Andrew Pallant

Monday night at London Western Toastmasters, I gave a speech about getting the momentum going. It was geared to getting used to speaking, getting in front of the club and practicing. I had equated it to driving a 5 speed transmission car. When we start looking at our goal, we are stuck in neutral. Our goal at Toastmasters is to become better communicators or to get through our first manual of 10 speeches. First gear of your car would be your first speech known as the icebreaker. First gear is also the first step in your journey to your goal. As you shift through various gears you are steps closer to gaining momentum. I believe once you have hit the fifth gear, it is like high driving and you are coasting to your goal. While you are journeying to the fifth gear you may slip into neutral and have to regain your composure. In our club there are other activities you can use to get unstuck to regain focus using (table topics, club roles).

To me this analogy of the car can be used in regular life. Take your goal and break it down to mini goals. Do your best to stay out of the neutral or stuck phase. Build momentum through the different goals so that you meet your ultimate goal quickly. I like the ultimate goal broken down into at least five mini goals; however, you could break it down any way you need it to be. Just keep moving on the set of goals so that you do not lose sight of the ultimate goal. If you lose focus, you can briefly back step so you can regain your footing or you could find other practical activities (research, meetings, note making, etc.).

The most important thing is to not to lose focus of your goal. Keep moving through your mini goals / steps. Take charge and put yourself in the driver seat!

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