Path: Innovative Planning

This path helps you build your skills as a public speaker and leader. The projects on this path focus on developing a strong connection with audience members when you present, speech writing and speech delivery. The projects contribute to building an understanding of the steps to manage a project, as well as creating innovative solutions. This path culminates in a “High-Performance Leadership” project of your design.

Level 1

Level 1 Requirements: Complete four speech projects and an Evaluation

Ice Breaker

This foundational project is designed to introduce you to your club and the skills you need to begin your Toastmasters journey. This project includes a 4- to 6-minute speech.

Evaluation and Feedback

This project addresses the skills needed to give and receive feedback. You will learn about giving, receiving and applying feedback. This project includes a 5- to 7-minute speech, incorporating feedback from your first speech into a second 5- to 7-minute speech, and serving as a speech evaluator.

Researching and Presenting

This project addresses topic selection strategies, suggestions for research and methods for producing a well-organized speech. This project includes researching a topic, the Research Worksheet, the Speech Outline Worksheet, and a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Level 2

Level 2 Requirements:Complete the projects on understanding your leadership style, Connect with Your Audience, and the mentoring project. A total of three presentations are required.

Understanding Your Leadership Style

This project is designed to introduce the different styles of leadership and help you identify your preferred style. This project includes the Discover Your Leadership Style questionnaire and a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Connect with Your Audience

This project focuses on different audience types and how to address them effectively. This project includes a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Introduction to Toastmasters Mentoring

This project introduces the value of mentorship and the Toastmasters view of mentors and protégés. This project includes a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Level 3

Level 3 Requirements: Complete the Present a Proposal project and any TWO of the electives. Please note that since Connect With Your Audience was required for Level 2, it’s not available for an elective on Level 3.

Present a Proposal

This project introduces how to select key information to present in a proposal to build a case with supporting evidence and realistic solutions. This project includes developing a proposal, the Write a Proposal Resource, and a 5- to 7-minute speech.

ELECTIVES

Deliver Social Speeches

This project addresses the skills needed to compose a speech for a social occasion including a toast, eulogy, an acceptance speech and a speech praising an individual or group. This project includes the Social Speech Basics resource abd two 3- to 4-minute speeches.

Using Presentation Software

This project addresses the use of presentation software—from identifying topics that benefit from the use of technology to effective slide design and presentation. This project includes developing presentation slides and a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Connect with Storytelling

This project addresses storytelling techniques and descriptive skills to help make every speech relatable and interesting. This project includes a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Creating Effective Visual Aids

This project addresses effective methods for choosing the best visual aid for your presentation along with the creation and use of each type. This project includes creating one to three visual aids and a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Using Descriptive Language

This project addresses the difference between literal and figurative language along with how to determine when to use each to create vivid descriptions. This project includes a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Connect with Your Audience

This project focuses on different audience types and how to address them effectively. This project includes a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Make Connections Through Networking

This project focuses on how to network effectively and understanding the importance of being a professional ally to people in your network. This project includes the Prepare to Network resource, attending a networking event, the Project Completion Form, and a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Focus on the Positive

This project addresses strategies for improving your personal interactions by understanding the impact of your attitudes and thoughts on daily interactions. This project includes recording your daily moods and attitudes for a minimum of two weeks, a 2- to 3-minute report or a 5- to 7-minute speech, and the Project Completion Form.

Inspire Your Audience

This project addresses the skills you need to identify and speak about personal strengths and present yourself well in an interview of any type. This project includes the Identifying Your Skills Worksheet, the Interviewer Instructions resource, and a 5- to 7-minute role-play interview at a club meeting.

Prepare for an Interview

Understanding Vocal Variety

This project addresses the importance of vocal variety when giving a speech and provides activities to develop and nurture its use. This project includes a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Effective Body Language

This project focuses on how to recognize body language used when speaking publicly and how to use gestures to enhance speech content. This project includes a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Active Listening

This project covers the difference between hearing and listening, and steps for exploring the ways listening helps build strong, lasting connections. This project includes serving as Topicsmaster at a club meeting.

Level 4

Level 4 Requirements: Complete the Manage Projects Successfully project and at least any ONE of the electives.

