Goal Setting

Group Goal-Setting Principles

Establish long-term goals first. Establish clear paths of short-term goals en route to the long-term goals. Involve all members of the team in establishing team goals. Monitor progress toward team goals. Reward progress made toward team goals. Foster collective team confidence or efficacy concerning team goals.

Hope

Hope involves the thinking process whereby people have an overall perception that goals can be met and the skills to go about achieving those goals. People high in hope have a sense of goal-directed determination or agency and planning of ways to meet goals or labeled pathways.

Why Goal Setting Works

Indirect thought process view: Goals influence performance indirectly by affecting psychological factors, such as anxiety, confidence, and satisfaction. Direct mechanistic explanation: Goals direct attention to the important elements of the skill, mobilize performers' efforts, prolong performers' persistence, and foster the development of new learning strategies. Goals influence psychological states: Athletes who set performance (rather than outcome) goals have less anxiety and more confidence and satisfaction.

Designing a Goal-Setting System

Instructor's preparation and planning Education and acquisition Implementation and follow-up

Major goal barriers

Major goal barriers for college athletes: Lack of time, stress, fatigue, academic pressure, and social relationships Major goal barriers for Olympians: Lack of confidence, lack of goal feedback, too many goals or conflicting goals, lack of time, work commitments, and family and personal relationships

Goal Types and Behavior Change

Outcome goals can facilitate short-term motivation but often lead to anxiety before and during competition. Performance and process goals are more precise than outcome goals and less dependent on the behavior of others

Is Goal Setting Effective?

Research in business and general psychology has shown that goal setting works extremely well in enhancing performance. Goal-setting effectiveness has been demonstrated in studies with more than 40,000 participants using over 90 tasks and across 20 countries.

Principles of Goal Setting

Set specific goals. Set moderately difficult but realistic goals. Set long- and short-term goals. Set performance and process goals as well as outcome goals. Set practice and competition goals. Record goals. Develop goal achievement strategies. Consider participants' personalities and motivations. Foster an individual's goal commitment. Provide goal support. Provide evaluation of and feedback about goals.

Principles of Goal Setting

Set specific goals. Specific goals, as compared with general "do your best" goals, are most effective for producing behavioral change. General goal: Reduce cholesterol. Specific goal: Reduce cholesterol from 290 to 200 by... [how]. Set moderately difficult but realistic goals. Specific goal: Reduce cholesterol from 290 to 200 by... [how]. Set long- and short-term goals. Use goal staircases that link long- and short-term goals. Set performance and process goals as well as outcome goals. For every outcome goal, set several performance and process goals that will lead to the desired outcome. Set practice and competition goals. Record goals. "Ink it, don't think it." Develop goal achievement strategies. Strategies include how much and how often things will be done in an effort to achieve a goal. Be flexible, however. Foster an individual's goal commitment. Promote goal commitment by encouraging progress and providing consistent feedback. Solicit the athlete's or exerciser's input. Provide goal support. Enlist support from significant others to make goal setting effective. Provide evaluation of and feedback about goals. Goal evaluation and feedback are essential parts of facilitating behavioral change via goal setting

SMARTS Goals

Specific Measureable Action oriented Realistic Timely Self-determined

Importance of Subjective Goals

Subjective goals are not the focus of sport and exercise psychology research, but they are useful. Considerable attention has been paid to subjective goals in the literature on personal productivity and applied business management.

Defining Goals and Types of Goals

Subjective goals: General statements of intent such as having fun or doing your best Objective goals (scientific definition): Attaining a specific standard of proficiency on a task, usually in a specified time Outcome goals: Focus on a competitive result of an event (e.g., beating someone Performance goals: Focus on achieving standards of performance or objectives independently of other competitors—usually making comparisons with one's own previous performance Process goals: Focus on the actions an individual must engage in during performance to execute or perform well

Hope-Based Power 4W Goal-Setting System

Wish power: Identifying dream goals Want power: Realistic short- and long-term goals that lead to one's dream goal Way power: Developing multiple plans and strategies for achieving one's goals Will power: The determination and discipline required for working toward goals and overcoming obstacles that arise while achieving them