Instructional Overview (September 2020) Online & Virtual Introduction to Leadership Skills for TroopsWHAT IS ONLINE & VIRTUAL?With the many challenges associated with a pandemic, Scouting U recognized the need for Scouts to complete their Introduction to Leadership Skills course without the challenges of social distancing.

This Online & Virtual course consists of three modules. The first introduces Leadership Skills for Troop in a five-minute video. The second module comprises five leadership videos lasting a combined total of 36 minutes. Both of these modules are available online at any convenient time for the Scout.

The third module is a virtual online component that allows the Scout to take the lessons learned in modules one & two and discuss and interact with adult and youth leaders in a virtual environment.

WHY THIS COURSE? Training youth to be leaders is an ongoing process that begins immediately when a Scout accepts a leadership position in the troop. Leadership experiences can be frustrating and disappointing for a Scout who is not given the knowledge, skills, and encouragement needed to fulfill the leadership assignment. It is the Scoutmaster’s responsibility to make sure the Scout has all the necessary tools and to coach and mentor the Scout to be successful. The purpose of the Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (ILST) course is to teach Scouts, with leadership positions, about their new role and the organizational and leadership skills needed to most effectively reach success in that role. Completion of ILST is a prerequisite for Scouts to participate in the more advanced leadership courses National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) and the National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE). It is also required to participate in a Kodiak Challenge Trek.

WHO PARTICIPATES IN THIS COURSE? This course is for every Scout in the troop who holds a leadership position, including all elected positions and any appointed positions, at the discretion of the senior patrol leader. In some troops, this might mean that this course is for every Scout! It is strongly preferred that all Scouts with troop leadership positions participate in this course at the start of each term of office, even if they have participated before, and even if they are filling the same leadership position. It is beneficial for the Scouts to go through this course together, even if only some of them are new leaders. In some cases, it can benefit the troop if youth who are likely to become troop leaders also participate in the course. Two key purposes of this course are the establishment of personal goals for each youth leader and the effective formation of the leadership team. Both of these

purposes are best achieved if all Scouts with troop leadership positions do this together. In order to keep experienced youth leaders who have been through this course before from becoming bored or perhaps not wanting to participate again, the troop should consider having them serve as trainers for some of the segments or as facilitators for some of the games and challenges in this course. Scouts who have previously graduated from ILST or National Youth Leadership Training can also be used as trainers or facilitators, especially in the virtual presentation of Module Three.

WHEN TO CONDUCT THIS COURSE The first step in leadership training for Scouting youth is orienting the Scouts to the positions they have agreed to fill. That orientation is an important occasion to give new youth leaders the clear message that they have the ability to handle the position, that they are trusted, and that they can get all of the support and guidance they need to succeed. The orientation gives the Scouts an immediate overview of their obligations and opportunities as leaders and sets them on the right foot toward success. In most cases, the Scoutmaster is the one who can most effectively conduct this orientation for the senior patrol leader and other new troop leaders. The Scoutmaster may call on other adults or youth leaders to conduct the orientation for each troop position. The next step in the Scout’s training is this course: Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (ILST), which provides them with a broader understanding of the troop and ways they can work with other troop leaders (both Scouts and adults) to make the troop a success, and gives them strategies for dealing with many of the challenges they are likely to face. ILST should be conducted shortly after a new term of office begins. If there will be a delay of more than a few weeks between the start of the new term and this course, then the Scoutmaster should conduct a leaders’ orientation right after the election of new youth leaders. The length of terms of office varies from troop to troop—and even from year to year within a troop. Ultimately, it’s up to your troop to determine when to conduct ILST. The ILST program is most constructive when attended by six or more Scouts. If the troop is small and does not have enough Scouts in leadership positions for an effective session, work with the troop committee to identify other troops in the area with whom you can organize a training event. Upon completion of Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops, each participant is qualified to wear the “Trained” emblem on their uniform.

ABOUT THIS COURSE This ILST guide is meant to offer the Scoutmaster and Senior Patrol Leader a flexible training program for troop leaders. Online video modules One and Two are available online and can be viewed at any time. Module 3 provides the facilitators (Two adults leaders, or an adult leader and a Scout that has previously completed ILST).

The script provided for module three does not need to be followed verbatim since every troop is different. Facilitators can review the script material and adapt it to their individual troop’s needs, provided they include all relevant points of information.

ILST is organized into three modules, each of which should take 60 to 90 minutes to complete, with additional optional games and challenges to enhance the leadership lessons (and fun) of the course.

• MODULE ONE—TROOP ORGANIZATION is a brief five-minute video that includes a description of each leadership position in the troop, including roles and responsibilities, troop organization, and introductions to vision and servant leadership.

