Interesting projects still waiting

When I arrived to level 3, 4, 5 I did sometimes, not all of them save and even print the projects.

So I have at least 5 of them waiting for me for next time.

Pathways Mentor program, can wait but I read it at least once. It has three different projects in fact.

Using Presentation Software, I begun to do it, still things to learn how to transform in a way easy to show from my Macintosh. I believed, putting it into the cloud is the answer, but when I needed to show my prepared presentation from my screen: it was not there and I had to show the one I created before.

Building a Social Media Presence, yes, even if I am not new to it, a lot to learn yet.

Manage Projects Successfully: have to discover yet what "projects" mean.  And there are so many others!

At least, they are now no more as pages and pages but bind together. And I can also try to repeat a project that I already tackled, as repetition is key to understanding better and improving. Voice Variety, Storytelling, Active listening, Body language. they were all fun and have to use them more often of course and also combine them together.

Did I wet a bit your appetite?

Same, but variations; and what IS in those levels

I do love Van Gogh paintings.

He lived in different conditions, and also today his paintings are worth millions, at the time, he did not have even money to pay for models.

He went out and gathered some sunflowers, put them in a pot on the table, then...

painted variations of what was before him

I feel the Pathways is like Van Gogh's paintings in some way. Many projects come back on next path and next path, but we have the possibility of infinite variations!

Each time, we are on another level, not as "pathways levels" but we have grown and learned and understand them in different ways.

Here are the levels as I understood them, before I have ever begun to use them.

It seems on level 1 three projects: in fact we have 5 tasks to do 5 different times, as the second project we do give two speeches and one evaluation after we understand well it's importance. We are also taught how to accept a feedback, how to use it and incorporate it. I loved level 1 !

I did not like so much level 2 because I refuse to put in a box, and beside it uses words taken from Academia and Big Organisations. But once I understand that the most important is the situation, I remembered stories sad and funny from how to make myself understood and how I lead at times.

Level 3 was the recompense for me to have gotten there with its many many electives to chose from. And yes, of course, before we finish, we have to serve as Topicmaster and Toastmaster at least once. Evaluator we were anyway at least once at level 1. I read many project before choosing the two.

Level 4 seems simple, but all takes a lot longer to complete. We get to do even more interesting stuff.

Level 5 is of course where we stay perhaps longer as we try to accomplish what is required of us. Again we have some interesting choices for the elective project. Soon, finishing this too.

An end leads to new beginnings

Yes, I almost finished my first path and I want to take time to ponder on it,

My family organising a huge meeting at the beginning of September in Paris, where I did live long time. 23 years on the top of the Butte Montmartre hill, and twice seven years around the city. I have not been back to visit the city since 2012. And I lived in London now from 2008.

Will or not be I able to walk, ha to be seen.

From 2004 I begun to walk Paris parts by parts, it was my project to "make and take" images from the less known city life. I did finish all 18 arrondissments before coming to London.

Here are a few from the beginning others and me liked specially.

Moulin Rouge is on the "other side" of the hill I lived and for some times I did not recognised it as my neighbourhood. Its cabarets and sex shops made me avoid them for a while, then I went to a photo walk at noon. So many children with their mother, old people walking around, it was a whole different mood at that time!
Attitude makes difference !

This was one of my first photo walks with my Paris documenting project, as I learned ABC of photography.

Not far from Bastille square, there is a park "on roofs." All others went fast as we finished.

I lingered as no one was waiting at noon for me. They did not look up, they did not even hear that I went by. And I decided, that instead of shooting them kissing, will take them from this angle.

I believe, it speaks even more.

Also on Bastille square, we met a few times with the other new photographers in this place.

Being young, does not mean you are happy or in company. 

I strolled alone along canal Saint Martin a fall day, and she was looking so unhappy! 

As usual, tried to speak a bit, to listen, but she only said "I feel so alone!"

I felt less alone, after taking this photo. After all, I was with my camera, wasn't I ?

Going with my small camera, felt wonderful.

This one is one of my preferred one, taken from afar with big zoom and very fast before he crossed. At "only sixty something" I felt younger and did not need for sure a cane. Then.  The old man with his cane was out to buy a baguette and his morning journal early in the morning, also he did hesitate long and looked very carefully before crossing.

