\u201cI wish it were easier for me to speak my mind at work!\u201d?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If these wishes have at least crossed your mind at some point, trust us, you\u2019re not the only one \u2014 a lot of people feel this way on occasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wishes like these are unrefined hopes and aspirations that might or might not come true. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet, there is a way to turn unclear wishes into S.M.A.R.T goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the following paragraphs, we will teach you how to set S.M.A.R.T. goals for your workplace communication. First, we will define this type of goals and see why they are important. After that, we\u2019ll provide you with some tips on how to set them, as well as give you a few examples of S.M.A.R.T goals from various industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sure, we cannot promise we\u2019ll make your wishes come true \u2014 but we will show you the way to set them more realistically and make them easier to achieve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, buckle up, and let\u2019s shoot for the stars!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Secure, real-time communication for professionals. Discuss, share & collaborate.<\/p>\n\n As you have probably guessed, thanks to the capital letters and dots, S.M.A.R.T.<\/a> is an acronym that stands for the most important characteristics of a goal: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Like we already said, there is a difference between wishes and goals, the latter being more concrete and specific. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But, are all<\/em> goals always more concrete and specific than wishes? Or are some goals better than others? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s take a look at popular New Year\u2019s resolutions, which are practically wishes posing as goals, but not well enough defined to be ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We all make New Year\u2019s resolutions \u2014 but how many of us actually keep them long-term? <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to a study<\/a>, 30% of us give up on our resolutions by mid-January. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Why is that so?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, if we\u2019re not careful, we run the risk of setting our goals too generally or unclearly. That\u2019s where S.M.A.R.T. goals<\/a> come into play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, now that we\u2019ve learned what S.M.A.R.T. goals are, we should strive to use them to improve our workplace communication<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n S.M.A.R.T. goals are important for workplace communication for several reasons: <\/p>\n\n\n\n To get more details on the matter, we reached out to Mark Beal<\/a>, an assistant professor of Professional Practice in Public Relations at Rutgers University School of Communication and Information. He gave us his expert opinion on the importance of setting S.M.A.R.T. goals for workplace communication:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSMART goals are critically important for workplace communication because they bring transparency to the employee performance review process and remove any vagueness which is frustrating for employees and often leads to employee resignations. At a company where employees and the employer develop SMART goals in collaboration, it results in a corporate culture featuring a foundation of transparent communication which positively impacts many other elements of the organization.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n In other words, setting S.M.A.R.T. goals enriches your company culture, consequently boosting your productivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Discuss, share & collaborate with Pumble, a team communication app.<\/p>\n\n So, now that we\u2019ve seen why S.M.A.R.T. goals are important for the workplace, let\u2019s look at a few tips on how to define them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re unsure of how to define S.M.A.R.T. goals for workplace communication, we\u2019ve got your back. Trust us, it\u2019s not hard, once you pose the right questions for setting these goals. Of course, we\u2019ll help you with the questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s start from the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, we\u2019ll set a goal that doesn\u2019t fit in our S.M.A.R.T. framework, and, by setting the following questions, we\u2019ll try to make it S.M.A.R.T.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, let\u2019s say our \u201cunsmart\u201d goal is: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to improve my confidence when giving presentations.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, it\u2019s time for a makeover. Let\u2019s \u201csmarten\u201d this goal up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first letter of our acronym is S, which stands for \u201cspecific goals\u201d<\/em>. A goal that is specific has a much greater chance to be accomplished. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, to set yourself for success, the first thing you should do is ask yourself the following questions: <\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, if your general (unspecific) goal is to improve your confidence when giving presentations, the specific version of it would be: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to look my coworkers in the eyes when giving the presentation about the new software feature.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you set the specific goal, go through the above-mentioned questions, to check if you\u2019ve covered all of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Set team goals and keep track of your progress on Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n To ease our way into success, when setting goals, we should also keep in mind that the progress should be measurable<\/em>. The questions we should ask ourselves to satisfy the measurable aspect of our goal are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, if our unmeasurable, generic goal is to improve our confidence when giving presentations, the measurable (as well as specific) version of it would be: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to look my coworkers in the eyes at least five times when giving the presentation about the new software feature.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n After setting this measurable goal, you should go through the questions once again, to check whether you\u2019ve answered all of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Moving on to the next letter of our acronym \u2014 A, which stands for \u201cachievable<\/em>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n How do we make sure our goal is achievable? Simply, by answering the following questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s take another look at our improved goal, and see if we can answer these questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since we\u2019re dealing with communication, it\u2019s obvious that we don\u2019t need any financial resources. On the other hand, we do need mental strength<\/em> as a resource. Now, we just need to make sure someone will help us if we stumble, and assess how much time we have to dedicate to this goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our revised goal may sound something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to look my coworkers in the eyes at least five times when giving the presentation about the new software feature. For that, I will need mental strength. Even if I get cold feet, my colleagues will help me regain my confidence.