I am sure you’ve heard that practice makes perfect, right? You may have even heard someone say that practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent. So what does this mean? If you are practicing doing something wrong over and over again, then each time you repeat the action it will get etched in your muscle memory as the way to do it, and eventually that becomes the habit you go to without even thinking about it. But if you want to be great at public speaking, then this must change!
This leads to the question...
Why Should You Have Public Speaking Goals?
Public Speaking Goals are essential to your development. Public speaking goals will allow you to have a laser-sharp focus that keeps you moving forward. It also ensures that you have transparency into what is being achieved and how long it takes, as well as showing if there might be any deficiencies in your ability to communicate and/or as a public speaker overall.
Public speaking goals keep everything on track and serve not only as a reference but also as an accountability tool for keeping yourself motivated and committed if you decide to take a public speaking course.
For most public speaking courses, the public speaking goals will include several elements, including:
- A timeline of when each goal should be completed by
- A visual representation of every Public Speaking Goal
- Active components that make the goals more functional.
In order to develop skills in public speaking and communication, think about the following:
What do you want to learn?
What Public Speaking skills do you want to develop?
What is your timeframe for learning these Public Speaking skills?
Set "SMART" Public Speaking Goals
Once you have answered these questions, you can begin setting goals. The best way to achieve success with any goal is to break it down into smaller goals. When creating them, try and make them Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART). This will help keep you focused while working on your Public Speaking skills.
For example, a public speaking goal may be “To be able to give a presentation in front of an audience of ten people in the next month”. However, this public speaking goal is too broad and not specific enough for public speaking training planning purposes, since it does not tell you when the goal should be completed by.
Therefore, a public speaking goal would be “To give a presentation in front of an audience of 10 people, so that I have an audience to practice my skills on a weekly basis”. This public speaking goal is more achievable as well as being time-bound, which means that at the end of one week you will have achieved everything expected.
Get a Public Speaking Partner
Once you have defined your public speaking goals and broken them down into smaller steps, it might also be worthwhile involving a public speaking partner. Public speaking partners are someone who will help you work on your public speaking skills and Public speaking goals, by making sure that you have a Public Speaking schedule in place to adhere to, as well as being there to offer Public Speaking advice and Public Speaking encouragement along the way.
Working with public speaking goals can be challenging, which is why having an accountability partner may be very beneficial for ensuring long-term success.
Top 10 Examples of Public Speaking Goals
The following Public Speaking Goals are examples to help get you started - feel free to adjust them to fit your needs and Public Speaking style:
- Learn how to write an outline for a presentation.
- Research three interesting topics for presentations.
- Be able to deliver a five-minute impromptu speech without notes.
- Reduce nerves before speeches
- Improve vocal delivery
- Make more eye contact with the audience
- Increase confidence while speaking in public
- Take advantage of online resources in Public Speaking
- Deliver speeches with more impact
- Connect better with audiences
Again, these public speaking goals should be adjusted to fit your specific needs and timeframe. Remember, the best way to achieve success with any goal is by breaking it down into smaller goals! Make sure you review your public speaking goals regularly and revise them as necessary!
Review- Goal Setting Tips To Remember:
Public speaking goals should be specific and time-bound (i.e., by when you want to achieve them).
Public speaking goals should be achievable (don’t choose something too great or difficult for you to accomplish right now).
Public speaking goals should not be completely unattainable (so make sure they are realistic).
Public speaking goals should motivate you (they should push your skills forward, rather than hold them back).
Remember, you can always revisit Public Speaking Goals at any time. If at any point there is a need for a major revision to the Public Speaking Goals, DO IT!
How To Achieve Your Goals In Public Speaking
Achieve your goals in public speaking; whether it is to become a more dynamic and confident speaker or to improve your vocal delivery, is similar to setting and achieving goals for anything else. It requires action!
Here are 12 Steps to achieve your public speaking goals:
Step #1: Define Your Goals
Before you can achieve any goal, you need to know what it is! What are your specific goals for public speaking? Write them down and be as specific as possible. As noted earlier, set 'SMART' goals.
Step #2: Set a Deadline
When you're trying to achieve a goal, setting a deadline is essential! Giving yourself a date by which you want to have accomplished your goal will help keep you on track.
Step #3: Make a Plan
Once you know what your goal is and when you want to achieve it, it's time to make a plan of how you're going to do it. Break down the steps necessary to accomplish your goal into manageable tasks that can be completed on schedule.
Step #4: Take Action
Now it's time to take action! Start working on your plan and ticking off those tasks. Every step you take will bring you closer to achieving your goal.
Step #5: Persevere
There will be times when things don't go as planned or when you encounter roadblocks along the way. Don't let that stop you! Persevere and keep moving forward.
Step #6: Stay Focused
It can be easy to get sidetracked when trying to achieve a goal, but it's important to stay focused on what's important. Make sure you're spending most of your time working towards your goal and not letting other distractions get in the way.
Step #7: Set Smaller Goals
When you're trying to achieve a large goal, it can be helpful to set smaller goals along the way. This will help keep you motivated and ensure that you're making progress towards your final goal.
Step #8: Celebrate Your Successes
When you reach a milestone in your journey to achieving your goal, take the time to celebrate! Revel in your accomplishment and give yourself a pat on the back.
Step #9: Stay Patient
Don't expect to achieve your goal overnight. It may take weeks or even months of hard work before you finally accomplish it. Be patient and keep going until you reach your destination.
Step #10: Get Support from Others
It can be helpful to have the support of others when trying to achieve a goal. Seek out people who can help and encourage you along the way.
Check out the article, "Everything You Need to Know About Presentation Feedback" for more details on this topic.
Step #11: Learn from Failure
Failure is part of life, and it's inevitable that you'll experience some setbacks on your road to success. When this happens, learn from your failure and use it as motivation to try harder next time.
Step #12: Don't Give Up!
The most important step of all is not giving up! Keep working hard until you reach your goals in public speaking. You can do it! Brian Tracy, World Class Speaker & Author talks about the 7 C's to Success.
Resources to Meet Your Public Speaking Goals
For more resources to develop your public speaking skills while you are in the comforts of your own home, please check the articles Online Resources for Public Speaking and Where Can I Learn Public Speaking. If you would like to leverage the best presentation software for your next big speaking engagement please read the article 'Best Presentation Technology tools'.
Leave your comments below with your public speaking goals!
