Setting clear intentions keeps you focused and able to communicate clearly. Clear intentions also help you achieve your goals.
I have recently been coaching someone who got laid off. I have known her for quite a while and have seen her grow professionally in a variety of settings. She has an entrepreneurial spirit and I have always thought she would be better off being her own boss. In one of our early sessions the topic of freelancing or starting a consulting practice came up. We talked about the pros and cons and then she went off on a previously planned family vacation.
The next time I saw her a few weeks later she came into the coaching session and proclaimed, “I’m not going to be an employee reporting to someone else ever again! I want to help others and make money in the process” That’s a very clear intention. From then we started brainstorming things she could do to help others and earn money in the process.
Several options came up and within a week, she had a name for her consulting business, purchased the URL, had a logo created and had several leads for projects and clients. Within the first six weeks after that she was off and running as a self-employed consultant going to meetings, writing proposals and doing some work. All the while she kept her attention on her intention, “I want to help others and make money in the process.” She is doing just that and I know in my gut she is going to be extremely successful. She has the drive, the knowledge, the people skills and the dedication necessary to achieve her goals.
Let’s look at the concept of intention as it relates to other things. Suppose you have a big presentation to create and deliver. The first thing to ask yourself is, “What is my intention and what do I want the audience to be able to do, be, say, feel or think when I’m done?” Setting a clear intention helps you focus the design of the presentation so it relates back to the answer to this question. If you decide to use slides to help you enhance your message be sure they are visually appealing and not just words on the screen. When it’s time to deliver focus on your intention and simply tell your story with passion and purpose.
When communicating in any situation it’s always a good idea to set a clear intention. Think about how you want the flow to go. Stephen Covey said, “Begin with the end in mind.” That’s good advice. Just keep your attention on your intention and success will be yours.