Where Does Your Path Lead?
Do you feel like you are on the brink of something exciting? That something may be about to come into your life that can help you make some positive, significant changes? Join District 39 as we begin a journey down a new pathway! Pathways Learning Experience is Toastmasters’ new education program. It is the most significant change to the Toastmasters education program since founder Ralph Smedley introduced the Basic Training Manual in the 1940’s. Pathways will help you reach your personal and professional goals by building current, real-world skills. It is a user-friendly online learning experience you can customize to fit your needs; whether those be in public speaking, interpersonal communication, management, or strategic leadership—or combinations of those areas. Some of Pathways’ features you will enjoy: 10 unique learning paths (chosen by you, based on your goals and needs) Learning at your own pace Engaging videos and digital content Experiencing the program online or in print Interactive quizzes and activities Expanded resources to model skills you are building—online tips, tools, and videos More specific and frequent feedback and recognition New projects such as podcasting, blogging, holding online meetings Pathways is new, but based on familiar concepts and projects. Your club meeting will remain very much the same. With the help and input of members from throughout the world, Toastmasters International has taken the very best of the current education program and transformed it into a modern, dynamic, robust learning system! If you completed all 16 of the current communication manuals (85 speeches), you could achieve 68 different competencies. In Pathways, you can achieve that many in one path! In all of Pathways, there are more than 300 competencies just waiting for you to realize them! Each path you take will have multiple projects in each of 5 levels. You will complete all the projects in one level before you move on to the next level. The skills and knowledge you gain in Level 1 will be the foundation for the projects in Level 2. Those gained in Level 2 will be the foundation for projects in Level 3. The goal throughout the Pathways program is to not just learn, but to apply what you learn. Paths have a combination of required projects and elective projects you select. The power of Pathways is your ability to customize the program to match your own goals and needs. Pathways has an online learning management system called Base Camp. In Base Camp, you will select paths, track your progress in projects, and maintain your evaluations and awards. You will find lots of resources and tutorials to answer questions and provide information and guidance. You can see videos of members who have completed the same project you are working on, who are sharing some tips to make the project easier for you. You can even “file” copies of your speeches and any comments you receive. Now that you are anxious to start, you want to know when Pathways will be available, right? Pathways is being released to the entire world in phases. For District 39 (in Region 2), it is just around the corner! We are scheduled for rollout this September. Before we can roll out, the District 39 Pathways Ambassadors and Guides need to visit each club to make sure every member has the opportunity to hear about the program prior to it going live. Look for them to visit your club sometime in August or early September. They are coming to introduce the program to you–not to train you in detail. Why not in detail? Because the current education program and the new Pathways program will work concurrently for nearly two and a half years. After the rollout, you can jump right into Pathways…or you can ease your way into it. You can even work in both the current system and Pathways at the same time. But rest assured, you aren’t expected to know everything about Pathways the day it rolls out. Your Ambassador and Guide will be there to help you for several months after the rollout. It truly is an exciting time to be a Toastmaster! Tracy Fletcher-Bowman DTM D39 Pathway Ambassador “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” George Bernard Shaw
Pathway Guides Needed
Dear Members, You are invited to apply online for a Pathways Guide position in our district! This is a great opportunity for you to be a part of Toastmasters International history. As a Pathways Guide, you also earn credit toward your Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award. You will partner with an Ambassador to visit up to 10 clubs in our district and deliver a presentation about the Pathways learning experience. You will also conduct regularly scheduled virtual support sessions with the vice presidents education of your assigned clubs and answer their questions. To ensure you are prepared, you will be given all resources and guidelines you need to succeed in your role. Your six-month term will begin in the Fall of 2017 and will conclude 6 months later (exact dates TBD). For your service, you will be awarded with credit toward your DTM award and may be substituted for one year of service as a district leader. Please review the Pathways Guide Role Description located on the Toastmasters International website for further details. If you are interested in serving in this exciting position, please complete the online application. Please submit your completed online application to me no Sunday, June 11, 2017. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you in advance for your time and participation. Sincerely, Zack Souza, DTM Program Quality Director 2016-17 Toastmasters District 39 Online Application Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/G5WZN8M Pathway Guide Role Description: http://www.toastmasters.org/~/media/75BADD1508074CA09442A82ED522B134.ashx
Welcome to Pathways!
