Project Management, a lot to learn or remember

Project management: good to be flexible!

Attributes of a successful project manager

Each project teaches us a lot. 

Of course, we can not be good at everything. I have optimism and enthusiasm, sometimes, the other two attributes too. It is good to think and ponder about them. And important to read, slide by slide, page by page, and not only jump to the Print and Save then to the Close.

Active paths in my Basecamp

Yes! we can have more then one path, even if I do not specially like to have so many at once. But all those have a story behind them.

Let me begun with the oldest one, Motivational Strategies. This is the path, I decided when I begun, to do all, or almost all the Elective Projects. I am now towards the end of the Level 4 projects, all fascinating, but taking longer time.

Next project I will tackle is Project Management.

Leadership Development in French, I hoped to give some speeches in French, and even if I did not succeed many times, it is a path I enjoy. I am now, to find a special event I create, towards end.

Engaging Humor, I could not resist as it appeared to us as our 11th path offered, it is somewhat similar to Presentation Mastery but I feel, more. I learned a lot about repeating a speech in different variation, audience reaction... Put it farther and farther to finish, Level 5 required Project, a Humorous Keynote like speech as I wanted it "perfect" - I realized only preparing also the Review the path project, that it has to be only one variation, the first. I can later redo it, better or more appropriate to another audience. That gave me finally the courage to prepare and the subject I want to tell about. So, it will be soon now.

Innovative Planning is my last, to have "easy projects" : I am still at Level 1 and wait for the occasion. Perhaps today, will be able to make the second speech of Evaluation and Feedback.

Some say, it is not clear what we have to do, reading the overview of the Assignment of the Project, I think it is clear. But of course, one has to come to the Basecamp, and open the project, and read it. 

Derek Wong 2019 Two years on board

Last to speak from the Board of Directors, departing after 2 years hard work

Derek Wong from Hong Kong was also Witty Storytellers Online founding member

He always tells a story we do remember!

Aaron Beverly - An unbeliavable story (2019 1st place

I created the Witty Storytellers Online, on the premise that Personal Stories, told with humor work the best: what best prove then this? 

Now before me the Humorous Keynote, I may be inspired by his story and telling and humor.

Changes to Pathways 2019/08/23 Daniel Rex, shorter version video

It all begun with me, wanting to listen to Derek Wong last speech as board member. He was one of the Witty Storytellers Online members since three year ago, even before he become Board Member. As it happened, the Board director Briefing, was available, still is, free, but we have to pass hops to arrive to it. In plus, Derek speech was the last one, and on the way, hurrah! I found this speech given by Daniel Rex about new things in Pathways, coming soon.

How to obtain it? 

Replay Video Capture, did capture 8 minutes of it. Then, I wanted, and succeeded to cut some of interesting things but not Pathways related at the beginning, and a minute from end. This one contains the main news we will get in next weeks. Some arriving, even the coming week. 

After having uploaded the video to YouTube, and then published in my blog, and the blogpost on the Pathways Discussion Forum, suddenly I could not access Basecamp any more. Aie! Was I reported as having done something I should not? 

After a few hours thinking, what I will do now without access to Basecamp, relief. The basecamp was down for ALL, not only for me. 

This morning, I showed some pictures extracted by me through my iPad, (see in yesterday post too) to my oneline club Firebirds collective and told the story around it. 

The four slides, will change

Daniel Rex, told us “I know that they are already many of this slides on Facebook and LinkedIn, but these screens that arrive soon, will change.”

Onboarding, emails for new toastmasters, including links to TM testimonials, to Toastmaster Online Magazine, and to the Toastmasters Facebook group. A new "get started".

The second slide was about changes in Selecting a path. More information and possibility to compare them. 

Or skip and select the one already chosen. 

Almost, what we already have in different ways from THE Navigator.

And this will be a different view of Base Camp: new for all of us.

In plus, all precharter clubs will get all Level 1 projects. Lots to look ahead in the near future.

Three years ago, online clubs just begun

After the first three, the other online clubs come, one after other. Here are the pins, Manhal then SgArms created and we showed to each other. All three where members on Firebirds Collective, then also of Witty Storytellers online.

Soon after the Washington TMI convention, other online clubs where created. Now we are 26 already! Let us take some time, and celebrate also our meeting from all around the world. Sometimes, face to face, regularly in meetings.

Conference On Demand: some free!

There is virtual participation to some, almost all important events. We have an on demand 14 dollars by events, in it. Then, suddenly I see no fee near the Board of Directors briefing. 

Wonderful!

Lark Doley presides and opens it and introduces the speakers. After her, remembering the CHANGE and its challenges, she tells us about three categories reacting to the big changes.

