Engaging Humor Proficient, Award send by HQT

Look at the date: this one arrived in one week. The last took a month. I believe, it must have arrived from another place! Yet another promise must have delivered. 

As for me, it took me 6 ½ month to finish this path and I really liked it. Even the projects I feared, where there for me to learn that I can do them. In plus, I am so happy to say, my printer and scanner work again: my grand daughter visited me yesterday. 

We are not in one box only!

"Do not put yourself into a box" - film from 3 years ago. My grand-son wrote "it is inspiring". 

As to me, I say, it is actual, as I struggle again through the Your Leadership style from Level 2. After answering, perhaps the 10th time now, for my IP path this time, to the quiz the Project contains, it come out indeed, I am in all the boxes almost with the same number, all but the bureaucratic. 

There are two path before me...

Where do we learn more, which is more interesting path, when they are two path before us? 

Will we willingly follow the most difficult? I am not sure. 

But we got more from it!

I told today a story - around my encounter with Brexit - and the surprises I had. Most going from worse to worse. 

At the end, getting out well. 

Also, how the bad surprises, were useful for me, how I finally needed those too, even if at the time, I resented, myself for not being careful enough and falling into problems. 

Instead of 7 minutes, it took a bit more then 8 as I added something at the beginning, and in fact not really had time to explain much at the end. I showed two pictures, and ended with a good end as a story should. Also, I decided to try and make a 20 minute keynote from the content of my personal story, about just what happened to me, most, in less then a week to yesterday. 

It is useful to tell a story many time, improve it, change it, subtract or add to it.

I am stuck in Level 2 of IP, speaking again about my Leadership style is next, me as Mentee or Protegee will be even more tough. The first time I realize, how wonderful is that I could jump to Level 3 Electives, before finishing Level 2.

How long time to finish the 5 levels of a path?

How long does it take to finish a path? 
It depends on us and our effort and time but also how many clubs we are in. 

Here are two examples. I begun Effective Coaching in June 2017. Did finish it end January but got the award it only in March, when my region launched Pathways, as I reserved L5 for that occasion. 7 month real, 10 on paper.

As for Engaging Humor, the last path I finished, I begun the week it come out, in February this year. It took 7 ½ month. If you look at the actual dates, you can see that the first three Levels went relatively fast. 3 month: I am in 5 clubs and visited three more. 

Then I was anxious about the challenge of the strange table-topics to answer and hesitated, April to June. Almost same but not quite for Level 5. But finally got it! About 7 month to finish the last path.  

Here are two more examples. SR eight month. Levels attributed to 4 different clubs. 

Team Collaboration, I offered the Levels in 3 clubs, was member of 4, I begun TC in September 2018 and finished May 2019. Also about 9 month to finish. It is not always easy to collaborate, to create teams. 

Most of the paths I have done, took about the same time. Less then a year, a bit more then six month. I show here only two of my seven finished. Usually, I did have three paths I worked on at the same time. And remember: they were my paths, not the clubs! I did attribute the awards to the club needing it more. I spoke in many clubs for each Level.

Paths and Personal Stories

Pins of my to preferred paths, I got when I did not yet finish the Humor. Now, I will have to order myself the third one.

Why are those the "beloved" one's from all my finished paths?

Visionary Communication, was my first, and still most memorable. As I wrote already elsewhere, I am still continuing today on the way I started then, making pathways known and discovering, researching it deeper, while on other paths.

Leadership Development, is about creating Events, bigger and bigger one's and was the path that made me understand that I can give a path a Personal Goal and use it all along. As my event was a joint Online and Onsite Storytelling event, I dedicated the path to the Importance of Personal Storytelling. Each project, somewhat linked to it, expressing it.

Continuing telling personal stories, we can all learn from them. 

Overcoming difficulties, roadblocks, how to deal best with what arrives and, also, how to learn and look at them "what Learned" or even "what was good of it", are all that stories are about. 

