All weather, different paths

Uploading evaluations? For yourself

You can or not upload the filled in evaluation pdf or pictures, in any way: only you will see them.

I got used from the time, I believed it is needed and VPE can see too. He can not.

Open inside Basecamp your Portrait, inside you E-portfolio. Inside are Documents (and badges) open Documents, different levels are there as folders. We can upload there. Not too big, not too long name either. I put path initials, evaluator in name before uploading.

Of course, keeping them in a desktop folder is also ok. They are for you.

Finding my vision?

In the Visionary Communication path, I finished my "elective project" the Moderate a Panel, and I am now waiting, for the authentic, special vision to come to me. ---  3 years ago ---
And
But looking back again to the Project, I realised : I have to begin!

The vision will not descend on me by itself.

I did in fact have an "impossible dream" and it was said that at the beginning to go for it. But when it does not depend on me, then I try and find that indeed, it is like reaching for the impossible dream, as in the Don Quichotte de la Mancha. I do want it but will not spend my energy fighting against others.

It is great to begin "without limits" as it was said in the first pages, but then I have to step farther. I am happy to learn all this during the project, of course, but I do have to have the courage to begin.

I was afraid when I looked at this. But looking farther,

I understand now better, that the project is in two times.

First, I "find a vision" without making plans to implement it.

Later, comes to make a plan.

"The important is to be an authentic vision for me, and then, giving a speech of 5 to 7 minutes about it before an audience."

Only after having "my vision" should I try to look and put it in smaller, achievable tasks.

Yesterday, I was even told, "it does not matter how much I achieved from them, the beginning steps already are the most important". Yes, true. And being able then to speak about the planned steps, for other 5 to 7 minutes. What I have to show the VPE at the end of this project, is not the achieved vision but my plan to go towards it.

That seems immediately more achievable.

"Imagine! Be specific. Imagine the outcome scenario with  details : outside details and your thought and feelings when you will be there." Painting a mental picture, both physical and emotional help to build and go farther. As it does when we tell a story!

So I should begin, telling a story to myself.

As soon as I decided this, I read further: it is not enough!

"Brainstorm with a buddy, write down all your thoughts and feelings. Even the smallest, to help emerge the core issue. Find the Why you want it. And what is the most important for you over the time."

And now, suddenly, I am finding a page that brings me back to what I just did Thursday: Research.

Remember? Research is the last project at Level 1, that I just finished again in another Path.

I find it very useful that all along the levels we can and should do farther research in whatever project we are. Even at Level 5 as here. Never stopping at all what we are told inside the project itself, but urged to go and discover farther. I like this a lot in the Pathways Projects and spirit.

"Create a Vision that enhances many areas of Your Life and it is Uniquely Yours." Will try.
then, suddenly I find what I did not do - yet. In the project, there is an image I did not copy.

I will do this from today!

Begin, to record ALL my thoughts and feelings in detail. In tryuth, I did begun then even lost the place where I did and got caught up with many many other things.

I can write day by day in a blog, I can write day by day in a diary, so I should be able to write also about "vision" to discover "mine and authentic" and for which I am ready, not only to put a lot of my time and effort, but even, later... write a plan. As writing a plan down is really not "my thing". But as I read the project again, that will come in the next stage.

For the moment, let me develop my "impossible", but perhaps in some ways, "possible" dream. Talk about it before others. Then I will go and face my second hurdle, to cut it in "achievable tasks with dates" and give a second speech.

Indeed, when you cut in parts, it seems more possible.

My initial dream was about making pathways known wider, and in some ways I am on it already with this blog. The first 8 posts were for a project, the rest where for me and for you all who need it.

I love when Pathways Projects challenges us. I hate sometimes to go so out of my comfort level, but I already know from my experience that with it "my comfort level will be enlarged" at the end.

My Vision: how it developped

I live in London now, and Monday, I went all the way near Vancouver - remote. Explained my path togffward my "vision" to members of Royal Roads, in Victoria BC. Brian, has created it with two other Toastmasters living there and opened it remote.

)--- first vision speech  Aug 2017  ---

I do believe, still have to work on it, my vision and also my speech to explain it. 

When one arrives to level 5 of the Visionary Communication, the "vision" project ask for two different speech. One before we make a plan with goals and timelines, this is it. Then another, with details how we will achieve what we decided is our own authentic vision. 

Tuesday afternoon, I participated to another meeting, online this one, the Toastmaster Viviana was from Malaysia, members from Venezuela, Bangladesh (my evaluator) and China. 

I spoke showing my slides created with Presentation Software through Zoom's 'show screen' feature, speaking of my "green screen" images projected behind me and how I put them in the Zoom's images, and then about the importance of the light. I found out, that if is best when I put my light 3 meters farther to illuminate even the screen behind me. One more project completed.

