30 Jun 2019

Preparing long speech with humor in it

The first time I wrote a post about the EH path was beginning of February, and I went on the path. Today, I have yet one long speech to prepare, then the reflection on the path will come, as usual. Assignment.
To read again and again while working on the project. And remember also the Project Checklist:
Deliver your message with humor: means from the title already that it HAS to be a Message in the 18 TO 22 minute speech of "keynote length".

The Project checklist ends, as all Projects Checklists now do, reminding that after having completed "all the components of the assignment, and delivered the speech" to login and answer to the Assess Your Skills-After". True, it does not say "all the points" that should be added here too.
I did not complete yet the project, so this is from another one. Only when we see this kind of comparison, is our project considered Completed in Basecamp.  And after, refreshing the closed project (before or after telling our opinion about it for TM).

So again, what is EH? Engaging Humor path viewed from THE Navigator.
Here are Engaging Humor SPECIFIC Projects, even if now, Know your sense of Humor is included in all other Level 3 electives also.
And of course all the Elective Projects from which we can choose (or read, save print all). So far, I did 2 from Level 3, one from Level 4 and soon will be finishing one from Level 5 Electives.

Lots of good advices about delivery in this path. Here, about Pace and Timing for example.
Use your story! Here it is about the content this time, not the delivery. "Everyone has a story to tell" is not true, in my opinion: we have more then ONE story to tell. But it means, ONE at a TIME.

And here is the assignment to read, again and again, before even starting the Project and a few times later again. Keep in mind and understand what is asked, from there one can personalize it. Not forgetting all we learned as we prepared, this and the others till we arrived to Level 5 long speech.

'The end is near' here means sometime in summer I will find a way to work on it and perhaps even deliver it. With luck and preparation, eventually even make audience laugh and remain with a message. No problem with my message, "never to late to begin practicing humor" or something very similar.

And the Assignment page:

For the Evaluation form, remember, the title is Deliver Your Message with Humor. If online or web fillable is needed, pick up the evaluation from Tutorials end Resources/Evaluations/English and look from D...

29 Jun 2019

Known from online, now together

Assyl and me got to know each other through online clubs and also collaborating at my DTM project last fall. 

Both like telling stories, being online.

She does live in Kazakhstan and I live in London. It is the first time we met at the same place. She arrived in London for a week with her nice daughter.

She designed this background : pathways Storyswap Online, I used for the Story Swaps. Online or in your club.

What it is?

Tell each other stories about the up and downs of your Pathways experience!




28 Jun 2019

Base Camp Manager?

I am Secretary in one of my toastmasters clubs, so I found myself suddenly: Base Camp Manager. So what? I told myself. I did knew for some time that beside the main Base Camp Manager, BCM, the Vice President of Education, the President and the Secretary will be also BCM. So? If the VPE is not ready or able, I could approve Levels. Levels? For those new to Pathways, we do have in it 10 paths and in each path 5 levels of increasing complexity. --- Wrote this April last year --- again needed. Changed a little only.

I went to open Base Camp, this is what you will find from 1st July.
Access my path through Base Camp, look: Log in as a Member (did many times) or as a Base Camp Manager. Finally, a day I did log in as BCM and again, I thought, so what ? I will approve Levels when needed. As we just begun, till time arrives, the VPE will do it.

From a few weeks ago, you can access as Base Camp Manager also from your profile after login of course. Or the Welcome Name. I wrote about it YESTERDAY.


This three tiles you get when you are logged in as Base camp manager in the Base Camp. Most often, as the toastmasters progress, you will open often or at request of a member - the Pending Request. 

With a click, the Level 1 (or 2 later etc) is approved and the Toastmaster can continue to the next level. So if you want to stick to the basics, as I did last year, as Secretary in another club, you could just stick to the first tile and Approve a Level by one click where you see the circle as bellow. Unless the Toastmaster arrived there by mistake or curiosity, no reason not to approve it. 

When you have time and want to dig farther, you can discover who had chosen a Path in your club (that can also be seen in the Club Roster from Club Central, and did not get it even open, and get to speak with them and see what help they need.

I had enjoyed a Video in youTube that showed us some features and curiosities of the BCM you also can if you open the third tile. I clicked on the middle square : Member Progress. To see anything first, I had to "refresh" in the upper right corner. It takes a while, then it becomes up to date.
Path and indication if they are only "Registered" (chosen) or "In Progress" or "Completed". As for now, only some of my paths are completed, as I have been on them for a year. I could also see which ones, and then who did not even open their path, and also who had spend already 2 hours on his Icebreaker project (I heard him last time give a wonderful speech from it). 
After his speech, he marked it complete. I could even see as Base Camp Manager, then he has spend 2 hours and 35 minutes through it! 

