Applying The 7 Skills to impress™: Skill 1: Outcomes
Previously…
In The Challenge, I shared how the request to deliver an inspirational talk filled me with doubt, pressure, and the fear of not being good enough. Before I could write a single word, I needed something crucial:
Clear Outcomes.
Before I could do anything else, I needed to give my subconscious a clear direction, so it worked with me rather than against me.
This is the role Skill 1 fulfils.
Creating Effective Outcomes
An effective Outcome follows six simple guidelines:
- Express it positively: focus on what you want to happen.
- Keep it within your control.
- Be ambitious.
- Avoid negative commands.
- Be precise and concise.
- If needed, use multiple Outcomes instead of one rambling one.
These guidelines have been stress-tested in elite sport, hostage siege situations, and business settings. They can be relied upon.
My Outcomes for the Inspirational Talk
I needed Outcomes that covered my two main goals:
- To keep my nerves under control.
- For my words to genuinely inspire the squad.
My initial thoughts were:
A. To be authentic, calm and confident.
B. To talk loudly and clearly.
C. I’ll deliver my talk professionally.
D. To blow everyone away with a fantastic inspirational script.
After some reflection, two Outcomes stood out:
A. To be authentic, calm and confident.
D. To blow everyone away with a fantastic inspirational script.
Let me explain why.
Why Outcome A Works
You might look at “authentic, calm and confident” and see three behaviours. In theory, I could have split them like this:
A. I’m going to be authentic.
B. I’m going to be calm.
C. I’m going to be confident.
But these words, for me, form one aligned mental state. They work together. They point my mind in a single direction. Taken together, they give me a clear sense of how I want to be.
And if I’m authentic, calm and confident, I will naturally be professional, loud, and clear. Those elements become by-products of that chosen state.
In short, I was happy with the two Outcomes; they covered everything, and I didn’t need the extras.
Why Outcome D Matters
Outcome D is bold:
To blow everyone away with a fantastic, inspirational script.
It’s ambitious, and it’s deliberately so. I wasn’t looking for something comfortable or familiar. I needed an Outcome that would pull more out of me than I would normally offer, especially under pressure.
Left to my defaults, I tend to play things safe. That works in many settings, but not here. This situation called for something that would stretch me and raise my performance.
So I chose an Outcome that set the bar high and gave my mind something worth aiming at. I didn’t need it to feel comfortable or modest. I needed it to work.
Outcomes don’t need anyone else’s approval; they just need to mean something for you.
Bringing Outcomes to Life: Realisation
Once I had my Outcomes, I used them immediately to calm my nerves by bringing them to life.
As you’ll know from the Outcomes chapter earlier in Part 1, Realisation is the process that turns your Outcome into a Stroop Magnet: a direction your System 1 mind follows automatically, pulling your attention towards every possible route to success.
This blends perfectly with Manage Your State, and it’s beautifully flexible: you can do it anywhere, at any time.
That was where I turned next.
→ Click here to continue to: Skill 2: Calming My Nerves and Developing Confidence