• MODULE TWO—TOOLS OF LEADERSHIP is a combination of five videos, totaling 36 minutes:

o Creating a Vision (8 minutes)o Goal Setting (4 minutes)o Communication (11 minutes)o Planning and Delegating (7 minutes)o Stages of Team Development (6 minutes)

• MODULE THREE—LEADERSHIP AND TEAMWORK incorporates two facilitators in a virtual environment (i.e. Zoom) and follows a script designed for approximately one hour of face-to-face instruction. Individual components include:

o Team Development and Characteristics (10 minutes)o Group Decisions (10 minutes)o Leadership Styles and Tools (15 minutes)o Ethics and Values (10 minutes) o EDGE Method (10 minutes)o Conclusion (5 minutes)

ONLINE VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONThe current pandemic has resulted in a variety of rules, regulations, policies, and procedures that vary by city and state. Social Distancing frequently discourages or prevents groups to gather for events such as training.

Video Conferencing has become a new norm among Scouts, and the utilization of online conferencing tools such as ZOOM provide an opportunity for training to continue in the presence of social distancing guidelines.

There are numerous video conference options available, and can be utilized for the presentation and sharing of Module Three.

The Boy Scouts of America does not endorse any specific video conferencing software application. The following step-by-step guide is simply an overview of one possible online conferencing tool that is available.

One drawback of Zoom is its 40-minute time limit when using the free video conference software. If someone in your unit or Council has a paid subscription, the time limit will

not be a concern. If you use the free version, you will need to stop roughly half-way (30-35 minutes) through the third module to provide everyone with a break. When they sign back in, the 40-minute time limit should not be a problem.

Getting Started with Zoom: A Step-by-Step Guide 

If you work from home, you’ve likely already heard about or used Zoom to interact with your employers, colleagues, or clients. Zoom is a cloud-based video or web conferencing service that can be used for one-on-one training sessions or group meetings. 

It provides HD video and audio to facilitate a host of functions, such as recording and transcribing meetings, screen sharing, co-annotation for interactive team meetings, and streamlined calendar integrations for scheduling support. 

Even pre-COVID-19, Zoom was an indispensable tool for small, medium, and large businesses to keep in touch and continue their operations remotely. As a matter of fact, 60% of Fortune 500 companies already use it!

If you’re keen to start using Zoom, here’s a step-by-step guide that will walk you through the process.

Step 1. Create an account

You’ll need to register and activate your account. Navigate to the Zoom site and click Sign Up Free. You’ll be asked to provide your email address and activate your account by clicking the emailed link. 

Once verified, simply login. From there, you can set up your profile, adjust your settings, and schedule and host meetings. 

Step 2. Set up your profile

Updating your profile is quick and painless! Navigate to the left margin of the page and click Profile. From there, you’ll be able to add a profile picture, adjust your time zone,

change your password and email info, and sync your calendar or contacts by integrating with third-party apps like Google, Outlook, or Exchange. 

Step 3. Schedule your training session (Meeting)

Once you’ve made all the necessary adjustments to your profile, you’re ready to schedule, host, or join your first meeting. Let’s start with scheduling.  Navigate to the top-left of your account page and click Meetings in the left margin.

Click Schedule a New Meeting to input details such as the meeting topic/title, date, time, and recurrence. You can go even further by enabling video for the host (yourself) and the participants, generating automatic (vs. personalized) meeting codes, and setting a meeting password to allow invitees to join.

Once you’ve set and saved all your meeting parameters, you can sync it to your Outlook or Google calendar and, when the time comes, email invitations to your facilitators and Scouts. These emails will provide a link that synchronizes the meeting with their respective calendars and issues reminder notifications.

If you use Outlook, you will have the option to schedule meetings is near the top of the window.

Similar options are available if you use calendar applications such as Google.

Step 4. Start your first meeting

Before jumping into your first Zoom session, download the Zoom app from the Download Center and install it on your computer. After you run the app, make sure your microphone and speaker are functioning correctly. You can do this by going to the settings on your app.

If you’d like to check your camera, mic, video, audio, and internet connection all at once, you can conduct a test meeting .

Once you’re good to go, start your meeting! You can do this right on the Zoom website. Simply find the scheduled meeting and click Start.

Or you can start a meeting directly from your Zoom app.

Step 5. Join a meeting

When you’re not the host, then joining a Zoom meeting is as simple as clicking the invitation link that was emailed to you. Don’t forget to add it to your calendar! Then, when it comes time to join the meeting, you can simply click Join on the app:

Or, you can navigate to your email inbox or calendar and click the link there.