Saturday, I was at City Hall, near the Bridge Tower in London, got some help I perhaps will need, and went, without problems with two busses. One that departs near me, the other, I found through Google Maps.

Yes, but big mistake! did not look up the road back! Just assumed, the same as going. 

I was wrong. 

It took me to a huge street, where no but station to be found. With my bad leg(s) had to walk and walk and walk! A lot more then I usually do. When I finally found a bus station, between the two, my bus was not on there! More walk. 

The good from it? My leg took me all that way, and barely hurt the next day. I learned, if needed, I can do it!

What is new in Pathways? Tuesday Talks and Tips n° 13

What is new in Pathways? A very interesting new episode of Tuesdays Talks and Tips, videos, organized by Michelle Alba-Lim, here with the help of three toastmasters.

George, Roger and Carole speak in this video only about the last new feature, each taking a different angle.



Also very interesting, all three use very well presenting slides but in a different way.




George Marshal introduce the last feature: opening of the Levels and Projects

Carole explains how we can Leap from Level to Level or Projects, and mostly why we would like to do so sometimes

I found Roger Fung's presentation specially interesting and his ideas how to use those new features useful. At the same time, he spoke about the Base Camp Manager problems, to track all down. I could not catch fast enough his slide, I liked most, how a club officers can take one problem, and each members do part of it using help of another Projects.

And here is, finally I did succeed to embed the whole video in this post!

I projected to do a Panel on the subject of New Features and still can do, in one of my clubs. Many other new features we got this year, and this last one has also to be explained. https://youtu.be/ic7fVa5rCOM

Paths to work on

I arrived now at Level 2 of the Innovative Planning, after finishing with pleasure, perhaps the 11th time the first level. Indeed, I never get enough of it!

Not the same with Level 2: what to tell, the nth time about me as Mentee? 

At the Motivation Strategies I did finish the Level 3 and Level 4, with all the Electives done in them. Well, in the 4th, I begun but did not finish the Podcast. All the other projects, done. The last one will be Manage Successful Project, then Motivate Others.

Will not do the same with Level 5, only a few electives of it I like and will work on. First the Required at the beginning, then probably the Panel, I always loved conducting or being in a Panel. 

Leadership Development, in French, is second time I do the LD path. This time alone. This time I hoped some projects may be done in French, but only very few did I succeed in that language, for the rest, they well done in English. I arrived at Level 5: Manage Successful Event. I have to find the event! 

Truth? for the moment, I feel like waiting. Done to many projects lately, and do not feel so much to create this time again and again a team to... do something. 

Which club is my BASE club?

In "my profile" there is a blue tile with "Go to Base camp" and, if in more then one club, the possibility to chose your present club. 

We decide our "base" and remain in that one, till we decide to change. In one hour or a month.

That is how it worked, before.

For about a week now, my base club reverts always to Lewisham, my club in London, D91. Even if I choose any of other - online - clubs, when I come back I find again "Lewisham".

What happens?

A new bug? 

Or a decision to propose always the districted clubs? 

I do know, that an award can be offered to any club on Club Central, even if I am not in it, but the Base Camp Manager seeing my path or my Level completed, is the one who figures here.

Is it so?

Anyone may offer me an advice, explain why and what happens? Or to whom ask at TMI for answers. Where to find the answer to this.

It seems it happens mostly, to me, not others.

Selfies: laughing of myself (and all my miseries)

There are many me, most selfies, here from perhaps the oldest, when I took out an old dusty hat and my first ever wig, that I used, to my after swim hair, and so on. The bad hair, last in first row, got special attention and was voted best autoportrait that year on Flickr.

The first picture in the last row, is the "I look like a clown with shaving cream" I usually show at standup when I talk about shaving. I love to poke fun of myself and what is happening to me.

The story of my outing

The Heath, platform of Blackheath, all burned up from lack of rain.