Look! The 1st May festival, they were dancing French Can Can in public. It begun to rain. All around took out their umbrellas and I asked to be allowed to take some photos from someone else"s. She continued dancing on the humid floor and with the rain coming down stronger and stronger on her shoulders. I did print this one big size and put in my living room for many years.

Courage, persistence in face of problems, continuing.
Same things needed to finish a path even when some wrinkles come along the way. Continue and do not stop, persist with courage. I admire those qualities and try to be like her, as much as I can.

Almost finished my first path

This morning, I told my goals, tasks and some time table going with it. As it overwhelmed me when I read the project, it did it seems also the audience: I told too many facts and accomplishments.

Next, comes to reflect on my path : Visionary Communication. 

It is suggested to journal "stream of consciousness" first about it, whatever it comes, then cut from it.

Another way to go about it is also is to write a letter to myself : that is not my way. Yet another is to create a timeline.

I will use the writing down, first at least, whatever it does come and in order it comes.

Write the problems and how I overcome them, will not be a material from which "cut" but a base to create a story from it.

At least I hope.

10 to 12 minutes is a bit better then the usual 5 to 7 indeed, with pauses that are so effective to add.

I have a lot to reflect on!

Some projects you can not do alone!

Some projects we can do alone, if listening to feedback and incorporating it, for example, can be considered "alone". Other projects, you need a team to play along with you.

My next required project on level 4 of Presentation Mastery:

Managing a difficult audience.

Well, I did have even if not often difficult audiences. First time it happened at a famous technical university. I replaced my husband, ill. He had a strong presence and voice.

Then, I come to speak instead of him with a very interesting material, but the students kept on speaking between themselves.

I stopped speaking.

It was effective. After a time, they realised, something strange is happening: the professor is no more speaking!

Silence was their answer to that: exactly what I hoped for. I then told: "my voice is not the strong one they are used, but I have an interesting project to present. Those not interested, better go out and let the others listen."

After their stage, they come to me and thanked me for what they learned: "that was what I needed".

Another difficult audience was finally easy for me to handle: hackers in standup comedy. In fact, we had a great understanding of each other, once they realise instead of getting angry, I play as they ask in some ways, and answer tac to tac, but without mocking them. But that night was in fact more of a "role playing" as from the beginning, comedians and audience knew it was a special Hacker night. Material prepared in advance, repertoire I had but not used, come handy.

This time I am asked to "role play": give to four in audience their roles, and let see how I can handle their different interruptions, in a nice but effective way. It can be fun! Have to find a place to try it.

We do learn a lot of useful skills in Pathways, that we can also repeat and repeat, till it comes naturally. Leading a Panel, yesterday, was not bad, but still lot to learn about it. And yes, as I did not do yet or read the "difficult audience" I did not handle so well the interruption from "outside the room". So much to learn! Get into the game and try it! I am enjoying it more and more.

Today will be about Pathways Experience!

As I open to write, I see we need to more visits, to arrive to 10 000 : magic zero numbers. Most important, even if I do not know most often whom (who?) you come to read my posts! Thanks a lot!

This was shown at the Board of Directors Briefing. The numbers are till July 2017 I believe. I am between the 9 level 3 there, as we had "given" the level 4 to the club only the 3 July. A few level 2 to level 5 only but it was only for the two Pilot districts yet at that time, and those who connected remote. 82 level 1 does it mean finished or "in it"? Most important to start and finish too. At least the first level. The basics are so clearly in those projects. 

Yesterday, 25 participants to the Zoom meeting that lasted long after the 20 official minutes finished. Sometimes, to add an image, and make neat paragraphs, do not work well together. 

In a few hours, Paul White, finished his first level 5, me with two path toward the end (the second's first project level 4 will be this, Organising an Online meeting. Zaldy, finished level 1 and Mark soon, and Brian did finish his level 4. But more important, we can not be put into a box. We are more complex and so much to tell about us!  We will not concentrate on who we are, not even from how many different regions of the world, but about what we learned from using Pathways. 

        FRIDAY: Pathways in the Online World. 

The link that will work http://zoom.us/j/6850597447

to listen, ask questions, participate

Go Online: to the clubs admitting remote access

That is one of the three clubs I am member and go to speak or take roles, one of the clubs in Arlington.