Wednesday, I went to my ground club, the VPE of the club came to pick me up with his car. I delivered for the first time an Active Listening project. I was Table Topic Master. Questions around bad and good holidays. After each answer, to witch I listened very actively, I resumed shortly what I understood from the answer and delivery combined, while the member or guest was near me yet.

Should the toastmaster be still there when I speak shortly? That was the only objection of the VPE, who has still to send me a written feedback, he told me while bringing me home. "It almost look like a discussion then" he told me. Is it bad? I felt almost as it was good.

Afternoon, before the meeting, I went all the way to Washington DC, and was the Toastmaster of the meeting, through GoToMeeting platform this time. 

The first time I was Toastmaster leading a meeting from afar, with some members I could not see, or did only when come to speak. 

A lot more difficult then with 100% online meeting, when we can see all, or at least all that have roles at the moment.

This night, I woke up and paid my dues to the first toastmasters club. The one I was decided to keep. Another, I paid last week and is chartering next week in Vancouver during the convention. 

Not every week is so full! But yes, sometimes I do go all sails up and the wind is in good directions and I do advance. This week, I delivered speech for two of the three projects of Presentation Mastery, the two elective projects. The third was delivered three weeks ago. A persuasive speech. Which was not enough persuasive. I still have to improve on it. Next week, I will try it again. 

Most important is to advance, even with my legs hurting after a longer outing, even with me often up in the middle of the night. It is a good time to create a new story from an old memory.

James new workshop

New workshop, for all toastmasters. Funny, interesting, and even I discovered new features.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=old9Wwapjdg

New workshop, new discoveries - even for me! 

Pathways for busy People. 

This is a page from Voices, the District 7 monthly. 

James Wantz not only teaches us but also entretiens us. Learning with pleasure and great slides with huge red arrow pointing where our eyes should look.

Do not miss this! 

Soon, we will have a guest post from James, meanwhile, here is one slide I missed to show last time. 

See the wonderful huge arrows, and READ the text, that changes. Is it new, the changing text? I did not observe before.

The importance to be Up-to-Date

My posts speak of personal experience, most of the time. Mine' and they are up to date, as it was When I wrote them. Very few of old posts I update and change then the date.

More difficult even to make videos that are up to date with the, happily coming new developments. I really like and recomend this two webinars, one already on district 7 web and YouTube from James Wantz, the other will be available next week. And the one for Basecamp managers, is also for all of us, at least the firsts 15 minutes. Clear and specific slides, great voice, and yes, I discovered things I did not know nor observe. 

After login and profile 2 ways to access your path(s). So clear with the huge red arrows!

The new face of Pathways Basecamp, two ways again to access your path. The one down let's me access the latests I used, but I love to use the one on top. All my active paths and resources on it.

Click in the middle there, not on the path name. Open curriculum or Activate at beginning and from then on, Launch. After finishing the project, tasks and speech, answering to all auto assessments after questions and Submit we have to refresh to get the x signalling Project done.

When all projects from a Level got the tick, and we did at least the minimum number of projects, we read a blabla, close it, then click Mark level completed. Attention. We got the experience that wile waiting for approval it is transformed to Launch- ask a Basecamp manager to approve it for you. After approval, you get the certificate in the same place.

There were a lot more great pictures and discoveries but, go ask for them at the source. And three days ago he did another webinar, that will be available from next week.

TT part Montalvo Present, TTM Julie

Here are the Table Topics we had when Montalvo was visiting us

We know

Skip First minute where all attendees write silently note to the  last speaker.

The Level 3 Required project for the path PM is a Persuasive speech.
The 1st July, I did do it at my London club, Lewisham Speakers club.
Phil the last president, offered a great and specific feedback.

This is Gallery view, the most time, and recorded to my computer.
I cut from the original video all the other speeches and the table topics : it was 2 h in all...
Now it is around ten minutes.

Could I do it better? Of course! Beside not showing the book, best reserved for another speech. I had a detailed outline followed only in general. Could have rehearsed it more. Can try to repeat it again.

Breaking the Ice, from Smedley to now

--- Republished from May 2017 --- as I prepare a new Icebreaker for Sunday

Breaking the Ice through telling a story about yourself.
Making others know you better, creates instant connection.

In my own experience, deeper you open up, stronger you connect to a large audience.

Icebreaker was the first project, first speech from 1905 as Ralph Smedlay begun his first Toastmasters club, in the basement of YMCA after out of college himself. It is after other clubs where formed and asked him to write down the "basics" then he taped pages and let them be photocopied. Each project adds to our understanding of creating, rehearsing and delivering a good speech. "Use what you learned and add to it."

