Every day a meeting

I did not exaggerate when I wrote: "every day I have a Toastmasters meeting". 

Only one of them is near me: twice a month, late Wednesday : it begins at 7:15 and ends after 10 pm with a break. 

100% Online meetings, like Witty Storytellers Online twice a month Thursdays very early for me, or Global Trainers Online, early every second Saturday, or Firebirds collective, Sundays altering hours.

This picture is from a special meeting for my project Lessons Learned, in fact to speak about the event we created and realized together. At this special meeting, last Thursday, outside our normal meetings at Witty Storytellers only the five of us attended. Organizers, Storytellers and Audience.

All the others are either "Remote access" to groups that meet far away, like Yakima Toastmasters, Tuesdays, DTM Masters Sunday once a month or EZ-Speak alternate Wednesday afternoons, like in this picture: here shown only the three of us who attended remote from different places in the globe and the room. 

Sometimes the room can be seen easy and we feel almost being there, other time it seems far away from us. With time, we will learn all the techniques to make them best possible experience. We learn as we go and so do those who are together in a room.

Here is Paul White, from Virginia, USA in the DTM Masters meeting: he was the General Evaluator. They got this time a great microphone, and arranged the "podium" so we can see the speakers well and from time to time the audience also. 

I even got to see at a time the huge screen where we could get a glimpse how they from the room see us, those arriving from far away places through the Web, the Internet connection, and our own computers. 

Monday, we had fun at a Royal Roads Toastmasters meeting (I am coach for the club now) online, with Santa Brian Dodd president, all the way to to north of Canada, near Vancouver. But the attendees you see are also from Europe, New Zealand, Africa! And three of four, were for Pathways projects.

It does seem to us that we are all together, even if for some of us is evening while for others is morning or noon. For some it is winter time for others early summer. But here in the meeting, we are all together.

We were a lot more presents at Global Trainers Online, probably also because it was a celebration of Chartering Certificates we received now all, with many of us speaking.

Two attending, from two divers Airports and even when it departed, we could at least see them if no more hear. Another time we had a member speaking from a moving car! As you see, I was also in as was Santa.
Many of us belong to more then one online club, and even when not, visit each other's clubs from our home. We also had a special guest this time, who accepted to be our General Evaluator.

Yesterday, I went all the way to Oragon to assist to Yakina Toastmasters meeting, we were almost as many online this time then those attending their breakfast meeting and eating at the beginning. It felt as we were at the table with them. Seen them taking their meal in the pub's basement room.

Alas, this time the speaker seemed farther and for once the voice was less clear, I could still Evaluate one of the speakers who gave her second Pathways speech with lots of drawings a bit hidden by a head for us, online attendees. We still had fun hearing about two and four legged people thousands year ago living, then dying, then understanding each other. Old myths and stories revived for the Holiday season. 

And here is the Royal Roads Toastmaster President as Santa, introducing the Monday meeting. 

In Zoom, you can view in Gallery view: all present seen in small rectangles, or Speaker view, when the speaker is seen big and the attendees in small. 

About different possibilities of Zoom, that more and more clubs use now, another time. 

This post is just to give you a taste of how busy I am and how time flies fast as I go from one meeting to other: some days two Toastmasters meeting one after the other. Still, I have time to prepare my project I work now on, if fact two projects. 

The Lesson Learned project is the most difficult for me, as I just discovered that thing called 360 degree evaluation. I asked after the special meeting those attending to send me, some did very long (and wonderful one with a lot of detail in it), others send it half or one third filled, and yet another showing she was just angry now for something I said and called me "old fashioned". 

The feedbacks are so different, from each other! 

One feedback I found through all of them: I am a bit too decided when I go for something, and should listen more carefully, or longer to those with whom I work. One of the toastmasters adds "I am probably the same", other said "she walks to talk", each added something different. 

I believed, the the Lessons Learned should be after an event about the Event, but... in the feedback form, a lot more questions are asked about the organizer, more then about the lessons learned in the event itself. Now, I have to read all again, summarize it, make some conclusions. A lot of work!

At the same time, as this is my last assignment for the Leadership Development Path, I begun to write in my notebook about the whole path, and even my Toastmasters Journey, as it is asked in the Reflect on your Path. So much to write, so much to remember!

Printed or not printed? My 1st or my 2nd path?

I used this picture I took a morning, when I lost my denture and had to go a few days without my three front teeth. I felt as if it was a major catastrophe. 

I made from it a huge problem, like the shadow that you see on the wall, projected by the sun on my living room. Projected in my head by the problem before me.