In 2010, the Toastmasters Board of Directors crafted a five-year strategic plan that laid out the goals and objectives for the organization over the next five years. The plan’s centerpiece? A call to revitalize the Toastmasters education program. Much of the communication track hadn’t been updated since the 1970s, and leadership became a separate track in 2005. The Board stressed the need to modernize the communication track and to renew the focus on leadership learning in the leadership track. That original vision marked the beginning of a hugely ambitious effort to enhance the education program. Scheduled to roll out next year, the program will offer members more opportunities to learn and grow, highlighted by greater access to educational materials, expanded tools and resources, and a customized learning experience designed to help individuals meet personal and professional goals. Currently, the project is referred to as the revitalized education program. The actual name of the new program will be Toastmasters Pathways learning experience, reflecting a journey of possibilities and progress. “Our organization is all about helping people fulfill their potential, and Pathways embodies that concept,” says Toastmasters International President Jim Kokocki. “This is such a dynamic program for members: You’ll have the opportunity to develop more skills than ever before—skills that will help you succeed inside and outside of Toastmasters.” Keeping the Key Concepts Pathways is not a departure from the current education program. It maintains Toastmasters’ guiding principles and educational concepts. Club meetings will still be at the heart of the Toastmasters experience. The new program builds on the best of what we have now. It takes the education program to the next level, but at its foundation, Pathways is anchored in the vision of Toastmasters’ founder Ralph C. Smedley. The educational content has been built and developed meticulously, grounded in the most current, effective principles of instructional design. In addition, the content has been thoroughly vetted by members, who have praised it as innovative, engaging and relevant to members’ needs today. The positive response can be traced to the countless hours of hard work, and teamwork, that spurred the revitalization process. The end result isn’t just the handiwork of Toastmasters’ education development team at Toastmasters’ World Headquarters: Creating the new program has required a tremendous collaborative effort among the Board of Directors, the education team—and other departments—at World Headquarters, vendors and experts, and thousands of members. Members were asked to play a vital role in the process. Early on, more than 270 members were chosen to be Learning Masters, a group that offered valuable feedback to the Pathways team on the educational content and learning experience. Other members were chosen as Chief Ambassadors and Ambassadors, to share information about the program with members, making them aware of the many benefits it offers, providing updates on its progress and answering questions. The Board’s vision set the revitalization project in motion. Then, to build the foundation for an education program that would best serve members, the team immersed itself in research and analysis, studying data and reviewing feedback from current and former members about what they wanted to see in an education program. The team evaluated the Toastmasters learning experience in great depth. What ultimately emerged is a more robust education program, one that enables members to develop an array of skills that are relevant in their personal and professional lives. At the Board’s direction, Pathways was developed with these benefits for members: Recognition that comes earlier and more often in the educational journey New technological resources to improve speeches and support meeting roles Mobile access to educational materials (tablets) Expanded video and digital content to facilitate learning among our global community of members Stronger evaluation and mentoring components “Pathways is going to be a world-class program that will help members succeed, and thrive, in an evolving global society,” says Kokocki. The Structure As Ralph Smedley realized, communication and leadership are inextricably linked. In the new education program, they will no longer be separate tracks—they will be combined. From its review and analysis of the current program paired with the leadership experience, the Pathways team identified the five core competencies members can learn by participating in the new program: Public Speaking Interpersonal Communication Leading and Managing Leading Strategically Building Confidence These are the core competencies, but within those broader areas are many other competencies (and sub-competencies) as well. The Pathways team took foundational competencies in the Competent Communication and Competent Leader manuals (like learning basic speech structure, effective delivery and how to communicate well within a team) and built upon them. The current education program teaches 68 competencies; Pathways adds more than 250 competencies members can learn. Do you have any questions or would you like to help with the roll out? Contact Tracy Bowman Fletcher
2017 Leadership Breakfast Reno
2017 Leadership Breakfast Sacramento
The #3 Reason that Toastmaster clubs fail is:
The #3 Reason that Toastmaster clubs fail is: They don’t promote! Here is a 60 sec. Toastmasters video your club can use to promote Toastmasters to guests, to help build membership in your club! Click here!
