the membership
  would like to visit.
• Remember KIS MIF, keep it simple make it fun.
• Develop a Chapter email list to use to keep
  membership informed. Send emails to the Chapter
  Advisor and Blind Carbon Copy everyone else so
  that you dont give out everyones email
  addresses.

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HOW TO WORK WIHIN A SMALL AREA WITH A DENSELY
POPULATED MEMBERSHIPCONTINUED

• Have guest speakers on subjects that your
  membership is interested in.
• Hold overnighters and conduct your meeting at
  some point during the event.
• Have lots of committees so that you can keep
  everyone involved.
• Practice anything and everything at the
  appropriate times.

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QUESTIONS???

• THANK YOU FOR COMING!

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