Page 13 - July 2020
P. 13

Numbers Don’t Tell the Whole Story






 PJ Kleffner, DTM - District Director










      here to serve our members and ensure thatyou  evaluations and feedback, and improve our
      meet YOUR goals. If you are not growing and  impromptu speaking with Table Topics. We still
      getting what you want from Toastmasters, you  have essentially the same Toastmasters program,
      are likely to leave.                                   but the delivery mechanism changed. Since it

          One of the challenges we face this year is  was introduced three years ago, Pathways has
      helping our members make the transition to  evolved based on member feedback, and it will
      the Pathways learning experience. Some of our  continue to improve.
      members are not comfortable with this change,             One of my favorite lines in Illusions by

      and maybe even feel like Toastmasters pulled  Richard Bach is “We teach best what we most need
      the rug out from under them. A few days ago, I  to learn.” When Pathways was first announced, I
      joined another webinar to meet our International  immediately volunteered to be a Pathways Guide
      President-Elect, Richard Peck. He spoke directly  to help roll it out to the Clubs in our District. I

      to my inner math nerd as he started his talk with  did that because I thought it was the best way for
      a reference to the transitive property of equality  me to quickly learn about Pathways, and I was
      in mathematics! In case you need a refresher,  right. As we face these changes, I challenge you
      that’s the one that says “If a=b, and b=c, then  to be proactive and look for opportunities that

      a=c.” He explained that we are in a time of great  will help you in your Toastmasters journey. We
      “opportunities, challenges and changes.” He went  are providing new resources from the District
      on to say that these words are interchangeable  to help you, including regular webinars, and
      in his mind, because you can’t have any one of  introducing the new VP of Pathways role in

      them without the other two.                            Clubs. You will be hearing more about those
          Our challenge, then, is to look for the  from our PQD, Eldred Brown.
      opportunities as we embrace all the changes that          In closing, I ask you to think about how you
      are coming our way, whether we like them or not.  are going to use the next four hundred ninety-

      Your life changed the first day you walked into  five thousand three hundred and sixty minutes
      a Toastmasters meeting—I’m guessing for the  left in our Toastmasters year.
      better, or you wouldn’t still be here. We continue
      to have Club meetings, make speeches, provide




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