Those who embrace change with passion
Those who embrace change with caution
Those who oppose it ferociously 

Change challenges us all and gives us opportunity : the biggest change last year was Pathways. And credit for Club Coach, and...

Daniel Rex, not only told, but presented slides explaining the Pathways changes that will be implemented next week and coming weeks. My dropbox refused to save them for me. 

Onbording
Choice of path
New basecamp screens
Able to see all of projects in our path

I will have to try to capture them differently - but you can also listen and see - and free! Soon, we will experience it, not all at the same time as I understood.

Roads and Paths, all interesting

Far away, to Dracula country, and even if he never existed, that is how many "know" about Transylvania.

For me, born in Cluj or in Hungarian Kolozsvàr, the biggest town in Transylvania, with university started around 1100, and in winter, the number of people growing with 1/3 with the students still arriving from many towns and villages around, it was a good surprise: the center town did not change.

We only were bumper to bumper sometimes, so many cars are now circulating and going somewhere.

Then my family decided to go also "out in the country" and we went to a village 25 km out of city. More, at the end of the village my son, the driver, found a narrow road with pebble, just enough for a car. What happens when a tractor comes toward you on that road? there are some parallel dirt road, and that is where we stopped for a while.

There is always another path. A different path. With creativity one can enjoy it, have fun, do something different.

My son here, with his two children, went morning and evening in the hotel's swimming pool. In day we toured the city, and I could transmit, showing the places I was raised, and my mother raised.

At the last days, besides having dinner with many from the same family tree, the "young" one's went to the main square, seen Hungarian folk dancing, then went to a Rock concert on another square. While I was already resting.

Writing a blog, meeting online is most restful then going around to tour. I was away, from TEN days from this blog, will begin to write again. News from the convention will also come. There are already some, I just have to undersand exactly what, and take time to experience some.

The hotel I stayed the first days, was near where I used to live. At "my time" there was nothing there but a basement, for a hospital never build.

Cluj (Romania) become Kolozsvàr (Hungary) then back to Cluj again while I lived there. Same city, different country! Many things changed, between other the names of the streets, while we lived our lives the same way, or almost the same.

Forget what was

All the path you can choose but alas presented in alphabetical order, but they have the signs and I love the colors. They also have a sort description. From George Marshal.

He puts the paths in four groups. I wound add the 1 to 2 and put them together. Leave the 3 and 4 each on its own.

What I do not really believe it can be grouped after how much leadership is in them. That would bring us back to old way of thinking "speech or leadership" which is not as Pathways operates. In my opinion, those two are strongly interrelated, and could not be separated.

And forget the CL manual and all is written in it. No similar "roles" are a Project, even if we do Listen, and do roles, they do not give us any project for it. We do not get "points" for any of them. They are just normal roles advancing the meeting. Offering possibility for new and old toastmasters to speak. To help the club.

Tutorials from iphone

Alas, one still have to enter clicking on the goast, the grey under the title.

But after, one can use all there is in Tutorials and resources. Project descriptions, vodeos, Evaluations.

And also see

Iphone can not (yet) go into Projects, but a lot can be done

To find your profile, from TMI through an iPhone (or other mobile device) go to the Three lines first. Then Profile.

This is how it Looks.

And this blog, can also be read through iphone.

Finished a Level? A path?

We finish a Level in any Path. We ask in Base Camp to be approved. Wait.

Well, I never wait. Usually, I email the VPE. Then if no answer any other Base camp manager, usually the President. 

And, if still no answer, as I am Secretary in three clubs, I choose one of those clubs and approve my own Level. It can be done. That means, I can now open and see the next Level, begin to work on next Level.

It means, I also can print my Level Certificate, or usually take just a screenshot of it. Or wait. Here is my first Path finished, almost two years ago, September 2017.

Level approved in Base Camp, does not mean yet Award approved at Club for Toastmasters or for your own awards. It is a two step approval or submission. 

When you are only in one club, no problem, any one of the Committee Members can approve it very easy. I already wrote a post how, as last year President did not know, and he understood and approved it for me the next day, after reading the blogpost. 

After login, going to Leadership Central -> Club Central -> Awards -> Name and after, looking for the next award to approve. For a legacy system, you had to add all dates and titles for all projects. For Pathways it is only to choose the Path and the next Level appears, to declare it done.

After that, we get a letter from the TM Board President, congratulating, and the Award appears between our awards. 

It happened to me this morning!

Finally, my award was declared to the Club I have chosen. As I am in five clubs just now, I have the right to decide, which needs most, which would profit most for each award. I did offer my Level 4 of Strategic Relationship to Witty Storytellers Online, but the last one, Level 5 (and Proficiency) of Strategic Relationship to Lewisham Speakers, in D91.

We can print our own certificate then but also will get a nicely printed on from TMI. The one I have put in this post is the last I got in post already.

