Exploring Career Achievement Award - Communications

Do the following:

Develop a plan to teach a communication skill (such as making a speech, introducing a speaker, etc.) approved by your adult leader.

Create and make several teaching aids.

Teach your skill to an individual, your post, a community group, or another group.

Have your adult leader check to see whether the learner or learners have learned the skill.

Do the following:

Pick an item or product to sell.

Build a sales plan based on the item's positive points.

Try to "sell" post members on buying the item from you.

Reflect with the post members at a post meeting about how well you did.

Do the following:

Demonstrate and practice how you would make a telephone call inviting someone who is an expert (in the field of your choice) to give a demonstration on their skill at a post meeting.

Actually call an expert or consultant and ask him or her to make a presentation or demonstrate a skill at a post meeting.

Greet this presenter before your post meeting.

Learn how to introduce a guest speaker, and then introduce a guest speaker at your post meeting or another group meeting of your choice, such as in your class, youth group, or community group meeting.

Do one of the following:

Write a five-minute speech. Practice the speech, and then give it at a post meeting or to another group of your choice.

Develop a presentation of at least five minutes on the skill that you have developed, and then make a presentation of your skill to your post, school group, or another community group.

As a facilitator, conduct a character education activity on an issue relevant to teens with a group of your choice such as your post or class. Record your observations of the group and the process. Make a report from your notes at a post meeting.

Do one of the following:

Prepare a news release for an upcoming post activity or special program and give it to the post officers for approval. Distribute the news release to local media.

Prepare a news release for an upcoming activity or special program for a group such as your post, your school class, or another group. Make sure you get approval before you release it to the media.

Develop a plan to make news or newsworthy opportunities for your post or another group approved by your officers. Use ONE of the following ways to create news:

Stage an event.

Work with a newspaper, radio, or TV station on a project.

Arrange an interview with the adult leader.

Organize an awards presentation in the post.

Tie in to a well-known week or day.

Organize a tour.

Produce for your council, post, or group of your choice a public service announcement (PSA) approved by your adult leader. Take a color slide, photo, or video clip that is an interesting representation of what you are promoting, develop a brief script, and submit both to the public service director of a local media outlet.

Do the following:

Prepare a personal resume that you would use in applying for a job.

Have a friend act as an interviewer while you role-play an interview for a job.

Discuss with two adults what they did to prepare for their careers, what they think is important to include on a resume, and what they think is important when interviewing. Let them critique your resume.

Research careers in the field of communications or public relations. Write a one-page statement on the education, skills, and training needed for one that you are interested in. Talk over with your adult leader or make a brief presentation to your post on what you have discovered.

Write a review on how communications affect the day-to-day activities of individuals and the public.

Do the following:

Write to the editor of a magazine or your local newspaper to express your opinion or share information on a subject of your choice.

Write to an individual or organization to request information on a subject of your choice.

Create a webpage for yourself or to give information about your Explorer post, school class, or another organization. Include at least one article and one photograph or illustration.

Attend a regional or national communications conference as a staff member or participant.