I did not miss the rain... the grass did. Fall begins, and the leaves of the tree near me slowly turn yellow.

About 30 minutes to the next bus, that arrives in 4 minutes, and lets me down just before the Tower bridge.

Not easy, but find the stairs that let me from there down not so far from the city hall I am going.

Tower bridge, London is beautiful, from every angle.

I find the steps down, just before going on the bridge.

Then walk to the river, and then to the town hall.

As an "old lady" with a cane, which I took with me, they let me in without queuing.

Wonderful.

Inside, does not feel the festival as I believed, but they are some interesting activities, room by room.

Get some lunch, in a cafetaria, different foods from Spain and Italy mostly.

Go inside the room where I get advice on Brexit, from pro-bono lawyer and another community adviser. Good advices and telephone numbers too.

I depart, and go out, alas without consulting which buses take me home. I do know!

Well, no.

I should have taken another bus to "my bus" that I do know, as the route there and back is not same.

Have to walk and walk and walk to find finally a bus station, and it is warmer and warmer too.

Good news: I could do it.

Now home, and also learned it is better not to fail sometimes.
I have now new stories to tell, so... and I did arrive, even if tired, home.

Julie 3 Standup videos

My competition speech was taken from Standup Comedy texts, minus two four letter words, "s and f". but each standup, I take bits of the whole I developed and add them differently. Experiment and also go depending on the audience. I published here three performances in inverse order, 2016, 2012 and the last from fall 2011.

Here is one of my last Standup Comedy performance, in Cavendish arm, 2016. Was happy I got the "best" while my grandsons were visiting from US. It was an all women performance, that night.

And here is an "old" one, from 2012: I was really 77 then (love that number) and it was only my 10th time I went out to a club alone.

Cavendish Arms in 2012 : my 10th standup only then 

And before, this one is from Laughing Horse, after David Jones workshop, 120 Toastmastes in the audience, fall 2011, only ten days before my cataract operation. Wonderful audience!

Standup at Laughing Horse from Julie Kertesz on Vimeo. 2011 November, audience 120 TM

Participated in a contest again

After many years, I participated again in a Humorous Contest in my club. I come second.

We were only two contestants.

9 years ago, I come first with the title "dare to fail". I did not fail, this time, as my audience liked my stories!

Here I am with our very tall Area Director and the Certificate of participation in my hand.

Very happy to have been able to participate, did not know till last minute that I will be able, because of my wisdom teeth. We learn wisdom, but taking it out is not a laughing matter, and comedy is a serious thing.

The E Humor path really prepares us to tell personal stories, and look at the audience, see how they react. They did react well to my stories and that made me happy.

After my path finished

Path I am working on now. IP at beginning, LD at end, MS doing all Electives

Letter received

My Completed paths

2 ½ years, 8 path finished, the Engaging Humor, yesterday. My first finished was Visionary Communication. The one I enjoyed most, other then VC was the Leadership development to which I gave a theme: personal storytelling importance and did in parallel with a great storyteller.

Reflection recognized, path still refused: why?

Sometimes, destiny or glitches know better then us: they come to help even if we think they are against us. For me, it gave me more insight in how Levels will work from now on, and why there is something after the 5 Levels.

Here is my Reflect on Your Path, I could complete yesterday, as a speaker did not come. I got a great feedback. Good pauses, Speech from heart, great topic (Ah, the audience!), use of what happened in the meeting just before at the beginning almost that drew audience in, learned from experience). The advice was that I could have used again and more the present audience.

The project was finally recognized, x near it, but the Path Completion Active did not work. Why?

Finally as I realized, something is amiss, I went back to see all my levels. Strange! It seems as if the Level 4 completion was not recognized! The Level 5 completion was ok, and I got a Certificate, but not the Level 4, which I did complete a while ago. I tried again, and again, and finally wrote to the Educationawards@toastmasters.org and they wrote me back "we will look at it". At my surprise, I got later another letter "your level 4 was approved" from the Basecamp mail.