Icebreaker, through more then hundred years now: "Tell about yourself to the members of the club". Tell about your life or your hobbies, or passion. Decide what you want to tell then "wrap in into a story"

Of course, it is a subject we all know and it is easy to remember and be "in the moment" as we tell it. Of course, it is very difficult to decide what to tell in only 4 to 6 minutes! Of course, it is not evident to speak for the first ever before, relatively unknown people.

Difficult to forget our first times... and we have many but still remember them. They are special. Difficult also to tell a story even if we heard and told so many: we are not told here what is a story. Difficult but exciting to tell about ourselves!

My first ever Icebreaker in Monument Toastmasters spoke about my arrival in Washington DC and what I remember about it then at the end I was told to look more at the audience. I did learn to look.

30 years later, I was in London and decided to tell my life in the different subsequent projects of Competent Communication manual. Found a wonderful title for my Icebreaker: "And the ice did not break!" The content was from hiding in a cave during the Second World War, fearing nazis and shell bombing too, then when finally the Soviet army "liberated" us, having to run from them so they do not get to rape my mother through the frozen Danube. There were no bridges over the large river and in was  beginning March. As we fled very early in the morning, we had almost nothing with us and we were lucky: the ice did not break. We went through from Buda to Pest and got to a cousin of my mother.

I intended to tell all the way till I arrived in France at age 30, but... it was too long.
As there were not available speaking places in my club, I got a chance to speak as "mystery speaker" in an AREA contest (5 clubs together) and be evaluated by 5 contestants. Ok, I told myself, it is not me who they will judge but those giving me feedback. Only one realised I did not finish. She won the contest. What happened is when I have seen the red light on I froze.

Something more important happened at that Icebreaker. My story had a huge impact on the audience, they ah!ed, they laughed, they reacted. As for me, after a first second dread on stage, I did fall in love with the audience. It is a reciprocal love and lasting love.

The second project from the CC manual is "organizing" begin, transitions in the middle, end".
The third project from CC manual is "have a point" as Doug Lipman calls it the Most Important Point.

In the Pathways Icebreaker all three first CC are in one, but in plus we are taught different rehearsing techniques and then how to combine while delivering prepared (learning well beginning and end) with authentic delivery and not word by word. How by rehearsing bits by bits, we can embed it in us. Using at that stage only outline cards to remember if needed the flow.

In another slide - there are many - in suggest that you tell your club members why you joined and who suggested you to go to a Toastmaster club the first. My Pathways Icebreaker was 40 years after my "first" I did well remember the "why" that I did not tell them at that time... As a standup comedian it was easy to dig deep and open up: I knew it will leave impact to tell the truth.

I went to my first Toastmasters club meeting, to find a man.
There is always when I tell this truth in a club someone asking "did you find it"?
So, I can answer and get another laugh: "I am still looking!"

Then tell the truth too: I found my voice and learned to look, got confidence.
With those skills, I did find what I was looking. Outside Toastmasters.

In 1977, Toastmasters still had very few women as the clubs let them in little at a time. In 1977, I had been 'single again' for two long years and everywhere I went I found so many women, so few man! That is what I was complaining about when a friendly woman send me to the Toastmasters! The problem was yes, there were many, there were interesting too. But most married. Well married!

That is the long story, I do not usually tell. I told some of it during my Pathways Icebreaker at the Witty birds online meeting. Toastmasters expects us to tell "I come to learn to speak better" or "I come to get courage to speak in public" not other reasons. But all of us have many reasons, all legit!

In London, I was seeking like minded people to tell them my stories and hear theirs.
I did not expect all what I got from it: different leadership skills, a tribe I felt included, and later even the courage to become, at age 77 standup comedian! and so much more.

Already with the Pathways Icebreaker, I realised that we have to prepare longer for each task we get. This new program will let us become faster good speakers, more professional speakers, more effective. We will get less projects to advance but we will have to work on each more time to "get it right".

With each blog post, I will tell more about my Pathways experience and transitions in my life too. Next will come the project I love most so far : in fact three under one title: Feedback and Evolution.

Level 4 PM printed

Managing online meetings and Questions-and-Answers : both great Projects chosen for us for Level 4. They are the same chosen by TMI for all printed path. 

I put my name on for August to create a Q/A Education as I finished yesterday Level 3, with the required, Persuasive speech. Before, I finished in another club, the two Elected for us projectsI , first the two Scial speeches in two different meetings, then the 
Connect with storytelling.

Alas, it is the VPE who has to declare in Basecamp the accomplishment of each project. Someone buying Printed material is not supposed to be able to go online and to the Basecamp. I did buy it more then three years ago, and the path was... hibernating.

New Basecamp tutorials arrive

Pathways Updates and Maintenance 

Upcoming from TMI

June through August 2020 Base Camp tutorials

New tutorial videos are in development to help members navigate Base Camp and work in projects.

These tutorials will feature the redesigned Base Camp homepage and

will be made available on Base Camp and YouTube throughout the months of June, July, and August.