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hold your presentations on Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The next letter of our acronym \u2014 R \u2014 warns us to double-check whether this very goal is really relevant<\/em> for us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s consider the questions that will help us decide on the relevance of our goal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, why is this goal important to you? <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, this goal may be important because you want to be more assertive in communication<\/a>, as this will help you in your career. After that, all that\u2019s left for you is to see whether you can answer affirmatively to other questions from this cluster. So, here\u2019s how your S.M.A.R.T. goal may sound like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to look my coworkers in the eyes at least five times when giving the presentation about the new software feature. For that, I will need mental strength. Even if I get cold feet, my colleagues will help me regain my confidence. I just have to keep in mind that this goal will make me more assertive and help me in my career. \u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The last letter of our acronym refers to the temporal characteristics of our goal. The questions we need to ask ourselves are the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To make our goal truly S.M.A.R.T. we should add a temporal aspect to it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, we should formulate our goal to look something like this: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to look my coworkers in the eyes at least five times when giving the presentation about the new software feature next Friday at 3 p.m. For that, I will need mental strength. Even if I get cold feet, my colleagues will help me regain my confidence. I just have to keep in mind that this goal will make me more assertive and help me in my career.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n After all that\u2019s said and done, how can we know that we have succeeded? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Namely, after the presentation, we should feel more confident, if we had managed to realize our first step \u2013 to look our colleagues in the eyes five times. That is an excellent first step towards greater confidence and, consequently, improved workplace communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Empower your team and boost productivity in real time. Try Pumble by CAKE.com.<\/p>\n\n Before we proceed with the examples of S.M.A.R.T. goals for improving communication for different industries, let\u2019s check out your comprehension of the topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So you think you can set S.M.A.R.T. goals for improving your workplace communication? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s test your knowledge! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t worry, we have just one question for you, and, if you paid close attention to the tips above, it should be a piece of cake for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which of the following goals is S.M.A.R.T.?<\/p>\n\n\n\n A. I want to improve my confidence in public speaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n B. I want to improve my confidence in public speaking in the next two days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n C. I want to improve my confidence in public speaking in the next month, and I will achieve that by looking my coworkers in the eyes while speaking, and better preparing for my presentations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you chose the third option, you chose the correct answer. Congratulations! <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you\u2019ve (hopefully) successfully finished this ultra-mini quiz, it\u2019s time for us to give you some more examples of S.M.A.R.T. goals for improving communication in various industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since now we are equipped with the right questions for defining S.M.A.R.T. goals, it\u2019s time we give you examples for improving communication in various industries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s dive in! <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll begin with the software industry \u2014 more specifically, with developers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s say your goal for the next year is to use your communication skills<\/a> to widen your professional network. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since this goal is too general, we should better define it by keeping in mind the S.M.A.R.T. framework. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How would that sound?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will attend at least one software development conference next year and I will take at least 20 business cards.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we\u2019ve set the goal, we should check whether it\u2019s S.M.A.R.T. <\/p>\n\n\n\n All we have to do is go through our checklist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is your goal specific<\/strong>? Yes, you have all the necessary details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it measurable<\/strong>? Yes, you have a goal to obtain at least 20 business cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it<\/strong> achievable<\/strong>? Yes, because you\u2019ll probably have plenty of opportunities to go to conferences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it<\/strong> relevant<\/strong>? Of course, because networking is crucial for advancing your career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it<\/strong> time-bound<\/strong>? Yes, you have the whole next year to realize your goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 How will this goal help you improve your communication?<\/strong> It will provide you with plenty of opportunities to exercise your communication skills while attending the conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Have your engineering teams collaborate effectively throughout the software development process.<\/p>\n\n Moving forward, let\u2019s consider educators and how they can use S.M.A.R.T. goals to improve their communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your goal is to improve communication with your students, you just need to \u201csmarten\u201d this goal up. How do we do that? <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStarting from Monday, I will begin to enhance my understanding of my students, by actively listening to them, asking them questions, and considering their point of view. I will dedicate five minutes at the end of every class to listening to their opinion.