A lot more informations then I suspected before. I could even see (I had no clue) how many hours I have spend on my recent Managing Change Project, that I did not yet complete : almost an hour! Could it be true? Reading it again and later again, possible. One can even see if one opens View Training what path, what project a member is.
I could also discover Don's and my Transcript what I accessed lately. Some "classes" explaining what and how : Training or Tutorials I would call them, and the path I opened last, called "Curriculum". I could even see only one type and sort by different criteria. 

All that seen with the Base Camp Manager eyes. So, as a Base Camp manager I could only look from afar, opening a bit the window, as in the middle I did home last week. Or see very near in detail as left here. There are also direct access to the club, from the Search, putting the club number in, or Search directly for a member.
I remembered today, why I got disinterested last time. Not only because I was only a Remote member and did not know most of those needing perhaps help, but also all those "hovering" popups

This View Details Export or Refresh, shows only if you hover in the right place, inside the big rectangle of the Path Progress, and some others infos that you can get too. Of course, once you know... as always, it could become a skill and you do it. 

In the upper right corner seeming far away in this picture, the options lets you get details, with names and print or export the information. 

Also discovered, while a Base Camp Manager does not have information indeed what is in the E-Portifolio (they all seem as having nothing in it), they can see your Profile with the latest roles you added in it, your Badges also. More to discover another time. In the third tile, Manager Tutorials, and there are a lot of them. Even me with my curiosity did not try out all.

Conclusion? You have tools as Base Camp Manager that can enable to help those who need it, or just fast approve when they have completed the usual three projects of a Level. 

27 Jun 2019

Again we can access a lot through Welcome!

For a few days, Choose a New Path through the Welcome Julie (after login) was wrong and finally it come back, as it was initially. Unless we click on the small white box, we choose for ourselves, we access to basecamp and can change before the club if we have more. we can choose the Navigator language also. I really hope, in the future, all changes are Notified to us, and we do not have to discover them by chance.

Today was also the last day of me as President: I am relieved. I was the third President of Witty Storytellers club, now on to forth and to our 4th year of existence. How the time passes!

The baton was passed.

Last minute alas, a plane was delayed, a mother had problems in the hospital, and a daughter needed presence. We all have private lives, that take precedence.

We also have alas three toastmasters on the roll who paid but did not come for long time. But we had three guests.

We begun with memories and finished with jokes, humor about us or other kind. Laughing.

Interesting: all three storytellers spoke from different levels of Embracing Humor path!

26 Jun 2019

Tomorrow last meeting 2018/2019

After tomorrow Brian will become the next President replacing me at the Witty Storytellers Online club.

Next Toastmaster year, I thought I will be the Secretary in all my clubs and I was voted in.

Do I really want all that work and team up with 5 Presidents and 5 VPE ?

To be seen.

I have second thought. But not about working with the courageous Brian. Not only that but he may bring in even more humour and more personal storytelling in the club. And I will try to offer more workshops about both those subjects beside Pathways.

25 Jun 2019

Engaging Humor, seen from THE Navigator

Then we can open the Electives button one by one. I needed today to remember the one from Level 5. The one I wanted in this end year, when I passed roles, as President of the club for next year. Of course I had to go to the path and level for this. I did know, but did not remember exactly. It is always good to verify the Assignment page.

24 Jun 2019

Mark Snow about his Pathways experience

Mark Snow, first Pathways DTM explains his journey and along the hour answers many questions and show how we can gain from it. A Toastmaster rediscovered the Video of Fabiola workshops, and posted it today. I did assist as you will discover at the end, but almost forgot. Click on his name to get to the YouTube video. It is not the first time, I wrote and published (search) but always a joy.

https://youtu.be/xTP6Cg2PCp4
Here link to the video.

We worked together, in fall just before Pathways was launched in Australia coordinating what we will both tell to the guides, to be complementary and later, he wrote an article about me in the district magazine.

I did always recommend his Pathways Companion booklet, pdf he shares so freely.

At the time of this was aired, he already finished the first ten path, learning from all and preferring the same Visionary Communication we both took on as our first. And learned from each path something different. As I understand something new each time I listen.

What is special about the Pathways Educational system? We learn by doing. Not just doing speeches.


23 Jun 2019

Keep your eye on the agenda!

Three useful meetings today, all online.