I do live now in London.

I was Toastmaster of the meeting, if I remember well... and also spoken already another time.

We see each other better (bigger) through the GoToMeeting platform, then those in the room, as they seem smaller, but when speaking the camera points to them. And the knowledge how to do and show both us coming from afar, and those in the room grows with every meeting and different clubs share with each other the "how to".

I have spoken and taken roles in each of my clubs, remote, online or on the ground. Each is different and has its unique wonderful flavour. In this picture, Graham speaks from New Zealand, and the "in the room" club members live around DC as does my daughter and did I once for three years.

Of course, connecting there, also let me begin Pathways, earlier then in London. Learn a lot.

The things I did buy to put each project pages together work very well. One kind for "normal" about 20 to 26 page project, and one for different prints as Navigator, Path and Projects. Here are all the "done" projects I printed. Alas, the ink still cost a lot, so some projects are only on my laptop folder.

Done the Moderate a Panel, and now I got the taste of it and want to moderate many on different subjects. Done the Write a Compelling Blog, I hope, you like this one that I continue of course. Done the Research your Subject that is one of my favourites too. Done the Learn to use Visual Software : used it more then once now.

Done the Persuasive Speech even if that one is not yet all it could be. Have to give again and again and improve on the last. When I have done it first, I also told what is the problem with Pathways for the moment, not only song how wonderful and useful it was. They told me : it is not good when you want to convince. Indeed. Perhaps next, I will persuade, again, the all of us has Funny Bones!

I switched to web in my Presentation Mastery and looking at the electives on level 3: next for me is Organising an Online Event.

That event will be the 20 minutes about Pathways during the Convention Vancouver noon break, from 12:30 great panel speakers.

Did I chose the second one? I leave it to decide later.

In level 4 when it will come, my challenge will be "Manage difficult Audience" Can be "real" or role playing with 4 different Toastmasters getting a different role to play a different kind of disrupter. In real life, I did assist once to a special Standup Comedy club meeting, not inside toastmasters, and found that my table topic skills helped me a lot, also having backup lines in my repertoire that I could use to answer, make all laugh and the interrupter still sit down happy.

Yes, we do learn a lot of applicable skills in the different Pathways Projects!

Are you still waiting? You know now, there are clubs open to remote.

Go Online, the cutting edge: all can learn and have fun!

Online Toastmasters Clubs are on cutting edge as Pathways Education through WEB.

This week, during the Toastmasters International Vancouver Convention, you will see those with this badge walking around. But you do not have to be in Vancouver to join us!

Through four different twenty minutes short meeting, around noon time in Vancouver, the "online club connections" offers four different meeting, as I wrote about already yesterday.

While there are only 1% of TM --> DTM, in the online clubs the number is very different, as so many of us understood the importance of "online meetings"! 

I am member of two of them, Firebirds Collective since its first meeting I told a story, and have lots of funny memories of different meetings. Witty Storytellers Online is "my baby" of course, I did not create it alone. I am it's VP Education, a passionate personal storyteller and coach for years now.

Here is for example Brian in January this year, when neither of us did not get hands on Pathways yet, giving a lecture in Witty Storytellers about... Pathways and using slides he found here and there. This was the END of his presentation as you could see. Zaldy, from Manilla already in RED and Brillian, our TMoM from Mumbai, waiting also for him to finish. Brian as passionate about Pathways as me, finally found a way, let me know, and it is how we got Remote to a District 27 Pilot club both of us.
Here is Brian December, Santa from Vancouver (sorry, Virginia Islands, BC Canada) and Lorraine from New Zealand, Samir and me from London, Europe.

It does seem I can not get rid of the hole in my post here.

Strangely, I can write.

So I try to fill the hole.

Sometimes, the HTML which is behind the blog posts is strange.

With time, I will figure it out!

Meanwhile, here it is : I arrived to my next slide and text!

Here is Brian December, Santa from Vancouver (sorry, Virginia Islands, BC Canada) and Lorraine from New Zealand, and Samir and me from "Europe" : London.

So many ways to have fun online!

You will learn a lot more joining today to our first demo meeting.

A lady from Vancouver, Sunday told "but I am not tech savvy.."

