A Few More Guest Speaker Intros

Adam: Jacob: Matt K.:

Joyful Communications

Last week in class I shared this video to illustrate the communications power of photography and music. Thought I'd include the link here as well in case you wanted to watch it again...

Guest-Speaker Introduction Videos

Here are videos of those who did the guest-speaker introductions on week 2. As with the others, these are private; I can give you your video file if you would like a copy. If you didn't do the guest speaker introduction on week 2, you still have a chance to do it on week 3.


Andrew




Dylan




Jace




Josh, part 1




Josh, part 2




Matt M.




Steven, part 1




Steven, part 2

More Self-Introductions

Here are videos of those who did the self-introductions (requirement 2) in class during week 2 (again, these videos are hosted on YouTube but are private; only those with the link can see them; if you would like a copy of your video, please e-mail me).

There is still a chance (next week) to do the self-introduction for those who have not done it yet.

Jacob




Dylan

Public Speaking

A sacrament meeting talk, Primary talk, or other five-minute speech in a large group setting can fulfill this requirement. Note that the requirement says to write a speech. If possible, I would like to see a copy of your written talk when I sign off this requirement.

To fulfill the requirement, the talk should have been given sometime after you turned 11 years old and became a Scout.

In planning your talk, refer to the teaching TEPEES we discussed in class. This outline (for teaching to inform) is a great outline for writing a speech as well.

Please give me a piece of paper with the details and initials below after you have given your talk (the merit badge requirement sheet I gave you in class has spaces for this information; you can just write the information on that sheet if you would like). Please bring a copy of your written speech, if possible. If you do not have a copy of the written speech anymore, please be prepared to tell me a bit about your talk in person.

• Setting/Audience
  
• Date of Speech
  
• Scout Initial
  
• Parent Initial

If you haven't yet given a talk that would qualify for this requirement, please keep a record of the other requirements that you have completed and contact me after you have given your speech.

The Teaching EDGE (Teach a Skill)

In class today we talked about the Teaching EDGE, which can be used to help you teach someone a skill. Here is a reminder for you about what is included in the Teaching EDGE:

• Explain: Tell them how to do it.
  
• Demonstrate: Show them how to do it.
  
• Guide: Let them do it, with your help.
  
• Enable: Let them do it on their own.

The Teaching TEPEES (Teach to Inform)

For the next class session, everyone needs to come prepared to teach something to someone else. You can either teach them a skill or you can teach them about something. In either case, you need to bring some sort of visual aid. You should plan to spend about 5 minutes teaching.

In class today, we talked about the Teaching TEPEES, which can help you in teaching to inform someone about something. Here is a reminder about what is included in the Teaching TEPEES:

• Topic: Introduce your topic.
  
• Enlighten: Show why it is important; generate interest.
  
• Points: Share 3 to 5 main points.
  
• Explain: Explain each point or
  
• Examples: Give examples of each point.
  
• Summarize: Restate the main points.

How to Write a Letter to the Editor

Your letter to the editor should be at least three paragraphs long; most letters will probably require five to six paragraphs. The first paragraph can introduce the topic and state your opinion; the next two to four paragraphs can explain a few points to support your opinion; the final paragraph can conclude the letter.

Here are some elements to include in your letter:

• State your purpose (what article you are responding to, what subject you are writing about).
  
• State your point: your opinion, perspective, idea, or argument.
  
• Give a few reasons or details for your point and explain them.
  
• Restate your point.
  
• Express gratitude.

Remember, to complete the requirement you must:

• Write a letter to the editor of a publication.
  
• Send the letter to the editor.
  
• Send a copy of the letter to me.

If you send a paper letter, please be sure to follow proper letter-writing etiquette (here is a guide for how to write a business letter). Please be sure to sign the letter, and make a copy of the letter to give to me.

If you send a letter by e-mail, you still need to include your street address; publications use this to verify that you are a real person. Please also put my e-mail address in the cc or bcc line so I will get a copy. My address is jefe.mcc@gmail.com.