Then finally, I could ask and have approved the Engaging Humor path completion. It seems, this happened also to someone else, I am sure, it will soon be corrected.

But now, I understand why the Path Completion is after all 5 Levels.

With the new method, we can not only do a Project or two beforehand, but finish a whole Level, before we finished - or perhaps even started - another. The Path completion, arriving at end, verifies that all Levels where completed. Then only the "Path Completion" opens and a Basecamp manager can approve it, and we get the Proficiency certificate.

Ouf! I did enjoy the Engaging Humor path, but my goal to make laugh at each project was not easy to obtain. Sometimes it worked other times less. Mostly, I realized it was because of the difference in the audience culture, just as the Projects from this path explained to me. I learned to make different beginnings, ends, parts, improvise, and did not show - too much - when I expected laughter at a certain part and did not get it. I got more laughter, or at least huge smiles, as before.

Level 5 finished, then Reflections on Your Path appears

Had to ask and finish level 5 in Basecamp without Reflections on my pathr, that came as if it was a sixth level.

Three tiny dots

Three tiny dots, were perhaps there before already, but what they hide changed. So many options to choose now, so many ways to see out transcript ! Experiment with different possibilities and combinations.

What is more, from today on?

I did not believe it, but it is in the Pathways FAQ. Go read them from number 30 on yourself.

Brenda published it, and I still had difficulty believing, till I did test.

And even these for Base Camp managers. I do not put more here, let me tell you how I tested the firsts.

I went to Level 2 of Innovative Planning, that I should have been not able to do till today, as I have one task to finish in 2 hours, Evaluate someone, to finish Level 1. Gone to Connect with your Audience that I did do in a big family meeting, the 17th of August in the town I was grown up. I had detailed feedback for the speech from my son's partner, and shorter from three others attending.

I was so sure, it will not be recognized! I clicked anyway Submit to the After Assessment and at first refresh, here it is what I found!

And indeed, here is Level 1 still waiting to finish. Even if in a few hours I will, still. Of course, as you see, the Completion I could not activate, till I did not finish all projects. My mind boggles at the discovery of all the new things we are facing now.

Still have to go and test all one by one, and also waiting for others yet to come.

All projects from all levels can be seen now

I am still in level 1 but can see all projects of my path. We still will advance Level by Level. I believed, we can not go farther, till we do not finish the Level Before, in Basecamp. No more true.

But still going level by level? I am not yet in Level 2 as I did not finish Evaluating in Level 1, IP

Indeed, I can see open save etc even the other levels now! Here level 4 electives (most of them) from my level 4! Already a great progress. But there was more, I did not know, till later this morning, when I discovered the Pathways FAQ 30 and later,  giving more details and explaining.

Letter from TMI
"September 12, 2019

Dear Leaders,

You asked for it, and we are excited to announce a big change to the Pathways learning experience. Over the next few days, we will be opening access to projects in all levels in your paths!

Currently, members can only see the projects associated with the level they are on in their path. This change will allow members to view all projects in their current path. Please note that while you will be able to view all projects, the projects themselves have not changed and still build in complexity. While we are starting with English, we are working to extend this change to all languages we support for all online paths by the end of the month.

The process to approve levels has not changed. Each level will still need to be approved by a Base Camp manager, and approval of all five levels will allow members access to their final project: “Reflect on Your Path.” Once Level 5 has been approved, members can submit a request for their entire path to be approved by the Base Camp manager. As soon as that request is approved, the path will be complete.

Awards will still need to be submitted in Club Central. Path progress will still need to be submitted in order—for example, you will not be able to submit Level 2 completion before Level 1. As a reminder, progress in Base Camp will still need to be approved in Club Central to receive credit.

This update also comes with a revised Member Progress Report for Base Camp managers. The Individual Progress report will be updated to display all projects in progress or completed, by level. Instead of showing how many members are working in each level, this report will now show how many members are working in or have completed each project within a level. To see which members are in each project, simply select “View Details.”