In the morning, finished the 20 minutes Question and Answer Project, so well that questions remained even for afterpary. But learned a bitter lesson. Verify, the TM of the day (and vpe) who knew long time before, changes your Project and most important tells to your chosen evaluator. 

My project, declared finished: I got a verbal evaluation, alas, as if I did another project.

Will receive a written for the real project, but it is not the same. 

Now, I will have to create, describe, a real or fictional PR complain. 

Asked by a TM this morning: a campaign for you or for the one you want to reach? Of course, for both. As much my blog, as Moderating the Pathways Discussion forum offer me pals, communication as advice about Pathways. World wide audience, from which all profit. 



Now, I can begin to work on the following.

But in plus of Morning meeting I had one at 2 pm and at 11 am zoomed one to one with a brand new Toastmaster preparing her Icebreaker. What a pleasure to help!

22 Jun 2019

Got past the Humor in Impromptu !

Hurrah! I made them laugh in my both answers. The first, not so difficult. The second was a catch but I did "flip it up, upside down": give a humorous Eulogy. I did offer my eulogy!

Some said was great, as all laughed, other said I was on the border but did not pass it. In fact, the border was, as another said, in their heads, now in what I actually said, as I took parts from my standup and made them milder... somewhat. I swear, I did not have any swear, 4 letter words in it!

After the two table topics, to which I got a lot of laughs, I can now go on to the Level 5 and prepare a 20 minute Keynote speech with humor in it.
Perhaps, speaking about how we in fact have all Funny Bones and just have to begin to use them, bringing back our childish selves.

Taking out a dusty not used black hat and a brown even older wig, was the first step for me, as I remained alone, again. All alone this time, my children no more with me.

Going swimming, after with my hair in the wind, the second. I then took some daring pictures, 3 and four here, and one with "bad days hair" which, to my surprise got the Best Autoportrait of 2005 on Flickr.

Showing my long nose, me with shaving cream, after the cataract operation or a difficult treatment of my front, a day when I did not have my three front teeth denture on and laughing, I did collect so many different "me" and put them together.

Humor is not a laughing matter, we have to experiment what goes and what not. And so much depends also on the audience! How far would YOU go to make others laugh?

21 Jun 2019

New education for adults, using new tools

Why change our education system ? How to use best the new tools we have? Two books about which I already wrote a bit, come out again. Both by Cleave Shepherd written years later. This is his first. I understood the second better after I read this, giving bases. Both offre, together a better understanding Why Pathways and how.

Besides the expression Blended Learning, or "more then blended", there is alto the use of Flipped classroom. Prepare and read home, then come and discuss face to face (or online) with all or with the teacher. Our Toastmasters meetings go more and more in that direction.

We read online the Projects on our own pace, and all the different material provided or what we find in plus, then only go to meetings, deliver and discuss what we found. Then reflect on all the process. 

20 Jun 2019

I did it! Helped a new member Choose a Path!

I had to take a cab to arrive to the last meeting of Lewisham speakers, but arrived early. 

Very happy of our new red big Lewisham display! Happy to meet our members, seasoned and many new, guests from other clubs, returning guests and new guest too.

Happy the two newest members were present: one near me and the other behind me. Mark did choose already a path, Motivation Strategies. Our President helped him, as I believe, online.

The last in our club still not in pathways, without a path, the only one in our club, joined two weeks ago. In the break, Jemma told me "I will visit you Saturday". She also asked me "What secretaries do?" She wanted to become my mentee in the club and, eventually my assistant.

Yes, I have given the speech I spoke about in yesterdays post: Lead your Voluntary organization. Was given round table evaluation by five, and later a written evaluation by one using the fillable evaluation form. 

But the most important for me was we did in the club meeting break, Jemma and me. She come to sit near me and I asked her "do you have your smart phone with you?" She showed me. "Let me show you how you Choose a Path through it". 

There are many ways to arrive to Assessment. All after we log in. It took a while for Jemma to remember which email she used to login to TMI but once there, the Welcome Jemma opened up.
Choose a new path did not work as we opened it, yesterday evening, but Gemma must have experimented already, she told me open it rather through "Pathways".

That is how it looks "the old way" from smart phone and bellow from my laptop
Either way, we get to be asked : Which Language and recommended to use the web path.

I did choose English for her, as her characters were big, it was under the rest of the text, a choice. Then, gave her back the phone and let her go through the many screens of the assessment. She had to click strong on Next, then got the next screens and questions.

I have to tell, they did not correct the program, and still recommend the IP as first option. We went to see under it the two other recommended path, and she choose Presentation Mastery. With one more click, she was "Pathways Enabled" ! 