But today, I realized, one can be used also for "inverse". What is if we visualize something a lot bigger, fatter, better, and then get a small thin thing instead?

We did not know but were sure we will have a manual with all the Electives together, beautifully printed, send to us, as soon as we finish and prove we finished, the first two levels of the Printed Path. I had seen that beautiful fat manual in my head for many weeks. That was one of the cause I was so disappointed. Perhaps, I did interpret not well what I read, what will arrive. That bigger expectation result was huge disappointment.

This morning, I got a message from Singapore, from Poh Kim Siong, guide and great workshop leader of Pathways. "Hi Julie, just to confirm with you when you order the printed material, do you get all the electives manual or only those you selected to do?"

Answer alas is: Neither! 

In the Level 3 Printed you just get Storytelling and Social Events "elected" for you by the staff at TMI, and same for the other levels, only one by level. You can not select, nor view the other electives, nor request the ones you would like. You can even not see the electives mentioned in the printed text (as they did not alas yes edited it for those who get printed material) and as for some (for me mysterious) reason, once you did buy Printed, the Base Camp material path is forbidden for you to see.

Poh Kim Siong got inspiration from my blog but did not found the Search box: in fact I have at least 7 posts already about my disappointment with printed material in this blog. If I understand, when looked from iPhone, the side bar is not visible. Perhaps, have to find another way to put the Search. Possible, but it alters the beauty of the title. Or perhaps at the bottom? But then how to say there is something there?

Yesterday, I had a wonderful surprise. I got from TMI a beautiful certificate of proficiency. For my Presentation Mastery path. 

I call it "my second path" because it is the second I did complete. But thinking of it back to 26th March 2017, it was the first one I did chose. Get. 

Later, I changed it to Visionary Communication, my free path, and did buy Printed. 45 dollars. Did have to wait till end June to get the firsts two manuals. 

When I got the Level 3 and was so hugely disappointed, I stopped it. 20 more dollars to buy a Web based Presentation Mastery: this certificate shows I did finish that one. For only 65 dollars, I learned a lesson many should understand: DO NOT ASK for PRINTED Path! Avoid at any possible way. Some Districts and clubs, go to web and print material for the members and even clubs who can not go online for some reasons. That lets them chose, which electives they want. And even have access and read the electives they did not chose for this time, but where suggested as "useful" in the text. 

I did not give the "proper" Reflect on your path speech after I finished this bumpy special, path, not wanting to disappoint, I spoke combining my two paths. I will write a story full of humor of my adventures and misadventures, expectations and choices I made. 

Now, that I am towards the end of my 3rd path, which effectively IS the 3rd, Leadership Development, I begun even before finishing my elective, to write about my path. Not only my last path, but as asked all my Toastmasters Path. It will look a lot more rosy and glorious that the one I can now mock and for which I just received the beautiful Certificate that I will put in my entrance to show myself: I got it! Finally, I did get through. One learns a lot from what does not go smooth. 

Each path is different, and I will take time to reflect, to compare. 
Perhaps, most electives offered are the same, but my personal reaction so different!

Completed two path, now what?

So far, after the Stats, we are not so many who have completed at path, or even two, but that was a few days ago, after it many got their second.

I am not in front because I have done the more of them, but only as I am member of the district with the lowest number: 27.

Now what?

Of course, at one hand we do continue with other path, learn more, learn different. Look at the next path with other eyes.

But beside the path, now the question arrises "What else we have to do for a Pathways DTM?"

Here is one way to look at it. You can see my two path (that I completed) first the Visionary Communication then the Presentation Mastery. On "top of them" come the Roles we have to assume.

I am Sponsor of the club "Global Trainers Online" helped at their chartering in August, and "play" the SgArm role in that club. I am now an approved Club Coach at Royal Roads TM, which I visited a lot of time, and now help them get more members and get "Distinguished" at least.

Have been Club Officer in clubs. It seems, one can be 12 month or twice Six Month. We will see about that. My two different roles, Secretary and VPE in two different clubs, the year runs out end June, but six month before, I was already VPE already in my online club.

District officer? I will not be a Guide, but as Pathways Ambassador in at least 8 clubs, contacting them monthly, till rollout and three more month at least, I could get that also. It will be a lot of work, but very interesting also to go out with the Guide together and answer questions. Show my enthusiasm, and whenever possible a glimpse to the Base Camp.

I already got the DCP project and begun to think and plan in general, if not yet with detail for it. My different projects that I completed will help as also my experience with DTM last time, in 2013.

I see a very busy five or six month awaiting for me.

And looking forward for two more paths and different slants for each. About that, in next post.