NILES — Toastmasters International, a club that seeks to build confidence in speaking and leadership, has instituted a new program to launch its members into the modern world of blogs, podcasts and interactive videos.

Four Flags Toastmasters recently launched this program in the Niles area. An organization whose motto is “Where Leaders Are Made” now builds leaders in a slightly new way.

“It’s the same Toastmasters way of ‘learning by doing’ but still have support for new pathways for our fellow members,” said Lori Haynes, president of Twin Cities Toastmasters Club in Stevensville and last year’s area director.

The new program, called “Pathways,” will replace in roughly two years the present program, which uses three workbooks for achieving the three advanced levels of as a competent communicator.

“What Toastmasters has done in the past worked really well,” said Haynes, this year’s Lead Pathways Guide for District 62, “In giving speeches, along with mentoring, coaching, and national and international speech contests, receiving evaluations and giving evaluations. Evaluating other speakers is key to our program and helps you be a better speaker, too, because you are looking at it in a different way.”

Toastmasters, as members are called, may now venture into a web world with numerous projects related to laptops, tablets and videos.

“But, now you can use your laptop, tablet, desktop, videos and interactive programs,” Haynes said. “You can do projects and then give speeches related to those projects — projects related to interactive concepts, such as doing interactive interviews. These include more of today’s modern leadership needs, such as creating a podcast or being in a web blog.

“You can develop a podcast on the internet or by yourself, and play part of the podcast to the club. Then explain what happened. What was the result? What have you learned from it? How did you apply it to your work or your life?

“For times we are in today, we have 10 paths you can choose from based on your leadership/management style, your personal life, or something based on what you want to do down the road,” she said and explained that members can choose from paths such as dynamic leadership, presentation mastery, and visionary communication.

Each path has five levels and includes an icebreaker speech, mentoring and coaching, and developing plans, projects and vision. Toastmasters can learn to build strategic leadership and conflict resolution skills, and develop effective coaching skills. For more information on the new program, she cited toastmasters.org under “education” and then “Pathways Learning Experience.”