Hey, unplug the jar, would ya?

Westmoreland Chapter, located in Greensburg, PA, has quickly become one of the greatest adopters of the Take Control! and Unplug concepts. The interesting part of their story is that they were initially one of the more skeptical groups out there. I fielded many questions from Westmoreland on just want it meant to "Unplug." They were working with a younger generation of DeMolays (mostly under 15) and weren't quite sure that it was time to cut the proverbial apron strings just yet.

"Dad" Bruce Neubauer and I talked at length about the idea and how best to apply it in his Chapter. Slowly, but surely, the Advisory Council started taking less and less of a role in the stated meetings, but more of a role before and after them. In this way, they were able to help the guys work up their agendas and prepare for what they were going to talk about. They found that the young men were able to run efficient meetings, with less chatter, that lasted shorter than they had in the past. After the meetings the Advisors would debrief the guys on what worked and what didn't, followed by how they could improve in the future. A little constructive criticism goes a long way!

The last part of this equation was finding a way for the Advisors to become more conscious of how they were behaving in the stated meetings. They took an old concept, the money jar, and applied it to this situation. Each time an Advisor speaks at a stated meeting, without being called upon by the Master Councilor, they  have to put $1 in the jar. By the looks of the jar, there isn't much talking going on during the meetings anymore! This is a fabulous way to become more aware of what you are doing within the stated meetings. Most of the time you don't even think about how you could be effecting the situation.

Thanks to the Unplug jar the Advisors of Westmoreland are becoming more conscious of how they help their guys. This in turn has produced visible changes in how their Chapter is run, all for the positive. So, how have you been "Unplugging?" Tell us about it at webmaster@pademolay.org!

Frat!~"Dad" Seth Anthony