The break was finished, but not only Jemma had now a path, and will give her Icebreaker first meeting of July, but will visit me this weekend too. And our club has now 20 members, all of us 100% Pathways Enabled. I was in clouds, yesterday evening.

The morning, I woke up, to read in the Pathways Discussion Forum, a Toastmaster written: "Choose a Path for yourself does not work" You can choose only for someone else. 

Fast, I wrote... but 6 hours ago we did choose one through smartphone! Then, to be sure, I tried out through my iPhone and my iPad. Later even my laptop. Alas, it works or does not work, depending. Perhaps TMI programmers are working on it, but it does not seem consistent this morning to me. I could not make this work this morning "old method on my computer".

Others told me "julie's method through Welcome Julie works this morning" - for me either, now.
I tried to choose club, before it works, but as you see the Choose a New Path, works only to select for someone other. Whenever they are working on it, we should be prevented!

We did change presidents, we had 4 very different good speeches, and one new member, so now we will be soon 21! Three Icebreakers next time, and I learned how to help take Assessment through mobile phone, relatively fast. When it works. It did work for us during the meeting!
This morning, I even uploaded the Feedback filled to my e-portofolio, and answered the Evaluate the project for toastmasters. I learned to do what I can, not to spend real time, or energy on being angry on what does not work... for the moment. Making best of the situation, and creating a post, describing it.

19 Jun 2019

Assignments, different from “give a speech”

Having finished 6 path, I am now on four more. As I arrived in all to Level 4 or 5, all more involved projects, it is not so easy. I also am now or will be from 1st of July, Secretary in all my clubs.

 This is the Assignment I will finish tonight, giving a speech about passing roles in the committee.

 We did the succession plan meeting a week ago.

I got my own succession, and in other clubs passed on my succession from President to the new one.

I asked and got 360 degree evaluation about my 6 month, in fact a whole year role.

Now, all remains is deliver 5-7 minutes on my personal experience.



Do you realize now the difference between an old system speech and a Project speech, after finishing all the Tasks “Assignments given in Pathways?

 Here is another path and Project, ameliorate your Social Media Présence, or establish one. It is also a long assignment. I already am on the way to have completed the tasks,

Will be able to d liver a speech how I did it. What else may do. 5-7.

In my case, combining Moderating the Pathways Discussion Group on pathways and my daily Blog about my Pathways Experience.

Combining them, I did achieve a good Social Media Presence lately.
This Project, is the shortest to prepare, relatively, yet the longer in club meeting. Needing 20 minutes of overall time from a club meeting.

I believe, this three examples show the gap between “speech” in old sense and “task” as I call them or YOUR Assignment, as it is written on the Section of the Project.

Of course, it is normal, natural that higher we go in Level, the Projects get more involved. In this three cases, I choose Level 4 and Level 5 Elective projects they are before me to illustrate what I wanted. But the Level 1 Evaluation and Feedback is also a case, containing two speeches and an Evaluation role, in three different meetings.

18 Jun 2019

Understanding Terminology used

It is 13. In two days the last two regions of Toastmasters launches, together with all the Undistricted clubs and all the Online clubs. In a few hours, we will be all beginners. The most, some of us have one year experience. 
Many of us are not “Absolute beginners” in giving a speech, leading a club, organizing a meeting. We have a lot to transmit to newcomers, if... we speak the same language. Basecamp comes with some new words to learn

Even “Basecamp” is new! It means in Pathways in a way, where all paths start, all information is stored. True? Not totally. 

All starts at the Toastmasters.org, who does have and retain a lot of information about us, and where someone from the club committee, using Club Central has still to add the levels after we completed them.

Levels? In each path there are the same 5 levels, inside them 3 Projects
Paths? Projects? Farther I go, more I realize I begun to talk a new language. 

In Pathways, we can choose now from 11 path, soon more will arrive. Inside the Path’s Levels, they are Projects. Not speeches, even if at the end most have a 5-7 speech. 

There are Required Projects depending of the path from Level 2 to 5, and Elective Projects, from which we can choose - if we are going through a web based path. From 27 Electives, we have to select a minimum of 4. More? We can if we want. 

That is not enough. When Base Camp opens, we find a box called My Educational Transcript, another name I wondered about why was named the place where all our paths and classes are. 
Those Active, those Completed and those Archived, separate. We can also choose to see only our paths, Curriculum they are called for now. 
If all those names did not yet make still your head spin, first we arrive to a path or Project, we have to Activate them first, then Launch them, which will as I understood downloads them into our Educational Transcript in the right Level of our Path we work with. 

