Pathways Additions on Their Way

Nearly a decade after it was introduced to members, the Pathways learning experience continues to evolve. This year, Toastmasters is launching special vintage paths for the program, offering new learnings called “explorations,” and increasing the price of learning paths for the first time.

With vintage paths, Pathways offers a look back at educational content that was foundational to the Toastmasters program. The material hasn’t been available to members for many years.

Two vintage paths became available in mid-April. The first, Basic Training for Toastmasters, is based on the manual of the same name and features content that Toastmasters founder Dr. Ralph C. Smedley first introduced more than 80 years ago—in 1943.

The other vintage path is The Communication Series: Entertaining Speaker + Storytelling. It is composed of three manuals that date back to the 1980s and were retired in 2018: Competent Communication, The Entertaining Speaker, and Storytelling.

If you’re working in a vintage path, you will access content on Base Camp, where you can navigate materials online or download and print a copy. The projects in a vintage path—such as, say, “The Ice Breaker” and “Speech Building” in the Basic Training path—are organized in the same five Pathways levels that currently exist in the six specialized learning paths.

You can earn Distinguished Club Program (DCP) credit along with new credentials and badges at each level. If you complete the Basic Training for Toastmasters path, you will earn what is called the BT credential; and if you complete The Communication Series: Entertaining Speaker + Storytelling, you will earn the new CES credential.

The vintage paths each cost $60 USD. Before purchasing one, you must first complete Level 1 in any of the other six learning paths.

Starting July 1, the beginning of the new program year, the cost to purchase any of the other six paths will be $35. (The price has remained at $20 ever since Pathways began, while Toastmasters has made a number of improvements to the program largely based on member feedback.)

Members can still pay $20 to purchase one of the six paths before the new price goes into effect.

Explore Further

Explorations are a new product that will further expand Pathways’ offerings. These learnings are composed of three projects that will enable members to focus on multiple aspects of a specific topic. The first exploration, launching later this year, is Online Meeting Mastery, and its three projects are “Attending Online Meetings,” “Delivering Online Presentations,” and “Leading Online Meetings.” When you complete an exploration, you’ll earn DCP credit. Finishing Online Meeting Mastery will earn you credit equivalent to completing Level 2 in a learning path.

In 2025, enhancements were added to all existing paths. One component of these enhancements was tailored to improving members’ participation in club meetings: The first item in each level of a path now requires participants to complete meeting roles.

Additionally, in Levels 3 to 5 of each path, members must now deliver 10-to-15-minute presentations from the Toastmasters Education Series. Such presentations help members expand their skills and, by sharing tips in club meetings, presenters also help improve club quality.

For more information about Pathways updates, visit the Education Programs FAQ page. Information about new Pathways developments will also be shared on the Pathways Updates page as it becomes available.

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