Letter Idea 3: The Deseret News

Like the Daily Herald, the Deseret News also publishes letters to the editor. You may write to the editor about any article you see in the paper. Or you may write about one of the topics below, which have recently been mentioned in the Deseret News:

Issue 1: Whether it is really all that important for average people to be involved in politics.

See this article, published Sunday, March 11.

Issue 2: Whether daylight savings time is valuable or whether it should go away.

See this article, published Monday, March 12.

To send a letter to the editor of the Deseret News, write to

letters@desnews.com
or
Deseret News
30 E 100 South
P.O. Box 1257
Salt Lake City, UT 84110

Please, remember to copy me on the e-mail (jefe.mcc@gmail.com) or bring a printed copy of the letter.

Letter Idea 2: The Daily Herald

The Daily Herald publishes letters to the editor frequently. You could write to the newspaper about any article you have read in its pages or another issue you feel strongly about.

Here is an issue that has been mentioned in the Daily Herald recently. You could respond to this issue if you would like.

Issue: Whether people should be tested for drugs before they are allowed to receive welfare money.

See this article from Friday, March 9.
See also this article, from Feb. 7.

To send a letter to the editor of the Daily Herald, write to

dhletters@heraldextra.com
or
Daily Herald
P.O. Box 717
Provo, UT, 84603
or
Fax: 801-344-2985

Please, remember to copy me on the e-mail (jefe.mcc@gmail.com) or bring a printed copy of the letter.

Letter Idea 1: The New Era

Each month, the New Era asks a question and invites readers to send in answers. There are two questions you could answer today.

The first one is due tomorrow (March 15): “One of my friends really offended me. I know I’m supposed to be forgiving, but how do I get over the hurt?”

The second one is due in a month (April 15): “My older brother isn’t active. When I invite him to church or ask him not to swear, he gets upset. How do I let him know that I want him to come back to church because I care?”

You could fulfill this requirement by sending an answer (along with a picture of yourself) to one of these questions or by writing and sending a letter about something else in the New Era.

To send the New Era editor a letter, write to one of these addresses:

newera@ldschurch.org
or
New Era, Q&A
50 E. North Temple St., Rm. 2420
Salt Lake City, UT 84150-0024

(If your letter is not for Q&A, you should leave that part out of the address.)

Please, remember to copy me on the e-mail (jefe.mcc@gmail.com) or bring me a printed copy of the letter.

FedEx Caveman Commercial

In class last week, we talked about a Superbowl advertisement by FedEx from 2006. It's a fun ad; thought I'd post the link here so you could watch it again...

After you watch it, think... what types of communication are represented in this ad?

Go to a Meeting

A city council meeting, school board meeting, political debate, or homeowners association meeting could qualify for this requirement. If you have another type of meeting that you would like to attend, please contact me before the meeting to ask me if it would qualify. It should be a meeting that involves a discussion with different points of view being expressed. If you have attended such a meeting (and taken notes) since you became a Scout (when you turned 11), that meeting can fulfill this requirement. (See info below about what you need to do to report on that meeting to me.)

If you have not already attended such a meeting, here are links to four meetings this week that could fulfill this requirement:

• Orem City Council, Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 6 p.m. You can get the agenda here.
  
• Orem Public Library Advisory Commission, Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 6 p.m. You can get the agenda here.
  
• Political Caucus Meetings, Tuesday and Thursday, March 13 and 15, 2012, 7 p.m. Your meeting location depends on your precinct and political party--most of you are in Precinct 29 or Precinct 1 (see the precinct map if you are not sure).

You will need to take notes at the meeting, and I would like to see a copy of your notes when I sign off the requirement (if you still have them). You will also need to give me a brief report of what was discussed and what opinions were expressed in the meeting. You can give this report to me orally, or you can write a brief report and give it to me in person or by e-mail.

To fulfill the requirement, you should have attended this meeting after you turned 11 years old and became a Scout.

