Books I read during my first Path

My first path was the most difficult and the most interesting so far for me. The beginning! Trying to understand what I have to do and how to do them better. 

Project 3 of the Level 1 is clear, and from time to time other projects remind us too: Go farther! Do not stop at the material we give you. Discover, read, apply. Go deeper. I did.

I did publish already in this blog, in another post between the last 200, as this is 201, and I begin again to tell about them today, as I try to create, at least 8 more new compelling posts explaining also a bit more of my first path's journey at the same time. More, posts of course, again, I will not stop : so much more to say!

But as with a speech, each time we repeat it we see and tell about in different ways. Those books are not in the order of Levels or how I read them, but as I found them on my Kindle. 

I created my Icebreaker, remembering the time I joined the first time around Toastmasters, in 1977, age 43, divorced now for two years, I was looking at first, for a club with many man and few women. This is also a valid reason to join, isn't it? 

I discovered, more and more details, sentiments, feelings of loneliness, sounds and smells, as I told the story to my three Pathways clubs, one after other as I joined them, all not far from the place I joined the first time. Next, I do an Icebreaker, I will try to tell something very different about me.

The Evaluation and Feedback project was a joy, but telling it a bit less. Transitions, from William Bridges, was read again for it. It was a story about huge transitions in my life, around age 25. Some I really did not want and other I decided myself. Either was easy. Many other tales to tell about that time too, "Enemy of people", loosing job and forbidden to work. But becoming woman, finally. 

As the same author wrote another book, I discovered that William Bridges he writes in Managing Transition, applies to our Transition to Pathways, and how the Organisation, and us, should do and what not to do, how important is empathising with those feeling afraid or lost, how important is to use any means to speak most possible about what is coming. How important is to involve all. 

Transition is about Change, and Change was all along in the Projects of my path: Visionary Communication. So I could read and read, and it applied in many cases. Change is with us all the time. Never finished, at any age.

My path was traced, but when I arrived at level 2 the first time, I was lost. Lost in the unfamiliar boxes, expressions, ideas. The book, Leading with Style is thin, but finally all came clear to me. It is good from where our leadership main style comes to us, but even more to understand "it all depends on the situation" and we have to be flexible. Same with the Communication Style. Depends with whom we communicate. Beside, of course, we have a bit of any of different styles in us, even if, some could be stronger. 

Communicating Change book and many others, like the book about Coaching, was read but not much used in fact, in contrary, Moderating Panels excellent book, helped me understand a lot again, at level 5. And yes I decided this morning, that I will offer yet another Panel for the path I am working on now. At the same time, be a Panelist of course. "You do not get recognised for it, but help the other one, moderating it. Please, return the favour", is proposed. This Thursday, I will be Panelist - about Pathways. When can I do my own panel it is not yet clear, but I know already the theme: Storytelling! We all love stories! But do we really understand what makes a story great? Stick?