1. Communications Merit Badge
Required badge for Eagle

2. Skills you’ll learn How to plan
How to speak with adults you don’t know
Taking notes
Different ways we communicate
Career opportunities in communications
Teaching skills
Speaking skills
Thinking on your feet

3. Communications Requirements
How We Communicate
Describe yourself/ Sell Something
Public Speaking
Conduct an Interview
Public Meeting
Teaching
Explore Publishing
Plan a program
Investigate Careers

4. 1. How We Communicate Do ONE of the following: Communication Log
Listening Log
In a small-group setting, meet with other scouts or with friends.
Have them share personal stories about significant events in their lives that affected them in some way.
Take note of how each scout participates in the group discussion and how effective each one is in telling his story.
Report what you have learned to your counselor about the differences you observed in effective communication.
List as many ways as you can think of to communicate with others
For each type of communication discuss with your counselor an instance when that method might not be appropriate or effective.
(face-to-face, by telephone, letter, , fax)

5. Communication What is it? How do we communicate? What is it?
Message – transmission - reception
How do we communicate?
How much is verbal?
Communication problems
Clarity of words
Intent
Efficiency
What is it?
Message – transmission - reception
How much is verbal?
Very little
Communication problems
Clarity of words
Intent
Efficiency

6. How To Ask your patrol to meet with you before a troop meeting.
Remind them by phone the night before
Take notes
Use the logs for the other items.
Meet with your counselor

7. Describe Yourself/ Sell Something
Do ONE of the following:
Think of a creative way to describe yourself, using, for example, a collage, short story or autobiography, drawing or series of photographs, or a song or skit. Using the aid you created, make a presentation to your counselor about yourself.
Choose a concept, product, or service in which you have great confidence. Build a sales plan based on its good points. Try to persuade the counselor to agree with, use, or buy your concept, product or service. After your sales talk, discuss with your counselor how persuasive you were.

8. How To Self Description:
Define who you are: likes, dislikes, favorite things, most important, strengths/weaknesses
Next construct an outline, concept, or prototype
Build on this by constructing the finished product
Remember: you’re the expert on you

9. How To (continued) Selling:
Define the value of the product in the eyes of the customer
Make eye contact with the buyer, smile, talk slowly and respectfully
Highlight emotional items (color, look, feel, taste, smell)
Sell the sizzle not the steak
Complete your presentation, ask for the order and stop talking (this is a closing question)
Handle any objection by restating it, then answering it in the eyes of the customer
Ask for the order again and stop talking
Repeat this cycle (closing question, objection, closing question) until the buyer says yes. This typically takes five tries.
Remember, price is the one object you can not overcome. When a customer objects to the price, sell the value

10. Public Speaking
Write a five-minute speech. Give it at a meeting of a group.

11. How To Outline what you are going to say
Plan the time (speaking always takes longer than you think)
Pick a subject that you know well
Begin with an introduction
Add some light humor (an icebreaker)
This doesn't’t always work, but don’t let it bother you
Explain what your going to speak about
Speak about it
Summarize
End
Rehearse at least three times
Speak up – project your voice
Look your audience in the eye
Smile
Keep hands out of your pockets (put on your hips or cross them)
Try to be yourself

12. Conduct an Interview
Interview someone you know fairly well, like, or respect because of his or her position, talent, career or life experiences.
Listen actively to learn as much as you can about the person.
Then prepare and deliver to your counselor an introduction of the person as though this person were to be a guest speaker, and include reasons why the audience would want to hear this person speak.
Show how you would call to invite this person to speak.

13. How To Pick an adult that you know, but not your parents
Prepare a list of ten questions
Tell me about your job?
What other jobs have you done in life?
What’s the most important thing you learned in life?
Use follow-up questions as you listen
Take notes
After the interview, copy your notes and expand them

14. Public Meeting
Attend a public meeting (city council, school board, debate) approved by your counselor where several points of view are given on a single issue.
Practice active listening skills and take careful notes of each point of view.
Present an objective report that includes all points of view that were expressed, and share this with your counselor.

15. How To Visit a public hearing at Derry Township or Dauphin County
Visit the courthouse and attend a trial
Attend a community meeting (check the library for notices
Listen to a debate on TV, the Radio, or the Internet
Half hour is long enough so long as you listen to two points of view

16. Teaching
With your counselor's approval, develop a plan to teach a skill or inform someone about something. Prepare teaching aids for your plan. Carry out your plan. With your counselor, determine whether the person has learned what you intended.

17. How To Teach someone how sink a basket
Teach someone how to pitch a tent
Teach someone how to tie scout knots
Write a plan
Write an objective statement
List the main topics/steps
Prepare teaching aids (drawings, examples, model)
Construct a test for the student

18. Publishing Do ONE of the following:
Write to the editor of a magazine or your local newspaper to express your opinion or share information on any subject you choose. Send your message by fax, or regular mail.
Create a Web page for your scout troop, school, or other organization. Include at least one article and one photograph or illustration, and one link to some other web page that would be helpful to someone who visits the web page you have created. It is not necessary to post your web page to the internet, but if you decide to do so, you must first share it with your parents and counselor and get their permission.
Use desktop publishing to produce a newsletter, brochure, flier or other printed material for your scout troop, class at school, or other group. Include at least one article and one photograph or illustration.

19. Plan a program
Plan a troop court of honor or campfire program. Have the patrol leaders' council approve it, then write the script and prepare the program. Serve as master of ceremonies.

20. How To Look on the web for suggestions and ideas Court of Honor
Opening ceremony
Awards
Special Recognition
Closing ceremony
Campfire
Skits
Songs
Stories
Look on the web for
suggestions and ideas

21. Careers
Learn about opportunities in the field of communication. Choose one career in which you are interested and discuss with your counselor the major responsibilities of that position and the qualifications, education, and preparation it requires.

22. Communications Careers
Journalism Careers
Public Office
Radio/TV Broadcasting
Acting (Movies, TV, Stage)
Audio/Sound technicians
Teaching
Sales/Selling
Web site development
Advertising

23. How To Identify Jobs (at least five) Look in the Sunday Classified Ads
Call companies that are hiring
Look Online
For each job find out
Education requirements
Experience requirements
Pay range
How much travel required
Specialized training needed
Other aspects of that job

24. Practice Introductions Taking notes Interviewing Selling
Types of communication

25. Michelle J. Nickolaus, CRNP, AACC
(work)
(home)
(cell phone)