Please give me a piece of paper with the details and initials below after you have attended the meeting (the merit badge requirement sheet I gave you in class has spaces for this information; you can just write the information on that sheet if you would like). Please bring a copy of your notes, if possible.

• Meeting Title/Name
  
• Date of Meeting
  
• Scout Initial
  
• Parent Initial

Self-Intro Videos

Here are videos of those who did the self-introductions (requirement 2) in class last week. These videos are hosted on YouTube but are private; only those with the link can see them. If you would like a copy of your (or your son's) video, please e-mail me.

Those who did not do the self-intro last week can do it this week. They should to prepare some sort of visual aid to use with their 2-3 minute introduction.


Tryggvi




Josh




Jace




Andrew




Matt M.




Matt K.




Adam

I apologize: I messed up on Adam's video. He did a great job with his introduction, but I accidentally recorded a few seconds just before and just after his introduction but not the introduction itself... drat. But here is a picture of him at the podium.

Sample Guest-Speaker Introductions

In writing your introduction, you will want to be fairly brief. You will share with the audience important details about the person's life, background, and accomplishments. You may want to mention what the speaker will be talking about, why he or she is an expert on that topic, or why you invited the speaker to come. The more interesting your introduction is, the more likely the audience is to pay close attention.

Here is a sample introduction from the Communications merit badge book:

Thanks for coming today. We have a special guest speaker today, Detective Tom Jackson with the Minneapolis Police Department. Detective Jackson is a 10-year veteran of the police department and has solved many puzzling crimes in our area. He has a bachelor's degree in law enforcement from Iowa State University. When he is not working, he teaches karate and coaches Little League baseball. Detective Jackson has graciously agreed to speak to us today about his position and other career opportunities in law enforcement. Please welcome Detective Jackson.

And here is another sample introduction for a Scout group (found on the Internet):

Careers in corporate law are of great interest to our Explorer post. Tonight, we are honored to have a speaker whose experience and background will highlight these careers. After graduating from the Georgetown University School of Law, our speaker was assistant U.S. attorney for Ohio for three years before joining the legal staff of the General Foods Corporation. She belongs to the American Bar Association, Corporate Lawyers League, and United Fund Board, and chairs our County Legal Aid Society. She received the Governor’s Medal for Juvenile Justice and was elected to the Georgetown University Outstanding Alumni. Currently, she is the director of General Foods’ legal department, serves as counsel to the board of directors, and has extensive legal experience in copyright law, patents, and product liability. Leisure time is spent with her husband and sons either restoring their Victorian home or skiing in Colorado. “It is a pleasure to present . . . Jane Smith.

Guest Speaker Introductions

For this requirement, which you should come prepared for next week, you must do four things:

• Interview someone you like or admire
  
• Listen actively
  
• Write and deliver a brief introduction as if this person were to be a guest speaker
  
• Show how you would invite this person to speak

Here are a few helpful tips...

On Interviewing

• Call beforehand to request and set up an interview
  
• Write down your questions before the interview (5-10 questions, open-ended questions that require more than one-word answers)
  
• Dress appropriately (nice, in a way the person will feel comfortable)
  
• Take a notebook and pen
  
• Be on time, and stick to your time limit
  
• Thank them

On Active Listening

• Listen carefully and take notes
  
• Give encouragement: nod, smile, say encouraging words (“uh-huh,” “cool," "wow”)
  
• Ask follow up questions, be curious, seek understanding, reflect answers
  
• Show interest: look them in the eye, avoid distractions
  
• Watch for body language
  
• Let them talk: don’t fear silence; let them fill the silence

On Introducing: Answer Two Questions in a Few Sentences

• Why should I care about this person?
  > Who is this person?
  > What makes them cool?
  > Interesting stories or background?
  
• Why should I care what they have to say?
  > What makes this person an expert in this topic?
  > What is the significance of the topic?