Also, from Education Transcript, we can add External Training, Print, export and run Transcript Report. Not tested yet, there is suddenly so much new that has to be absorbed one by one. Will do it.

Be more specific! Give more examples!

This morning, I told my story from the Research and Presenting, Level 1 - and in order to tell a story went back to my vacation and how I become, more ill there. Back to London, as the doctor prescribed me medicine that was not available, I begun to search Google, and learn better, how it has to be searched.

I was not enough specific, as I hesitated to tell what they found, and what I found... finally on Amazon. Yes, one day I will tell even that and what happened, for now I am not ready.

I went back to where I was born, and to the city I grew up, with my daughter (from Maryland now) and my son who arrived from Paris (and after a few days in Sicily) and my two grandchildren who came with me from London.

We met 25 others from family from Romania, Germany, France and England.

I ate something, I really should not have. Was very ill, still recovering. Now, I begun to search google, learn more about how to do it.

4 words

https://youtu.be/L8DKRk9Mvdk

Improved "Print Certificate" as BCM

choose the club, then click on the small box near it "Enter Basecamp as BCManager" then click on the Manager Tutorials, the third box. And then from there to the Level Completion. By clicking on the Level completion, the different tutorials appear.

Printing Certificates is the last tutorial. It can be launched or Requested, taken inside our basecamp as a project, to be there and opened any time we need it.

The tutorial begins and very fast shows and tells you the steps to perform. 

Going to Search and finding the member name. Click to the Transcript and find Training Details. 

Going to the Level you want to print, then Print the Certificate.

Well they say what you have to do, they show it

and here is the certificate

After Printing remember to logout as Basecamp manager, and login when you want to be as member, again.

Humor delivered, but

The Humorous speech from Level 5 was delivered. It was Humorous and compelling. Was it all I hoped? No. I forgot the second part, or at least the last 2/3 I prepared. So it ended abruptly, what my evaluator remarked. He told me I did complete well the project and gave details. He loved, how I drew all inside my story from the first worlds and how many times it did have humor in it, and hold his emotions.

Next time, and also in my next speech, remarks and reflections about my path, I will add the end. Already requested that speech.

YouTube to let know

As you can see, even if Witty Storytellers Online, has only 9 subscribes and not a lot more then 10 "likes", it has been shared more then 30 times and has been Viewed more then one thousand times! In all, more then 4,465 minutes of its videos watched. 

So it is a good strategy, to post - with the right keywords added - video on YouTube, to make your club, your activity knowns. And this is only for our club. I do have a different channel for my own videos that I want to be knowns widely. 

Of course, this blog is also one useful mean to make known my passions, passed by now in 2 ½ year the 130,000 hits. 

Three basic books, Personal Storytelling

There were and still are basic books, to read and study, The Power of Personal Storytelling, by Jack Maguire, Improving your Storytelling, by Doug Lipman, and Long Story Short completing them. 

Path: English OR French, not same path.

From the profile, (Welcome, Julie!) I choose my club. Then click on the middle "Choose a path". 

First, I have to determine the language, for TMI an English Path is different from a French Path. You have the possibility to buy both, 20 dollar more for the second one, or use only one of them, and give speeches in whatever language you want for any of the projects, of course, the audience has to understand you and approve that you speak that language.

Once I choose my Club and English (as language) and click on Choose the Path, there is Basecamp (choose that) or Printed Path choice. Choose Base camp, then click, and Take Assessment appears. 

Under the Assessment and Start there is : SKIP Assessment. If you click on Skip, all path appear, and you can click on the one you want now. 

After choosing, of course, you pay for it (if you already had your first path) 20 dollars. As soon as you paid, but maximum 3 - 5 minutes, the path appears in your basecamp. Activate, Launch Curriculum - strange name for the path.