Well, nor I am really, even if for years I got used, but mostly to software, the important is to take it like a kid: try it out. What if...

I

I tried different lights, did buy through online of course and had a lot of surprises! In May 2015 I got a light who was too big and burned my face on screen, then I got one so tiny that is good only for spot light.
My Macintosh laptop had a small hole on top: for video but I was never able to look into it! What I did is put my computer on three big books with hard cover, so the hole is now my eye-level. 

Only when I want to stand up... and I found a reversed box will do then. 
And yes, finally, found my light and learned to put it 45 angle and at least two meters farther then I sit. Not much technical knowledge needed, but yes, a web connection and a good "bandwidth" is usefull. As to headsets, it worked till the battery run out: no one told me I can buy new ones!

Valentine day at Witty Storytellers, the timekeeping where all from different coloured hearts, that Michelle showed us from Oregon, while Svetlana laughed from Taskent, Brian applauded from Vancouver Island and Derek from Hong Kong bowed "Yes, I finished".

Here are a Sunday meeting at Firebirds Collective Online Toastmasters Club. 

Lorraine, signalling time with three hats! Very effective!

Ian showing his two figurines, and his evaluator, Marty listening. Those were still the GoToMeeting times, six could be on screen, but we tried to limit because those having limited bandwidth. As they moved, the screen blurred sometimes.

Here is a list of some of Online clubs, from Area 1 Division O (online) of Undistricted clubs.

I have visited, and spoken and took roles in all that are not company and let me do it. And let me add, those who do not meet at a too weird hour for me. 

Some of those company clubs changed names or I do not see them any more, others have been added since I made the list. Add to them those "pre-charter" I also visit and the hybrid clubs. 

You can see, I can have fun, and learn and progress in many, without even living home! 

Online TM clubs meetings: Friday is Pathways online

And here is the link to attend. 

The time zone is in my time, yours will be different. 
The meeting begins at 12 : 30 but we gather 20 minutes to 10 minutes earlier. It will be noon time for Vancouver, during the noon-break. 

I am the Toastmaster of that meeting and organised it, we will have distinguished toastmasters with Pathways Experience speaking and then answering your questions. Paul White finished his first path; Brian Dodd the level 4; Mark Worthy the level 1; and Graham Cairn, who has enjoying it also through remote access. 

We are all in Online clubs and in clubs with remote access, used to "travel" through web. As we use, almost all of us, the Pathways through web comes natural to us.

There will be four 20 minutes meetings organised by "Online Club Connection" and the group Susan Ellsworth assembled around her for it. So many did contribute, with a video, with a short pamphlet, with a blog (call it website), and organising all that needs to be done.

It begin Wednesday with Creativity and Fun - online. I will be there!

In fact, I hope, I can attend all four of them, it will be worth: so different each!

Thursday, it will be about Hybrid clubs: the clubs that open up to remote access attendees. Like those I am member and attend from afar who are in Arlington, Virginia, near where my daughter lives. Or Royal Roads of Victoria in Vancouver Island I begun visiting long time ago.

Friday, yes of course it will be about Pathways. Our Pathways pleasures and Experiences and what online clubs can bring to it.

Saturday, Warm Greeting from online clubs creators, will be for sure a memorable meeting too.

Already Sunday, the fun has begun, as at the Firebirds Meeting, Lorraine participated from the second floor of the Vancouver Convention Centre and invited Toastmasters wondering around to come to the meeting. Brian will do the same all four days as he found a "hot spot (web access) in a corner café. Or he will try also go nearer the convention. There is a big interest in Online Clubs this year! 

And strangely, no Pathways presentation at the Conference, other then ours that can be attended from your home, wherever you are.

Remember, or copy best: the link to the Zoom platform has the number 6850597447 each time.

Get into the spirit, play the game!

Recently, I did publish different coloured... are they called "peppers" ?

I first, knew in my childhood Green, thin skinned  longish ones: did like them. You could even put butter inside and go to swimming pool, lunch on the grass. Great memories!

Then, came this Red, with thick crispy consistence and a lot more taste. I got to the very fast! Also, they could be cooked, a bit broiled and preserved for longer use.

Other colours pop up, now, to make coloured salads or vegetables for all eyes and tastes.
It occurred to me yesterday, that those who get into the spirit of Pathways, Path and Projects, those who play the game and do the dead, get a lot from it and enjoy it fully.