Communicate, Communicate

The world of communications is filled with cool things like movies, blogs, sports broadcasts, magazines, photography, cell phones, YouTube, and Twitter feeds. It also includes things like talking to your mom after school or listening to your friend tell a story around the campfire or praying to God in the privacy of your room. We communicate constantly, whether we intend to or not. What we say, what we do, how we sit—many things in our world can be considered "communications." It is literally impossible to not communicate.

So if we have to communicate, we might as well do it effectively. Communication is how we build friendships, how we learn, how we develop testimonies, how we influence others for good, how we make the world a better place.

Over the next few weeks, we'll explore communications together. We'll talk about principles of communication, and we'll learn a bit about how to do it well. Along the way, we'll have some fun and build friendships—and making personal connections is a big part of what communication is all about.

Our time in this class is limited: we only have three hours (one hour each week) in which to discuss all these kinds of communications! Sheesh. Give me three months and perhaps we can do it justice... but three hours?!? Put on your seat belts...

A few ground rules for the class:

• Please arrive on time. We've got a lot of fun planned each week, so we will start on time to give us as much time as possible. The first class starts at 6:45; please be here by 6:30 so you can find the room and get situated. The second class starts at 8; please move quickly from your first class.
  
• Please wear your uniform. We will be making video recordings during class, which we will post on this blog. Scouts anywhere in the world could search for "Communications Merit Badge" and find themselves watching a video of you. So please represent Scouting well by how you look. Tuck your shirt in, comb your hair, wipe the ketchup off your cheek...
  
• Please fulfill the homework assignments. Each week, I will ask you to prepare something for the next week. There is not enough time to do the preparations in class; to complete the merit badge, you must do something between each class. The assignments will be fairly simple, but they will be important.
  
• Remember we are among friends. We will get to know each other—and like each other. As we share things with each other, be respectful and kind. And be brave. Others will respect you for being courageous enough to share things that are important to you.

Well, that's about it for now. I'll probably think of more things later, but this is a good start. I look forward to meeting with you on Wednesday to begin our learning process together.

Me, the Editor

I have been the editor of BYU Magazine for 14 years. In my job, I lead a talented group of editors, writers, designers, and students in the creation of a magazine mailed four times a year to about 270,000 readers in some 200,000 homes. If all of our readers got a seat to a BYU football game, LaVell Edwards Stadium would need to be four and a half times bigger than it is now. Imagine four and a half stadiums full of people. That's how many people get the magazine.



As the editor, I do some writing, a bit more editing, and a lot of managing and planning. I once wrote an article about BYU's dairy, and I got to milk cows for a morning while doing my research. I got up about 4 a.m. and spent about five hours staring at the hind quarters of cows—more than 400 of them who came in and out of the milking parlor. It was one of the funnest things I've done in my job.


Another time, I got to go to Scotland and visit BYU students who were doing internships with the Scottish Parliament. I have also shaken hands with President Hinckley, visited Nauvoo, followed the BYU ballroom dancers through Belgium and France, and sat in the press box for a couple of BYU football games.

For one issue, I arranged for Cosmo to come to our photo studio, and I helped him with the photo shoot for our cover. He even wore my belt because he didn't bring one. Here's a slideshow we made of the photo shoot:



Most days, however, I sit at my desk and edit articles, write and respond to e-mail messages, and plan and manage the process of creating a magazine. We have a lot of deadlines and a lot of people working on those deadlines. I enjoy coming up with ideas, working with writers, sharing ideas with photographers and artists, and see the finished magazine come out at the end. And during our weekly meetings, we play speed Scrabble.

In addition to the magazine, our staff produces a monthly e-mail newsletter for more than 200,000 readers, and we maintain a website, a Facebook page, an iTunes podcast, a Twitter feed, and a YouTube channel. The magazine frequently wins awards for both writing and design, and our readers tell us they value the content we put in the magazine.

I earned a bachelor's degree in communications from BYU and a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University. I enjoy camping and hiking and Scouting. I used to have a sailboat and a motorcycle. Now I have a beautiful wife and two cute daughters. We love to play games like Ticket to Ride and Blockus, and my wife and my 10-year-old—who are both much smarter than I—often win.