Does anybody know of a game that could be played at a Troop Meeting that involves communication skills by Patrols?

 

Our Patrol Leaders do not practice the skill of "reporting back" from a PLC to their Patrols of what happened or what is planned. I was looking for a game that could emphasizes "reporting back from the PLC" as part of the commpetion. Any thoughts?

 

 

The most fitting game I can think of is the "pass a message" game. You line all the boys up in the patrol. A message is whispered to the first scout. It can be something scout-related such as:

 

"In two weeks, the troop meeting is going to be held at the Johnson's house, instead of the church building. We'll be meeting 30 minutes earlier than normal, so that we'll have more time to build our Klondike sled. Please bring $5 for pizza and a soft drink. Also, don't forget to bring your $10 fee for participating in the Klondike Derby."

 

Have the last scout write down what they heard. Then compare it to the original. Give points for getting the major facts correct (date, time, location, money for pizza, money for klondike). Take away points for incorrect information ($5 for klondike, meeting in 1 week, etc.). The longer the message, the more challenging the game.

 

You can follow it up with an activity to show more effective ways of communicating. For example, you can then give a message to the patrol leader, and have him pass it on to each scout directly (instead of passing it down the line). Do the same thing with scoring, and see how much better they do.

 

A third method is to provide it in writing, and let the patrol leader review it with each scout. Allow the recipients to take notes. Show how the message can then be communicated almost perfectly if they actively listen.

 

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Check out the Troop Program Features, there is a program for Communications in there that might help. Also, check out your Troop Program Resources book for several games that have communications ideas.

 

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Finally, I Googled "Communication Games" and got several hits, including the following:

 

http://www.gamesforgroups.com/newpage9.htm

http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=3995