Of course, not only enjoy, but grow and change from it too.

Yesterday, Zaldy from Manila wrote me "I got my level 1 in Team Collaboration! I am probably the first in the district" Then he sent me what he did in his last project, the research, interviewing George Marshal, while researching how much more "online and social media use" we get from Pathways. "We will learn to make Podcasts, Blogs, Better Social Media presence and so on!" Zaldy will be our next Guest Post writer, looking forward for his experience.

This picture, a lunch I had a day when I was "good", combines many things I like, and together, it did taste delicious. Plus, it was good for me.

The same way, we can assemble Projects from what is there, twist to our taste those we do the second time, put them together in different ways, get from them what we just need at that moment.

Even if many projects come back to chose from, and we will have more soon, it is how we put them together that will make is useful for our lives, not only to speak in public, not only to lead a club or a meeting.

And are tomatoes good only once? Are they all similar? Same goes for the bread. Some are crispy and round as this one. Others so different, one does not even realise. Each time we assemble, our lunch as we feel and need.

When you play the game and get into the spirit of it, as already many of us, you'll get more of Pathways too. Paul White came to me with a new idea, use a whole path like a project that goes toward a direction you want to achieve, each project a brick in plus in the construction. A lot of creativity unleashed by Pathways, when we get into it. Each, in our way.

Evaluation filled? The E-portofolio is ONLY for your eyes!

It was not easy to find where to store the filled in Evaluations. 
Yes it is in the e-portofolio's Documents where there are the Levels. When I asked the TMI help, are they no different folders for different path, the answer was "no".

But why bother to put them there?

Till yesterday, I believed it is a "must" and yes, it was told, we can use whichever feedback we want. I really did believe, and I do not think I was the only one: that it is there that the VPE finds them.

Answer from George Marshall, from D57, who does know these things: "No one but the member can see the member's e-portofolio!" 

So why put it there? Perhaps to have in case your computer crashes? perhaps to be able to look back at it some time? or for some other use in a year or so? 

Meanwhile, we have to be able, if or when needed, to show the feedbacks we did receive to our VPE, just as - sometimes - he wants to see before going to Club Central and declaring our Level. Or approving our Level before Club Central. Many times, it is between us and our own conscience. For us to view and to think about what is written there. At any case, now I understood why it is in an almost hidden place. 

What really matters, to tell the Base Camp that you did finish a project is to answer to all the questions Assessment Before, Save, then later, after having given the speech and accomplished the task or tasks, Assessment After, Save. That is the signal to the Base Camp : you finished this project. Not the filled in feedbacks, also as I did believe till yesterday for more then three month. 

End July, I wrote where we find the Evaluation "resources" as they are called, that have to be filled in a way or other. Here. But did not know, you can or not save them in your e-portofolio and that is only your choice. Well, one can learn day by day!

Am I obsessed by Pathways?

Even on my stand home, the brochure I got from the London Toastmasters Institute officer training.

It was impressive how our Chief Ambassador spoke so well about it, even if he never yet tried it out. The small beautiful brochure is from her.

Behind my papers, so much material about different path and different projects that I printed out!

Just now, Amazon send me what I ordered, to help me bind the projects one by one, instead of having separate papers. Simple things, non expensive, I will see which one is adequate for the job. Even if I can not make real "manuals" I will try to have each project at least in a nice and easily readable format.

From time to time I could then read again, and use the material. I did use some projects many times. For example, I fall in love with Research, yes, we pass it at every project, but also with Panel, which comes a lot later and is between choices. Once I learned how, I got the taste of it. Organising comes easy to me.

Each of us have our inclinations, does not mean we can not learn something different. Will try to fix "goals and make plans" to finish my Visionary Communication path. The vision and the later goals will not disappear, as when we go toward something in does go on and on.

For sure, when I begun my first path and first level, I had no idea to how many things it can bring me.

How to tell "I finished this project"? More then one way to connect!

Yesterday, I was faced with yet another challenge.

"I have finished my Icebreaker, but the Base Camp does not want to recognise it."
Did you read my blog-post about finishing a project?
"I read many of them, but... how do I find this one?"
I have put now the Search my blog up, try it!
"Tried, read, but..."

