Closing a Project (when finished : not before!)

The following applies only to web based paths, with printed material it is different.


Monday, I zoomed with Ann (not real name). She finished and gave her Icebreaker and did not know how to read farther. As she did not "close" her Icebreaker project, it was not marked finished, and did not let her go farther.

I had to explain, show her how to get to Self Assessment After and answer to every question then go on with Next instead of the usual Arrow right. 

When I was there first, that was the first bump I had.

Waiting for answer here 5 pages

Answered page for my "When I was a protégé"

I did answer the first question then went on "as usual" to the next page with --> instead of answering to EVERY question (as many as small circles) and after answering to the last one. After the last question and in every project it is the same question "I recognize how this project applies to my life outside Toastmasters." Click on Submit. 

The project Checklist does tell you WHEN to ASSESS your sills - After. Once you did complete all tasks and given the speech(es) required. How many of us read it carefully? print it and read it? A year ago, I did not. Or at least not understood it. Monday, it proved that Anna did not either last week.

Here are the last lines from the open Project Checklist.
Saving and getting the comparison, signaling Base Camp, and now, me "Project finished". Of course, later, I believed that the Assess your skills - Before is as important. It is, but only for us to compare. The Base Camp looks only to the AFTER. Again, the last question will be if it applies to the life outside Toastmasters. Very difficult question, for me: do I have a life outside toastmasters? Outside Pathways? Not much.

When this one is answered, the Base Camp takes it as you did finish the project. Honor. you still have to "submit" but sometimes it almost submits by itself. Opens this:

When we arrive to see this, it does mean we did signal the Base camp that we finished the Project and all its tasks. Soon, we will get a check mark near the project.

I did show to Ann and she did the before and after and finally the Icebreaker was "done" on her base camp and the next two projects of Level 1 open to read and do.

Any finished Project can be launched again. But here it is how my French path looks: I finished only the Ice Breaker so I could read the next two projects also in French. Now, Ann could also Launch either one of her next projects on Level 1 and continue.

Yesterday, I had a gentleman Ben, also not a real name, whose projects at level 1 well one signaled done, without him doing more then completing his Icebreaker. Again, I do now show his Base Camp but mine. I did complete all of them it was not a mistake.

What happened? How did it happen that someone without intention got all the Level 1 completed without doing it and realizing what he done? He was very unhappy that he got congratulations from his VPE, Base Camp Manager for the completed Level, when he just given his Icebreaker so far. What to do? How go farther? How to protest?

I was more interested to discover why it happened and how. We zoomed together for almost an hour yesterday afternoon (after in the morning he stood me up, forgot) and showing to show his screen. I show mine, he shows his. "Well, I answered it too when I was eager to read and see what arrives" and continued "and showed that nothing changed for me between Before and After!" 

Show to whom? Only we can see those questions answered and the comparison. Beside, he only read and did not do the tasks, how could he understood and changed? 

But now, we did understood both him and me, why all his projects were checked as "done". Then I could explain that he can still Launch and Read again, and do the Tasks asked. Also he can now ask the VPE of his clubs to let him speak so he could complete the speeches he did not yet do, from the Second and Third Project.

"But they put them already on my Award list" - we finally got to look and it was not there because finishing a Level in Base Camp and Getting it approved, even with Congratulations and a Letter from Toastmasters Base camp, does not mean that one of the committee members had submitted it to Club Central. It proved that it was not. How? Login to TMI then opening Welcome Ben! and looking at My Awards. Here also, I showed first mine, then he did open his through zoom to look together. 

Here what I did find, my last four awards this year offered to four different of my clubs where I was (or am) member. Three of them will be President Distinguished. Well, I hope my online club will have enough members for it. 

As much patience you got to have sometimes to help someone, we always get something from it. 

Understand better how it works, how someone could think, and even reflect of our own path through last months. We finished both happy. He knew now one bit more and could explain to others. Me, that I understood how it happened. 

And I believe now all of you reading this understand different variations of what could happen at the beginning, till we understand well how the platform works.