Manage Projects Successfully

This project focuses on skills needed to effectively manage a project, develop rapport with stakeholders and cultivate strong relationships with a team. This project includes: building a team, creating a project plan, the Project Plan resource, a 2- to 3-minute speech about your plan, completing the plan with your team, and a 5- to 7-minute speech about your experience

ELECTIVES

Create a Podcast

This project addresses the skills you need to develop a podcast, create interesting content and organize a cohesive program. You will learn how to record and upload it to the internet. This project includes recording 60 minutes of podcast content and a 2- to 3-minute introduction speech.

Building a Social Media Presence

This project addresses how best to use different types of online communication. You will create and maintain an online profile to promote yourself or an organization. This project includes establishing or enhancing a social media presence, a project completion form, and a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Managing a Difficult Audience

This project covers common behaviors of difficult audience members and how to address each behavior in a calm, effective and professional way. This project includes a role play assignment for club members and a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Write a Compelling Blog

This project addresses the basics of developing a compelling blog and successfully engaging a readership. This project includes maintaining a blog and posting at least eight times in one month, the Blog Evaluation Form, the Project Completion Form, and a 2- to 3-minute speech

Manage Online Meetings

This project addresses how to effectively conduct online meetings and webinars, prepare and organize necessary visual aids, and lead with confidence. This project includes the Online Meeting Agenda resource, the Online Meeting Basics resource, and planning and conducting a 20- to 25-minute online meeting or webinar.

Question-and-Answer Session

This project addresses how to prepare to answer questions and provide information clearly, concisely and with confidence. This project includes a 5- to 7-minute speech and a question-and-answer session after the speech.

Public Relations Strategies

This project focuses on how to promote awareness of an organization, formulate a public relations strategy and use various public relations tactics. This project includes creating a public relations strategy and a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Manage Projects Successfully

This project focuses on skills needed to effectively manage a project, develop rapport with stakeholders and cultivate strong relationships with a team. This project includes building a team, creating a project plan, the Project Plan resource, a 2- to 3-minute speech about your plan, completing the plan with your team, and a 5- to 7-minute speech about your experience.

Level 5

Level 5 Requirements: Complete the High-Performance Leadership and Reflect on Your Path projects and at least any ONE of the electives.

High-Performance Leadership

The focus of this project is to design and complete a project with well-defined goals, lead a team and be accountable to a guidance committee. This project includes selecting, leading, and completing a project with a team, forming and meeting with a guidance committee at least five times, several project and planning resources, the 360° Evaluation resource, and two 5- to 7-minute speeches.

Reflect on Your Path

This project is designed to give you an opportunity to share your experience at the end of your path. This project includes the Your Toastmasters Journey resource and a 10- to 12-minute speech.

ELECTIVES

Lessons Learned

This project addresses how to identify the discussion points of a large group meeting, encourage a culture of contribution and voicing opinions, and facilitate productive discussion that yields results. This project includes facilitating a lessons learned meeting, documenting the results of the lessons learned meeting, the 360° Evaluation resource, the Lessons Learned Response Log, the Metrics Log, and a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Moderate a Panel Discussion

This project addresses the skills needed to successfully moderate a panel discussion and how to be an effective participant on a panel. This project includes planning and moderating a 20- to 40-minute panel discussion, the Panelist Basics resource, and the Project Completion Form.

Ethical Leadership

This project addresses the importance of recognizing the effect of decisions that impact ethics, best practices for making ethical decisions and developing an ethical framework. This project includes the Ethical Framework resource and organizing and moderating a panel discussion as well as a question-and-answer session.

Leading in Your Volunteer Organization

This project focuses on the skills required to lead in a volunteer organization and the importance of recognition and reward in motivating volunteers. This project includes serving in a volunteer leadership role for a minimum of six months, conducting a 360° evaluation of your leadership skills, creating a succession plan, the Succession Plan resource, the 360° Evaluation resource, and a 5- to 7-minute speech.

Prepare to Speak Professionally

This project is designed to help you define the attributes of professional speakers and apply that understanding to your own skills as a speaker. This project includes the Speech Outline Worksheet and an 18- to 22-minute keynote-style speech.