Most greek organizations elect a “Chaplain” or an “Internal Relations” officer within their chapter to assess and handle inter- fraternity and inter- sorority affairs. So what should does a chapter leader in a position of this need to know?
Encourage Communication!
This is most important. Most fraternity/sorority problems can be solved with some simple communication techniques and tools. Without getting into too much detail, by simply arranging for one member to sit down with another member, and you as a mediator present, most issues will resolve themselves. Trust me on this, sit both members down, face to face. This will encourage them to discuss their issues without going through other members in your fraternity/sorority. Communication and people’s true meanings always get distorted when they’re filtered through two/three members. It’s important to have the members explain themselves in a forthright manner. Once they meet eye-to-eye, all parties involved will realize how childish their disputes really are.
I found a great link for more information on communication techniques.
Facilitate Communication!
You need to know how to interpret brothers’ moods and emotions and how they work within the positive interests of your fraternity/sorority. But knowing how to read a person is easier said than done in a greek organization. So many factors will influence you: your friendships within your chapter, financial situations of brothers, hearsay and gossip, etc… For this reason, it’s very important to be objective with your brothers/sisters. I would suggest that you review information on the different types of communication (specifically nonverbal communication).
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