By Sean F. Forrester, DTM, Chief Pathways Guide, District 48

Seasoned veterans who have been involved in Toastmasters for a while often ask why the Competent Communicator (CC) & Competent Leader (CL) Awards are not available within the new Pathways educational program. While it is true that the awards themselves are being phased out at the end of this Toastmaster year, the adage remains that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

This image shows the 10 projects from the CC manual and then 2 of the 11 paths currently available in Pathways – the Presentation Mastery path and the newest, the Engaging Humor path. If you look closely, you will notice that between Levels 1 and 3, all the ten of the CC projects are available, with the exception of #9, Persuade with Power, in the Engaging Humor path.

 

 

This image shows the ten projects from the CL manual. You will notice that each of the requirements are covered either directly within Pathways or as part of the District’s new Full Circle Award program. Again, there are exceptions. As noted in the column labeled Other, projects #6, #8 & #10 require service as a Chairperson, of either a contest, an Open House or other such event. Currently Pathways does not require this role to be fulfilled.

 

If you are looking to leverage the Pathways program in a more traditional way, consider choosing either the Presentation Mastery or Engaging Humor paths and committing to earning the Full Circle Award to help your club with meeting roles. If you have specific questions, please email me at [email protected].