Does it stay Launch all the time? I wish. No. When finished, from Launch goes to Evaluate, which is not you being evaluated, but us tell our opinion about the project, when we did write it then only become Launch again. And do not try to launch second time the same project: look if its window is not hidden behind another window.

Here I can see my 5 levels from one of my current path, Motivational Strategies. After just have finished the Icebreaker, I activated and begun to read the two next Projects. In the screen bellow, I did finish the Evaluation and Feedback and I was working on the last project. Research takes time, Presenting in a good order the most important of it this time, takes me even more.

At the end, when we did signal we finished the Project, after all assignments done, it becomes Evaluate. Again, be aware, here Evaluate means not what we think at first, but for US to give feedback what we did think about the project. Once we did express our views, and send or saved it well, I do not remember which name is used, then again, Evaluate transform into Launch. We can open and look at our finished Projects, as all the projects at our level, any time we want later. 

Inside a Level, except for the Icebreaker, we can study and do any project in any order. Till the last level where Reflect on your path has to be the last Project. 

That is not ALL the Glossary, look for it also on TMI FAQ or even inside Basecamp at the Tutorials and Resources. But that is as far I go today. 

Pathways has to be experienced to be really understood. That is one reason to begin all, to speak the same language. To understand what the others mean. 

17 Jun 2019

Samir at COT “Icebreaker, again?”

Samir Malak and me meet first at a Division Meeting I conducted at my home, after I broke my leg, with all the Area directors and their assistants. Then, he was an eager Assistant Area Governor. 4 or 5 years ago. 

Bellow is an one minute video from Saturdays, Area Officer training: alas I did not take more, from his 20 minutes. Too fascinated by his Pathways Presentation, which inspired me. His club in Bromley, is now number 1 in Pathways Awards in the District with all members enrolled too.

You can make it happen? Indeed.
So much Energy Samir Malak.

Sunday meeting online with toastmasters all over the world we met again at Firebirds Collective. Samir was one of the speakers and me, Table Topics Master. 
As you may see, in online meeting, we have occasion to meet toastmasters from all over the world! Yesterday, from Usa, UK, Ireland, Germany, New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Iraq, France.

Online meetings are one of the Electives now, but also lifeline to those as me who go out seldom.

16 Jun 2019

Profile ! New Features for Pathways

First, I went to the Toastmasters.org then I Logged in with name and password: my computer remembers them, from all my devices, I just have to click "login".

Inside Macintosh laptop and within Safari browser, I usually click on Welcome Julie to then click on Enrolled in 11 path or Go to my transcript, that leads me directly to my paths. I have only 9 from which 6 finished, "Proficient" but Toastmasters considers both a Manual path (that I did not finish) and the French path, which is double a different path. I paid for them, indeed.
As you can see I Achieved Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3, indeed 10 times, but level 4 only 7. Still three Level 4 to finish before me.

Back to the first picture. Suddenly, I discovered three new possibilities INSIDE my Profile ! Direct to The Navigator, before I had to go and discover where it is to open and show it. Direct to Choose a New Path, for a while I will not need that, I am waiting for a new path and to finish my levels.

Most important, Go To Basecamp with new features!

I can change from my Profile, what Club I want to name my base club. 
Here you can see the clubs I can choose from to login as Member.

I can decide to log in as Base Camp Manager instead as member, just by a click in the small box and yes, even perform from where I arrive my BCM duties - on any device.

From iPhone, have to choose the small lines leading to Profile then only the three choices appear one under the other.

But they work!

I did go to base camp from my iPhone and was able to perform all my duties, even view the videos provided.




Alas, as Member, if I got in, I could not read all my Project nor go to the next page, nor answer to self evaluations. That feature is not yet available from a mobile phone, at least, not from mine.

One day...

What would be really important, that we do not discover it by chance, all what is new should be announced somewhere. Even if they are "small" improvements.

As for me, I believe this is a great one!

Next Toastmaster year I am Secretary, in more then one club, and as secretary also Base Camp Manager.

Logging in and verifying fast if anyone waiting for me to approve their level with be a breath now. Logging then out and entering as a member, or, if the member wants it, going to Leadership Central and Club Central, choosing the club and declaring that members Award.

Of course, if we are wanting to read study or save a project, the Go to my Transcript is still there under the three rectangles.

On my Computer, the Welcome Name is there, on telephone, I have to go through the three small lines and choose Profile first: both lead to the same place.

If you did not study yet The Navigator, it is time to do it, now.