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s go through our checklist:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is your goal<\/strong> specific<\/strong>? Yes, it\u2019s clear and well-defined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it<\/strong> measurable<\/strong>? Yes, every time you discuss something with a student of yours brings you one step closer to your goal. Aside from that, you have dedicated five minutes at the end of every class, which brings you closer to accomplishing your goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it<\/strong> achievable<\/strong>? It is, since you\u2019ll have plenty of opportunities to try this approach with your students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it<\/strong> relevant<\/strong>? Yes, because it helps you improve your relationship with your students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it<\/strong> time-bound<\/strong>? It is, you have set the day you\u2019ll consciously start to work on your communication skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 How will this goal help you improve your communication?<\/strong> This goal will help you build a better relationship with your students since they will get more opportunities to speak their minds and be listened to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Pumble pro tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of teachers and communication, check out our in-depth article on the best communication tools for teachers: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking for a secure virtual learning environment and a space for school staff meetings? Try Pumble.<\/p>\n\n According to research<\/a>, communication between healthcare professionals and patients, as well as among the healthcare workers themselves, is especially important when the patients are dealing with terminal illnesses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, if a nurse\u2019s goal is to show more compassion to their patients, they need to set S.M.A.R.T. goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What is the S.M.A.R.T. example of this communication goal? <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will spend an extra five minutes with each patient, discussing their personal lives, and trying to find three common interests with them, to distract them from their illness.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s consider our checklist:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is your goal<\/strong> specific<\/strong>? Yes, you have defined your goal in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it measurable<\/strong>? It is, because you have set out to discover three common interests with each of your patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it achievable<\/strong>? Yes, because you would spend time with your patients anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it relevant<\/strong>? It is, because empathy is an important part of your relationship with your patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it<\/strong> time-bound<\/strong>? Yes, because you have dedicated five minutes to conversations with your patients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 How will this goal help you improve your communication?<\/strong> This goal will enable you to get better acquainted with your patients and will facilitate your communication with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Believe it or not, research shows that marketers who set goals are 376% more likely to succeed<\/a> than those who don\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, if marketers want to make double sure that they\u2019ll succeed, these goals have to be S.M.A.R.T.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if you want to better communicate your ideas to your target audience, you need to formulate this goal with the S.M.A.R.T. questions in mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What would that look like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to increase our email open rates by 15% by the end of the year to improve our communication with our target audience.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Plan and execute your marketing strategy with your teammates, no matter where you work from.<\/p>\n\n Let\u2019s go through our checklist:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is your goal specific<\/strong>? Yes, you have specified your goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it measurable<\/strong>? It is, because you expect your email open rates to rise by 15%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it achievable<\/strong>? Yes, because the percentage you chose isn\u2019t so high and the time frame you\u2019ve set is realistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it<\/strong> relevant<\/strong>? Certainly, if it\u2019s going to help you reach a higher audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd38 Is it<\/strong> time-bound<\/strong>? It is time-bound, for you have given yourself the deadline \u2014 the end of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/features@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nWhat are S.M.A.R.T. goals?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Why are S.M.A.R.T. goals important for workplace communication?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/mark-beal-photo.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/templates@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nTips on how to define S.M.A.R.T. goals for workplace communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Specific goals<\/strong>: Questions you should ask yourself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Measurable goals<\/strong>: Questions you should ask yourself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Achievable goals<\/strong>: Questions you should ask yourself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Relevant goals<\/strong>: Questions you should ask yourself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Time-bound goals<\/strong>: Questions you should ask yourself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/landing-1@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nA short quiz: Which of the following goals is S.M.A.R.T.?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Examples of S.M.A.R.T. goals for improving communication in various industries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
S.M.A.R.T. communication goals for software developers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/landing-2@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nS.M.A.R.T. communication goals for educators<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/landing-3@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nS.M.A.R.T. communication goals for healthcare professionals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
S.M.A.R.T. communication goals for marketers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/landing-4@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\n