Helping our clients think about intention, or the outcome you hope to achieve with what you say, is key to our coaching work.
There are two perfect times to use intention. One: before you begin a high-stakes communication. This could be a speech, a negotiation, or a difficult conversation, anything where you might be nervous about the outcome.
I spoke recently with a woman who was going to be interviewed by a reporter on an issue she’s passionate about. We talked about her intention, “to calmly state my case.” She didn’t want to get too fired up, or to fall into a trap of badmouthing people on the other side of the issue. She simply wanted to get her ideas across in a calm and compelling way.
The other perfect time to get your intention in gear is when you don’t have time to prepare. You’re rolling along in your day, all is well, and suddenly you’re blindsided by something someone says or does.
Your first reaction doesn’t have to determine what you say. You can take it in and ask yourself, “What do I want the outcome of this interaction to be? What can I say next to get closer to that outcome?”
This pause, this moment of self-awareness, gives us time to correct our course. It’s a gift we can give ourselves and the people around us.