District Executive Committee Meeting and Midyear Division/Area Director Training
The District Executive Committee Meeting (DECM) is a meeting in which District Officers and members of District committees discuss club, area, division and district goals, and conduct other District business, as well as obtain leadership training that can help them in their roles. Date: 01/07/2017 Schedule: 9:30am-11:15am: District Executive Committee Meeting 11:15am-11:45am: Lunch and Area Director Recognition Noon-1:00pm-The Leader Experience-Sondra Nunez, DTM 1:00pm-2:00pm-Division Area/Director Debrief-Zack Souza, DTM/Jane Taff, DTM 2:00pm-3:00pm-Breaking the Leadership Code-Jane Taff, DTM Venue Name: University of Phoenix-Sacramento Street Address: 2860 Gateway Oaks Drive Sacramento CA 95833 Venue Notes: Free parking lot available Event Description: District 39 Executive Committee Meeting. Division and Area Directors are recommended to attend. All members are welcome! Contact: Sondra Nunez, DTM, DD sondra.nunez@district39.orgSuccessfully Encoded Phone: 916-599-5975
Triple Crown Award
Take part in District 39’s TRIPLE CROWN Promotion! Attain three or more Educational Achievements before the end of the current Toastmaster year, and you will be recognized as a Toastmasters Triple Crown Achiever. It promises to be challenging – you need to attain any three of the following: CC, ACB, ACS, ACG, CL, ALB, ALS and DTM. But with goal setting and commitment, it’s definitely doable! And consider the benefits: Recognition on the District 39 website. Recognition on the District 39 Facebook. Special achievement recognition, to be presented at the next District Conference. Most importantly: maximized personal growth through the Toastmasters educational program. Remember: Track completed speech and leadership projects with zeal, and be a District 39 TRIPLE CROWN achiever!
Speak like a 5 Course Meal!
D39 Toastmasters Toastimonial: John Heredia
This interview is the fourth in a series spotlighting rising stars in Toastmasters District 39. How is your club cultivating its next generation of speakers and leaders? Q: John, how long you have been a member of your Toastmasters club and what was the original catalyst that prompted you to join? A: I’ve been a member of Strictly Speaking since May 2014. I had just moved back to Sacramento from San Diego, and a co-worker invited me to join. I was looking to get involved in a new activity. Q: How do you remember your first few meeting experiences? Did someone step up as a mentor for you? A: My first experience was very welcoming and supportive. Dave Hamilton stepped up as a mentor for me, and helped me by conducting a new member orientation. We sat in the cafeteria and went over my goals in Toastmaster, career, and life. I asked him to provide feedback on my decisions, how I was as a leader, and most importantly how I was doing as a Toastmaster. He was very supportive and encouraging with my decisions to become President of Strictly Speaking and an Area director. Q: What are your proudest achievements in the club? And what would you like to accomplish? A: I had a few achievements in the club. Four months after becoming a member, I became the President. I grew the membership from 8 to 24 members and lead the club to achieve Presidents Distinguished. Additionally, I competed at the Area level contest and won 1st place in the International Speech contest and 2nd in the Humorous. I would like to accomplish my DTM. Q: What would you recommend to other clubs looking to attract more Millennial members? A: Make the meetings fun and exciting to come back to. Be supportive and personable. Q: What are the key lessons you have learned in Toastmasters? A: I learned that you can only get better with practice. If you are able to get up to speak, say a few words and sit down, then you have succeeded. The second thing I learned is that the skills and knowledge you gain in Toastmasters are transferrable to other areas of my life. When I apply the basic communication and leadership principles that I’ve acquire from Toastmasters, then I feel confident to succeed in anything I do. Q: How have you applied these principles in your career or other personal pursuits? A: I am currently serving on a Board for a non-profit organization that provides an educational athletic program for grades K-5 after school. I applied the same principles I learned in TM with membership and finances (collecting dues). Within 6 months the organization doubled and memberships were paid in advance. The skills I learned during my training from District 39 and experience as President in Strictly Speaking has helped in my career in prioritizing, problem-solving, and becoming more goal-oriented. Recently, I’ve changed careers to pursue my leadership and speaking skills and gone into Training and Development for the State agency I work for. Q: What key advice do you have for other younger members to get the most out of Toastmasters? A: Be open to learn and take on new opportunities. Get credit for your time and your speeches, and help others to grow with you. Contact John Heredia