OK. I now understood, that my blogspot was not detailed enough. I did not probably think of all that could happen on different computers and devices. Did not give enough pictures, perhaps. And too fast, forgot my own beginnings.

So I proposed a Zoom meeting, as usual.
It did not work. I looked later, to "try it out" I had the bad idea to try the "keep in the entrance" and he could not get in, and I was not used how to get him in.

But we did not renounce.
He called me on Facebook chat, with his iPhone, I went to my Chrome, as Safari does not let me chat on Facebook. We begun to talk to each other.

"My Macintosh is small portable, and already 5 years old!"
Well, mine is older then 5 years, yet it works fine with Pathways projects. Let us see what we can do. Show me your laptop!

It was not, as usual, a screen sharing. He showed me "in direct" through his iphone the Mac screen. We waited, till he found a way to put it straight. Then as he opened his Pathways he explained to me meanwhile that in fact he did buy a second, Printed copy path too.

Once you go for it, we go "all the way" and that is what he did. A Path on web, a Path in print.

Show me how you get into the Web Path, please and he did launch it.
Then a small rectangle popped up. We could not even see the arrow right and left.
Ah! I almost forgot that small rectangle of my beginnings, that I had to stretch out horizontally every time, and most of the time vertically too, to see what is under.

One day, my son, come to visit, and opened it up in one click. "How did you do it? " My son showed me, slowly. Look at the left upper corner's three small round holes, there have been on every window for so many years! One to open up, take all the screen. That is the one you need.

The second is hiding it without making disappear (if I remember it well).

From that day on, as soon as a project window pop up, I open it for all screen to see all. With time, I even learned, that I can ask in Safari to open up in a new tab, so when it does close, goes where I was. Now, stretch also down. "Yeah! now I can jump directly to Assess... beginning". We found it ok, already all checked. Now, go to Assess your skills at the end.

But yesterday evening, I just told my coachee to stretch the small window as large as the two arrows, go right and go left appear. And down, you can open and jump to any part of the project.

"Ah! Ah! I begin to understand" he told me.

But then, another confusion: the Directions covered all Assessment points.

OK, click on Directions.

"I did click"

Yes, but now let us see the MORE and More. Do NOT try now to progress with the arrows, but using More.

We found out thus that his project was was not assessed all the way. So we did it together, then he saved the Before and After Assessments. "I now remember your blog post!" He did think, then clicked at after, More, After etc till the end then Saved all.

After we went back to the open Transcript, he found his Icebreaker as "finished"! He was happy now. And he understood how to do from now on.

We were both happy.

I learned different ways to coach, he understood some tricks. We learned to communicate with each other in new ways. And I learned to explain in even more detail from now on.

I may write a post in general about Pathways projects and what I learned and how, for those not yet on Pathways, but then another very step by step, for all those beginning and feeling lost in details.

John Kendall Icebreaker: remote from UK linking to Virginia

Some of us where in Arlington Virginia, a few of us arrived remote, from different parts of the world. Two of us from UK, London and the other from near Cambridge, one from Australia, another from Colorado, and yet another Toastmaster from Hong Kong. 

John Kendall, Ambassador of Pathways Program from D71 recently become member of DTMMasters Arlington in order to experience the Pathways and be able to explain it better. He accepted that I publish here his Icebreaker speech, first Project in any Path. 

We come remote from different continents through GoToMeeting, to this club meeting in a library.

Other clubs meet through Zoom meeting, as I did today at noon, delivering a speech about Using props and Visual Aids, not too much different from the one from CC. Showing my screen Online was easy - once I got where to click! Beside a Keynote (like Power Point) presentation with mostly images, I showed a book, to diversify. We had a member from Singapore, they are excited Pathways arrived to them. 

Passed 9000 views! Flickr. And a remote access meeting.

I congratulated myself for passing 9000 views of this blog. The numbers with 000 on it are great. But compared to the view of my flickr pictures, it is not so much.

This Pictures above are from the front of my flickr page this morning. I "do" take very different pictures: what i feel like.

Of course, it is faster to look at a picture then read a blog post!
Of course, it took me years to build up my flickr followers.

