If you were elected by the fellow Scouts in your troop, or if you are an adult who was nominated to become a member of the Order of the Arrow, you should think about why they chose you. They chose you because they believe that you have good leadership skills, that you are an example to follow and that you are a friend to all. Through the OA, you can build upon your skills and become an even better leader for your unit and your lodge by attending a National Leadership Seminar.
The National Leadership Seminar, also known as NLS, is the training program for members of the Order of the Arrow. You can compare it to the National Youth Leadership Training program. NYLT courses typically run over a week, while an NLS only takes a weekend. At an NLS, Arrowmen get advanced training in leadership unlike any other Scout training course. The staff at an NLS is made up of some of the region's best trainers. Each NLS is planned and run by a region chief and almost all of the trainers at an NLS are youth under 21. Participants usually leave the weekend energized and ready to get more involved in their lodge back home. But the participants don't just leave after the weekend and are done with NLS, Arrowmen are required to complete a contract that they made with themselves and their table guide. After the Arrowman completes all of the items on his contract, he receives the NLS patch in the mail.
If you want to go to an NLS, contact your lodge chief, go to your region's website, or learn more here.
For adults over 21 who have already attended an NLS or would like to get training focused on the adviser aspect of the OA, you can attend a National Lodge Adviser Training Seminar (NLATS). These are usually held at the same time and location as the NLS's and are run by experienced advisers in the region. Advisers usually leave NLATS with tons of new ideas to share with the youth Arrowmen and other advisers back home.