Attention! As soon as we have the Level 5 of any path approved in BaseCamp, the path disappears from our Active Paths, in the Educational Transcript. We can find it between Completed Path, open, go to the Level 5 and we find there Print Certificate.

The date on it is not the one we finished in Base Camp, but the one it was declared in Club Central and awarded. Soon, I will receive one like this in the post also. 

If a VPE wants to make a ceremony, offering the award (this or for any Level) in the meeting, he or she can to to BaseCamp, look at the member transcript, and Print it.

No to Printed Manuals!

Most important, we do not get any project to elect, they are "pre-elected" for us, and do not get either to read save print the others projects. In plus, as far I have seen, the text was not even edited for "printed" and inside, you are told "go see this or that" when it is not possible.

Completed my 7th path, soon 3 others

In the Education Transcript, we can see all Active, bellow, or all comple

IP just begun and PI do not think I will want. So no 11 path for me. But the Motivation Strategies I gone to do ALL Electives, or almost all. Good way to go when I did not feel any more reasons to hurry but wanted to discover, experiment and be able to help others about them.

I begun in March 2017, a long road on different path, in each found something I enjoyed. Some projects more then others, but never got enough of Level 1, the Foundation always happy to begin and find something new to say and discover.

Pathways DTM & 11 Path logos / titles

Explains same but differently.by Noor Mohammad.

Or like this?

And this another, to remember the 11 paths and their logo.

Done / Still to do

MS Path, I have finished in LEVEL 3 ALL Projects, in Level 4 all of this ones. I will stop for now here, but have still to do the level 4 Required, which I left to end so it does not assumes I finished the level, until now. Some Projects begun but will leave to other time. Other few, did not even Activate.

Finished yesterday for the SR path. Level 5 Electives, I choose the last one this time: Prepare to speak Professionally.  Now remains the last Required one that finishes all, Reflect on your Path.

For now, I am working in many paths, to many perhaps, but all but one just begun, towards the end. These are all my ACTIVE paths now, "Curriculum" strange name on BaseCamp.

Innovating Planning path just begun, only the Icebreaker done, so a whole path before me!
Engaging Humor, on Level 5 only the 2 required remain. Will not go fast, preparing, slowly the long humorous speech that I hope to make really good.

LD and SR I am on Level 5 and soon will be, but not yet also with MS.

All those will do after vacation. I am going have a great adventure: going back to my birth place, birth town.

How to make stand out?

we tell stories, have part of what happened stand out, by taking out or blurring the unimportant

At right, the picture as taken. After my daughter in law graduation, I put on my head her hat. Playfully.

My shirt to colourful, background distracting. A cutout, left only my expression in colour. The picture become a lot more powerful. Yes?

When something happens, there are so many details and we remember or not. Too many facts, to many hesitations in a dialogue. Remember: a story is not like being before a judge! We do not have to tell everything. Exact what had happened, not even what we remember. Exactly like in this picture. Or the next.

My Public Relation Strategy (Take 1)

I live now in London, UK. Royal Roads Toastmasters, at least most of them, live in west coast Canada, not far from Vancouver, on Virgin Islands. The Monday meeting was held at the beginning in the Royal Roads University park, then they decided to open it to Remote Access. Slowly, it become all online. Thursdays, alternatively, they meet in a pub now. 

I was last year their Club Coach: they got by last year June, President Distinguished, and more members then before. Alas, for the moment, not many meet the Mondays, but the meetings are always interesting, and some who left, begin to come back. 

I did go to their meeting, since they opened to Remote the first time. Only this year in April, did I become member. 

This speech is a Required in one path and Elective in another, I did give it to them, as they do need PR Strategies and are trying to improve it. This was the first time. I did repeat the speech with improvements as suggested. More slides and a stronger beginning and end.

With this speech, I finished the Level 4 of Strategic Relationship. 

I like their round table evaluations and by now, feel well telling my stories in this club, so I included that also in the video, edited with that purpose. 

So simple! Once we know.

Same happens within Pathways, when not explicit enough, going to find the answer, discovering, telling ourselves “aha! Simple! But why did not say so when needed?” 

Tutorials and resources give a lot of answers but slowly, some of them are now incorporated where we need them. 

Today, something new will come, probably inside Basecamp. Wonderful! But why are we not notified what, always in same place called New or Notifications? 

Today, something different

The text about the Evaluation forms history will have to wait for another day. Wednesday I ate something that did not go well. Still tires from the effort to get rid of it, somehow.

I found this picture, a few days ago. stairs up, but looking like a path.

. The  road the path leads. What you think? Today, I added an hour great video about pathways explained to seasoned Toastmaster on my Facebook page. I do not know how to bring it inside this blog’

Tomorrow will feel better, come back to *real* tonight will try to sleep.