Pathways Guide Reflections

Stage Two: October Presentations

Getting ready to enthuse club members during my assigned club visits about Pathways Experience!

I have considered the audience prior to the visit and found out a little more about who will be there and what their expectations will be. For the most part this has been done through direct contact by phone or in person with executives, and in particular, I asked about what else was happening during their meetings. Knowing where my presentation was to fit within the meeting agenda was important – this varies between clubs – and will help me put the presentation into context. In some situations I will be the only presenter after the club runs its contest, with me as a Judge. In other clubs I am an invited guest to special celebratory function prior to the meeting which involves a meal.

Key learning #1 Set the context for my attendance

I am now considering optional methods of showcasing Base Camp where there is no Internet connection provided – the use of the Quick Guides for each of the Video Tutorials will be useful here. I can show these on screen as PDFs and add the files to the USB that is delivered to the VPE for distribution electronically.  I can help to ‘show’ them the navigational aspects of Base Camp without actually being in Base Camp. This also showcases the Quick Guides as an alternative to the video tutorials – keeping in mind the different learning styles of the club members.

Key Learning #2 Provide flexible resources as take aways

My first presentation provided me with feedback on how to improve my workshop style and in particular how to be ‘more prepared‘ for answering the questions frankly and with confidence. The Master Q & A Log is a key resource for me in this regard, and reading some sections again prior to the presentation can be helpful. The document itself is dynamic and changes with new additional questions and answers as they arise in the Pathways Guides Support Webinars. Therefore I need not rely only on a print based version of the document.

Key Learning #3 Be prepared for the questions from the floor

By restructuring the basic PowerPoint presentation, I was able to divide it into 4 distinct segments: overview, what stays the same, what is different, and WIIFM. I have also built in 4 Q&A activities to mark the transition between the 4 segments.  A final segment is provided to indicate the various ‘support’ resources available to them, especially the information about the Virtual Support Sessions scheduled. I have also injected a little humour into the presentation to lighten the process and make it more enjoyable! More ‘fun’ activities will feature in my later presentations where I have had time to fine tune best practices for these activities.

Key Learning #4 Engage with the audience by creating a fun presentation!

Finally I have made a point of working within Base Camp, using the ePortfolio tool in particular, to store the ‘feedback guides’ from each of my presentations. I needed to find a way to record the anecdotal feedback and store it using the new tools from Base Camp. For the moment, I have chosen the Project called ‘Communicating Change’ from the Mastering Presentations path – a level three project which has an Evaluation Guide closely aligned to my objectives as a PG presenter.

Key Learning #5 Utilize the new tools in Base Camp now to gain confidence in their use