GENERAL UNIT VISITATION GUIDELINES

General Recommendations

1.      First and foremost, it is all about the Youth!!!

2.      Just as in sales, the Customer (Unit) visitation is your strongest tool.

3.      Put a smile on your face. Be polite. Be friendly. Act like ladies and gentlemen.

4.      Leave any ideas about telling anyone anything at home. You are allowed to suggest, guide or inform, but not to tell. There are 2 exceptions. One is if a youth is in danger, then you must stand up for that youth. The other instance is if the building is on fire.  Remember, it is their unit. You are a visitor, whose primary job is to observe.

5.      You are the only district level Scouter that will go to the troop monthly. To the leader, you become the representative of the Boy Scouts of America, since you are the only contact they see. You are the only one who cares enough to go see them. You are the Boy Scouts of America.

6.      You are AN ADVOCATE for the unit to the district. Find out what they need and communicate it back to the Assistant District Commission, District Commissioner and District Executive.

7.      There are some stereotypes and partial truths that a commissioner must overcome.

1. You are there to drink all their coffee and eat all their food
2. You are there to tell them how to run their units
3. You are there to spy on them to the district
4. You are there to hound them about the re-charter money and paperwork

8.      “You can get everything you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want” by Zig Ziglar

Before Going On the Unit Visit

1.      Be sure you know the words to: The Pledge of Allegiance, the Scout Oath and the Scout Laws. Also the Scout handshake. Your leaders will judge you based on these simple Boy Scout tests.

2.      You must Plan. Plan to visit. Plan to succeed. Your plan may change, but the absence of a plan is typically a poor plan that seldom works the way you want it to.

The Unit Visit

1.      Visit each of your units at least eight months a year.

2.      Wear your uniform. Class A or B depending on what your instinct tells you.

3.      Go to where the Unit is at. Go to the unit meeting, a Klondike Derby, a camp out, the Spring Camporee, attend a court of honor, visit them at scout camp, visit the scoutmaster at his house or place of business. 

4.      When you meet your scoutmaster, shake his hand (scout handshake) and look him in the eyes.

5.      Learn the names of your leaders, and learn to say them correctly. Everyone likes to hear their name said correctly and out loud, unless you are the police.

6.      Give them your contact information, on a business card maybe? Wear a nametag to make remembering your name easy for them.

7.      Gather their contact information. Phone number, email, etc…

8.      Show genuine interest in what they are doing, and what they tell you.

9.      Be yourself (OK your polite self).

10.  You have 2 ears, and one mouth. You should listen twice as much as you speak.

11.  Ask questions, but do not GRILL them.

12.  Ask questions that require more than a yes or no answer, and LISTEN to their answers.

13.  Allow them to teach you something, even if you already know it. Allow both the youth and the adults to teach you something. You may be surprised and learn something new, it helps the youth grow, and it helps you bond with the leader.  \

14.  Do not ask all your questions on the first visit. You will be back next month. This is an ongoing process. It is not fast, but it is very important.

15.  Under promise and over deliver.

16.  Say THANK YOU, often. Thank you for the refreshments. Thank you for inviting me to your Court of Honor. Thank you for the work you do with the youthI like to bring fliers from the scout office. Anything to show I was thinking of them.

When Challenging Situation Arise with Units

1.      Unusual things may come up. Remember there are at least two sides of every issue. Be sure to learn all the “WHY” information before making any kind of judgment.

2.      Dale Carnegie says “Be fast to praise, slow to criticize”

3.      When facing something new, or tricky, ask for help from you ADC / DC. Chances are good they have run into it before or they can inquire of others for assistance.

4.      Attend your District Commissioner monthly meetings. Short training sessions are provided that often cover challenging areas. Share and compare problems and ask for ideas.

5.      Read through your Commissioner Fieldbook for Unit Service.

6.      Read the Commissioner Helps for Packs, Troops and Crews.

7.      The Boy Scouts have an extensive collection of printed materials, take advantage of that.

Miscellaneous Recommendations

1.      Be wary of the Time Trap. My goal is not to take an active part in my units weekly operation. If my Troop had its way, I should quit commissioner’s staff, and sign up with their unit full time. To remain effective, you must maintain a healthy balance of visiting enough, and visiting too much.

2.      Do not fill in the Commissioner’s Worksheet at the meeting. Do it later, out of sight. You do not want them to think you are grading them. They know you have to report, but do not wave it in their faces.

3.      Take newspapers and internet articles that involve their units to give to the leaders.

4.      If they take pictures at their events, look at their pictures, show interest.

5.      Promptly return phone calls

6.      Promptly return emails

7.      If there is an entrance fee, or a cost, be sure to pay your way. Do not be a financial strain on your troop.

8.      People tend to enjoy pleasant surprises and random acts of kindness. Create some.

9.      Spend time with each of your leaders, remember you are teambuilding.

Things to Promote to Unit Leader

1.      Attendance at roundtable.  Share with them information from the last roundtable.

2.      You need to promote leader training. Leader Specific Training, Cub Scout Specifics and Boy Scout Specifics, Youth Protection Training, and Woodbadge, etc.

3.      Promote District and Council and National events - Council Encampment, Popcorn Sales, Summer Camp, and high adventure programs such as Philmont and Florida Seabase.

4.      Promote the Friends of Scouting fundraising effort.  You need to first understand the value of the FOS in order to communicate it. 

5.      Re-chartering on time.

After the Visit

1.      Email your commissioner’s report with your Assistant District Commissioner (ADC). Use the Unit Commissioner Worksheets for each type of unit periodically and sent up to your ADC or DC.  Ask for the ADC feedback and suggestions.