I was disappointed a bit last week, only 2000 or a bit more by day. Of course, 234 looks at my pictures is just in the morning. But last days, I got to peaks of 4000 a day, when I went out to the market, and in only a few days had more then 9000 visits.

As for this blog, this morning "already 16" yesterday a bit more then 100 and all last month around 3000, in "all time since I begun" the total grows to 9200.

So all is relative.

I am still happy about it. I believe, we should celebrate all success we can so make us feel well in our body and soul.

And go one, whatever happens outside.

The 57,000 view of a picture, arrived over 12 years. The first column is Views, the second how many added them between their favorite pictures (it is not sorted here by that) and the third shows how many comments there are under them, about them. Flickr account is on the name of "joyoflife" and also Julie Kertesz, of course. High in Google, as I added every day for years now.

Between these pictures, three are also from my own favorites, and yes, I can and will tell a story about each of those. "She must still work"; Dancing despite the rain; and Hospital corridor are very special moment that did teach me, each, something.

• The first, to appreciate what I have. 
• The second, to admire those who go on despite adversity. 
• The third, the importance of a camera with me : it gave me courage as I walked alone under the hospital toward an unknown analysis in a tube, alone.

Yesterday, afternoon for East USA, from 8pm in the evening for me and John, and early morning in Australia already for Graham, we participated to a meeting Remotely through GoToMeeting platform to a Toastmaster club that welcomed us, and also let us use Pathways already.

Five speeches! Between them one by John Kendell was an Pathways Icebreaker. From the Arlington library participants, we got a speaker rehearsing her Accredited speech and another the Semifinal he will offer in Vancouver and one from Ralph the very skilled SgArm who handled all technical so they see us and we see and hear them. I also liked a lot the "out of pocket" speech by Graham, that stuck in my mind and his feedbacks to the others.

I am waiting for John's ok, as I have recorded his Pathways Icebreaker then I could publish it tomorrow here. Let me know, if you would like me to publish any Pathways speech with comments even in next posts.

How my leadership style developed ?

For the Effective Coaching path, perhaps it is interesting that after I answered, tentatively to questions, (discovering this time the questions to answer are not to be find with "more" but going down) the result is that my main style is "Coaching". Even if Altruistic, Authoritative, Innovative and even Democratic and Pacesetting come near. Only the Bureaucratic is way down as points.

To arrive to the "Your Leadership Style" I have to get my Level 1 approved and it was fast done!

This is now my third Level 1 passed.

I am not sure I printed the level 2 of Presentation Manager or the level 4 of Visionary Communication path.

The important is I can now, go farther, whenever I wish.

As I repeat the Your Leadership styles, more and more memories come back to me.

I remembered the first ever time I had to lead a team, at age 33 as Chief of Analytical Chemistry lab. It was an interesting period in my life, in North of France's small city of Ham. Before and after my son was born.

"How will I make them obey me?" I asked my husband who was used to lead a small team.
I will leave the answer and what followed to the story I will tell. I did follow his advice only at the beginning, after that I did develop my own leading style, rather different.

It is always good to go back to the "origins" to understand better the present. I could go - that is for another time, another path, go even farther back, when I was playing with my friends.

It does not matter if the Questions are the same, we can always treat them, answer the differently, and learn something new, understand deeper the Projects each time we get to them.

"Recognise the need to adapt your leadership style based on the situation and the people being led. Deliver a 5- to 7-minute speech at a club meeting to share some aspect of your leadership style or leadership styles in general. You may choose to discuss your style preferences when working with others, your style and how you can adapt it to situations.

"While a person may be both a leader and a manager, there is a difference in the skill sets needed for these roles. Managing deals mostly with planning, organizing, and facilitating specific tasks. Leading deals with people, whether they are individuals or groups. Great leaders inspire others to follow them. Effective leaders are excellent communicators and display a high level of personal integrity, are open minded, optimistic and lead by example. An optimistic attitude creates the opportunity to overcome obstacles and adversity. Acknowledging and giving credit to others. "

"Prepare for your evaluation. Go to the Your Evaluation screen and review the evaluation criteria. Print or send the Evaluation Resource to your evaluator."

Of course, first I have to create the story about how I resolved my first work challenge.

