For many years now I’ve taken the opportunity to speak, wherever asked, to young people. So that means I speak at RYLA, the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, one of the best courses anybody aged 18 to 25 can do to get a great start in today’s world.
I also enjoy speaking to students in years 10, 11 and 12 about what’s needed to face the business world and head toward getting the job or career they want. It’s about turning their dreams into reality and setting some simple goals.
If I have the luxury of a whiteboard when I’m speaking, I generally scrawl down some acronyms as I talk which I think are critical memory tools to help them get a start.
Firstly, the six P’s, and please pardon my crassness, as that stands for Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance a reminder that planning is hugely important. As many speakers say” “If you don’t know where you going, any road will get you there” to which I add “Most people aim at nothing and hit it with amazing accuracy”.
Then of course the keys to creating great goals are contained in the SMART formula. Your goals must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound. My suggestion to the audience is that they try to walk away with no more than five goals for the next couple of months… small bites like the ant eats an elephant.
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In talking about going for a job, after discussing how to create a dynamite cover letter that will get them an interview, I remind them that, when the interviewer asks them to talk about themself, they are the only people who can do that. Therefore they must have PRD’d what they are going to say meaning they have Practised Rehearsed and Drilled their words. (My old friend Douggie Malouf is the man who came up with this acronym.)
Finally, WIIFM always sneaks in because I believe it’s important to understand that if you want people to do the things you want them to do there’s no point to telling them why you want them to do it, you must highlight why they will want to do it.
I hope you find this of some interest and, if you think it is apt, maybe you know somebody with whom you can share this.
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