In the second meeting  of 2021 we welcomed 7 guests to the meeting, from as far away as the US! It was great that you joined us, Katuta, Wiktoria, Olga, Fiona, Annetta, Jagoda and Malgorzata! You are always welcome again!

We had a few new members last year, so it was time to properly introduce the Toastmasters educational programme Pathways, which lets members choose out of 11 paths, focused on leadership and public speaking skills.
The workshop was run by D71 PR Manager and Pathway enthusiast Elizabeth Jordan, who has completed 4 paths and currently works on further 3. Amazing!

To make the most of the programme,  she advised to have a plan and goals for the year. Attitude is key, investing time and energy the return on investment is huge: Increased confidence, leadership  skills, creativity and a larger network.
Her tip is to schedule in time in the calendar and not be shy to ask for help, there is a lot available, online and in the club.

The audience was  then divided into 3 groups and entered breakout rooms where everyone played Pathways Bingo, a collection of many of  the milestones in the programme. It was great to see where everyone was in the journey. We also set our pathway goals for the reminder of the Toastmasters year.

The workshop finished with  a summary of the facilitators of the 3 breakout rooms Elizabeth, John and Steve.

Everybody left the meeting with the Pathways fire (re)kindled.  If you like to learn more or refresh on what we heard, please find  Mark Snow’s Pathways guide here.

As part of her Pathways Level 5 project Nina M presented her idea for a backwards meeting. Backwards? How is this working you ask? Take a typical agenda and start the meeting from the bottom.
With the president  closing and announcing the winners, followed by the report of the general evaluator the need for thorough planning becomes clear.

Not everything can be reversed, so we will keep the timekeepers light order green, amber, red.
Speech evaluations will take place before the speech, meaning that evaluators should have familiarised themselves beforehand with the speeches and that speakers should listen carefully to what the evaluator said and turn that into action.
Lastly,  reporting roles: Improvise and make it up and have fun!

Great idea and initiative, Nina M!

Nina P ran a sightly different table topics session with a round of Top That!
Our members Mark, John, Caroline and Nicky,  as well as our guests Olga, Annetta, Katutaand Jagoda topped each other with unbelievable stories!
Steve captured all 8 stories by tying them together (read below).

Best table topics were delivered by Olga, who met a celebrity at the store! Fantastic!!

Well done everyone, a great meeting!

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