Of course, in Canada where I will be offering it, some must get it in French too, and my pal Brian Dodd the Royal Roads Toastmasters President and VPE helper, who opens it up every Monday noon (evening for me in London) for anyone from afar to come and speak or take roles, said "important are the gestures and the voice".I will still use my Icebreaker today, as it is his birthday, to speak of all the ways he helped me last year in my pathways journey.
We were co-conspirators a year ago, earning to get into Pathways faster, and together we discovered a way and begun our journey remote access at the club Great Communicators in Virginia. He from Vancouver Islands, me from London. He helped me all the way and I did also when he finally admitted me he needs it. Hours of calls and conversations with programmers did not help him, but a Zoom sharing with me did what he needed: I discovered it in just three minutes. With this, he gave me confidence that I can help others and so... I become seen as an "Expert" even when I was just a step ahead. I could share the experience I gained.
So much to tell about our life, our passion, there will be never enough for any path!
But what is really new is that this Pathways Icebreaker asks us, after the speech to ask about different opinions and ask us to reflect back minute by minute later how it went. The journey of self discovery and self learning begins in a subtle way with that first project already. Yes, we learn the fundamentals!
Some think, the Research and Present Project is to show something others do not know, when in fact it is also pushing us to RESEARCH and not Search, farther in a subject we do not know well, increasing our knowledge, from books, blogs, interviews, and so on. Pushing us again to a discovery, to self-learning and then reflecting on it before presenting.
More I read about the new learning methods, theories and new applications of the "blended learning", better I realise all that on which our Pathways projects are based.
After the Fundamentals, it continues the self discovery at level 2 but beginning to open up to communicating with others, then to acquire knowledge from lots of projects for us to discover. As with the first time first path I opened almost all the Elective Projects of level 3, this time I will try to give also a speech from each of them. Till all the clubs I know get tired of me? Not if I find an interesting thing to say!
Someone asked yesterday "can we not jump directly to building skills level?"
Jump to Level 4 is not possible but beginning to acquire the skills before, why not? I did blog for more then ten years before I begun this blog and opened it three weeks before arriving the first time to the level. I also shared podcasts with audiences - but not now for long - telling stories and trying out my comedy routines. Yes, there are a lot of skills to discover or to hone and more we DO more we REFLECT how it went, the best we are on the way of becoming real experts, not only one small step ahead.
But we do have to make that first step and I hope with the Pathways arriving tomorrow in Europe (and other places) many of those around me will take that first step. As most are younger then me, they will make longer steps and soon I will be no more in front. I am looking with pleasure to see many going ahead! I will still continue, just differently. There is so much more to learn!
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