I was chief of that laboratory for 7 years, perhaps the longest I worked in a place - for others. They were very sorry when I had to go, tried to offer me higher wages, beside the apartment they offered me the last two years free. And yes, even the young girls, working in the laboratory missed me. 

That was a period of my life I did not speak a lot. With very low and very high parts.  But those came not from work but my personal life. Some memories remain as wounds in me even now after so many years, some as hight points of my life. Far away from everyone but my husband, and then, even from him for a year, I had to survive on my own. Did the best I could.

Yes, we can arrive, again and again, to the Project with the same name, and understand it, treat it very differently. 

Finished a Project, a Level: How to tell the BaseCamp?

My heart broke when I heard her say: "I have done my level 1 but I will have to do it again!"
"Why"?
"It is not recognised"

You have read and studied, you have prepared and delivered the speech after that. And the Base Camp does not recognise it. What to do?

In very short: make sure the Assessment before and the Assessment After where saved!

As I finished yesterday my Research in the Effective Coaching Path, with a great presentation of what I learned about Zoom Green Screen and its lightening, presented online to my club, it was the time for me now to tell the Base camp I did it. Finish the Project, and as it is the last project in level 1 also finish the Level.

It was a great occasion for me to show step by step, how to do it. When you go back to Assess your Skills - Before, and go through "more and then more" it should NOT look like this. One of the circles must be grayed.

All pages of asses skills - before should look like this, before you also  answer, after having delivered a speech and made the task asked for, like this.

Most of the time if you have a problem, it is because this does not look like this.

Once all questions of Before are answered, it ask you if you want to save them. Save those Before, then after finishing, answer and save those After questions too. All.

After you answered the Before and the After Assessment, you can save them again.

Click on submit, and then your project is finished for the Base Camp.

Well, almost. It does take a few minutes for it to be considered as a project is done. And be aware, arriving at the last page, and telling you :

This does NOT mean you did finish for the system, if the Assessments Before and after where not saved. So when you arrive (the first time at least here) go to the Select to move to another section as the arrow shows.

This will pop up and show you different sections you can move to. Go to the third and do verify if the Assess your Skills - Before is completed and saved. This morning, I found out that my Research was not saved for some reasons before. So I did it. Then, as I did just asses my skills AFTER, I opened it again and jumped to the last one.

Now, this Feedback come to me instead to Assess skills after, comparing the Before and After. The real sign, that the Base camp recognises you finished your project.

Perhaps, with time all these screens may change, that is why till now I hesitated to show them.
I looked, it took a few minutes but not much, then I was asked to Evaluate the project (here but also by a letter later). That is not obligatory, it is said and you can do it only the next 10 days.

But as you can see even if I am asked to Evaluate the Research and Present is now recognised as done. I went and evaluated it. Then it become "Launch" it only means you can go through and read again and again. Of course, you could also save or print or both the project so you could study it again and again online too.

Those were all the forms I could have while I was working on this blog project in June. Evaluation Resource is for all projects, the feedback we ask : to be fillable, we have to save it first on our device. Then we can send and when filled and received "file" it in our e-portofolios proper level. But those have no incidence I seen, usually for any project. Unless, you are at the end of Level and your VPE want to look or you completed the speech outside the club to show that you did it indeed to him.

When I did finish my blog project, it looked like this.

I had to write 8 post, this is now the 101th post. That shows that we do not do them for TMI and a "done it" but for our own pleasure, passion and work. I hope, you find most of my blog posts "compelling". I try.

The level was not finished, even if I have finished all my projects from it. Still waiting for the last, "level 1 completion" to be Activated. After I activated, it asked me to "mark as completed". Then I clicked that too, it told me "now wait for the VPE to whom a letter is send" to approve the level.

That is where I am now.

Usually, it does not take long, but of course, as it is weekend, I will probably have to wait a little more. After the level is completed 100% I can go and read the next level tasks. That is where I was with Visionary Communication when I opened this Blog. Now, I am at Effective Coaching, so I do know what comes next, so I am less impatient.

Only one project changes at level 2 and even that not always.

I hope, this post helps you, when it seems the project or a level is not recognised. Let me know please if something I wrote is not clear.

I also promise, next blog post will be more for those who are not yet on Pathways, and will not go to this kind of details. I am really excited with all I did and all I can do through studying the projects offered to us in the paths.