This path helps you build your skills as a strategic communicator and leader. The projects on this path focus on developing your skills for sharing information with a group, planning communications and creating innovative solutions. Speech writing and speech delivery are emphasized in each project. This path culminates in the development and launch of a long-term personal or professional vision.
Visionary Communication
Projects
LEVEL ONE: Mastering Fundamentals
Ice Breaker
This foundational project is designed to introduce you to your club and the skills you need to begin your Toastmasters journey.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to introduce yourself to the club and learn the basic structure of a public speech.
Overview: Write and deliver a speech about any topic to introduce yourself to the club. Your speech may be humorous, informational, or any other style that appeals to you.
This project includes:
■ A 4- to 6-minute speechEvaluation and Feedback
This project addresses the skills needed to give and receive feedback. You will learn about giving, receiving and applying feedback.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to present a speech on any topic, receive feedback, and apply the feedback to a second speech.
Overview: Choose any topic for your first 5- to 7-minute speech. After your speech, carefully review your feedback. At a different club meeting, present a 5- to 7-minute speech in which you incorporate feedback from your first speech. You may choose to present the same speech again or a new speech. Your second speech should reflect some or all of the feedback from your first speech. Finally, after you have completed both speeches, serve as an evaluator at a club meeting and deliver constructive feedback about another member’s presentation.
This project includes:
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
■ Incorporating feedback from your first speech into a second 5- to 7-minute speech
■ Serving as a speech evaluatorResearching and Presenting
This project addresses topic selection strategies, suggestions for research and methods for producing a wellorganized speech.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to learn or review basic research methods and present a well-organized, well-researched speech on any topic.
Overview: Select a topic that you are not already familiar with or that you wish to learn more about. Be sure your topic is narrow enough to be an effective 5- to 7-minute speech. Research the topic and begin organizing the information, as described in this project. Practice your speech and continue to refine its organization. Present your speech at a club meeting.
This project includes:
■ Researching a topic
■ The Research Worksheet
■ The Speech Outline Worksheet
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
LEVEL TWO: Learning Your Style
Understanding Your Leadership Style
This project is designed to introduce the different styles of leadership and help you identify your preferred style.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to identify your primary leadership style or styles.
Overview: Complete the Discover Your Leadership Style questionnaire. Consider how your leadership style impacts the people around you and how you can adjust it to more effectively lead people with styles different from your own. Deliver a 5- to 7-minute speech at a club meeting to share some aspect of your leadership style or leadership styles in general. You may choose to discuss your style preferences when working with others, your style and how you can adapt it to situations, or leadership styles in general and how they impact a group.
This project includes:
■ The Discover Your Leadership Style questionnaire
■ A 5- to 7-minute speechUnderstanding Your Communication Style
This project focuses on recognizing your preferred communication style and understanding how your style impacts your interactions with others.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to learn about different communication styles and identify your primary style.
Overview: Complete the Discover Your Communication Style questionnaire to help you identify your style. Deliver a 5- to 7-minute speech at a club meeting about your communication style and its impact on your professional and/or personal relationships. If you are uncomfortable discussing your communication style, you may speak about the communication styles you have encountered and how they impact you. Your speech should not be a report of the content of this project.
This project includes:
■ The Discover Your Communication Style questionnaire
■ A 5- to 7-minute speechIntroduction to Toastmasters Mentoring
This project introduces the value of mentorship and the Toastmasters view of mentors and protégés.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to clearly define how Toastmasters envisions mentoring.
Overview: Write and present a 5- to 7-minute speech about a time when you were a protégé. Share the impact and importance of having a mentor. This speech is not a report on the content of this project.
Note: Every member in Toastmasters Pathways must complete this project.
This project includes:
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
LEVEL THREE: Increasing Knowledge
Develop a Communication Plan
This project focuses on how people are motivated. It is designed to help you build your leadership skills by effectively motivating team members.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice the skills needed to motivate team members through the completion of a project.
Overview: Build a team of three to four people to help you create and complete a project to benefit your club. Use the information in the project to develop motivational strategies for each team member. After the project, you may choose to ask team members and at least one club officer to complete a 360° evaluation to give you feedback on your communication and leadership. Deliver a 5- to 7-minute speech at a club meeting about your experience. Your speech is not a report on the content of this project.
This project includes:
■ Building and motivating a team to complete a project that benefits your club
■ The Team-Building Activities resource
■ The 360° Evaluation resource
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
ELECTIVES (choose 2)
LEVEL FOUR: Building Skills
Communication Change
This project focuses on creating a communication plan by gathering evidence to support the need for change and communicating change with your audience.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice the skills needed to effectively communicate change to a group or organization.
Overview: Develop a plan for communicating a change to an audience affected by the change. At a club meeting, communicate the change in a 5- to 7-minute speech. You may speak about a real or hypothetical change that affects your club or another group in your life. This speech is not a report on the content of this project, but a speech about how you would or will communicate a real or hypothetical change.
This project includes:
■ Developing a plan for communicating change
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
ELECTIVES (choose 1)
LEVEL FIVE: Demonstrating Expertise
Develop Your Vision
This project focuses on developing a vision for your work or personal life.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to develop a detailed vision for your personal life, professional life, or an organization.
Overview: Develop a vision and present it at a club meeting in a 5- to 7-minute speech. Establish a timeline for implementing your plan using the resources included in this project. Deliver another 5- to 7-minute speech at a later meeting to present your plan to bring your vision to fruition. Submit your signed Project Completion Form to the vice president education to show you completed all resources included in the project.
This project includes:
■ Developing a vision and establishing a plan to implement it
■ The Idea Map Worksheet
■ The Goal Setting Worksheet
■ The Goal Task List
■ The Vision Plan resource
■ A 5- to 7-minute speech
■ The Project Completion FormReflect on Your Path
This project is designed to give you an opportunity to share your experience at the end of your path.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to reflect on your growth during the completion of an entire path.
Overview: At a club meeting, present a 10- to 12-minute speech to share your experience completing your path. Use this as an opportunity to reflect on how far you have come, summarize the skills you have learned and developed, and to celebrate your achievements. Your speech can be humorous, informational, or any style that that appeals to you and supports your speech content.
This project includes:
■ The Your Toastmasters Journey resource
■ A 10- to 12-minute speech