3 New Year’s Resolutions to Get Ahead at Work in 2024

You might not think of yourself as a public speaker, and your job doesn’t necessarily involve giving speeches, addressing the troops, or preaching to the congregation. But, it’s almost certain that your job involves communicating in front of others in one way or another.

Whether you’re speaking in a Zoom meeting, discussing your performance review with your supervisor, or showing your office crew how the new printer works, you want to communicate effectively.

Developing your public communication skills can put you ahead of the pack and open up new opportunities for you in the new year. Continue reading for three New Year’s resolutions for work that will boost your career in 2024.

Resolution #1: Speak more

If you’re asked to give a presentation or facilitate a meeting, eagerly accept. Even better: Don’t wait to be asked; volunteer.

Think about what speaking opportunities you might find. Be creative. Although these will be New Year’s resolutions for work (career enhancement), the opportunities themselves don’t have to be at work. Here are a few ideas public speaking ideas at — and away from — work:

• Give a toast at dinner with family or friends. It can be short and sweet.
• Lead a meeting at work. This will give you a chance to let others speak, moderate a discussion, and speak off the cuff. If it’s a Zoom meeting, you can invite Yoodlibot to attend and provide feedback afterward.
• Give the announcements or call for the offering at your church service.
• Record a test speech with Yoodli and get feedback for free. If you don’t have something in particular to practice, click on “Not sure what to say? Try with a fun prompt.” (It truly is fun!)

When you make this New Year’s resolution for work, set a concrete, measurable goal. Make it both ambitious and realistic. For example, you could aim to speak once a week. When you consider the wide variety of opportunities — including using the Yoodli AI speech coach — it should be fairly easy to reach your goal.

Resolution #2: Get a speech coach

Feedback is the breakfast of champions and can boost your career by improving your skills. Here are a few tips to guide you as you look for a speech coach:

• Determine the credentials of your prospective coaches. You can get a referral from someone you trust, and you can check to see if they’re certified by a reputable entity such as the National Speakers Association or Yoodli. (If they’re a Yoodli coach, you should see this badge.)

• Just because a coach is good, it doesn’t mean that they’re the right one for you. Set up a consultation or trial with a speaking coach to find out whether they’re a match for you in terms of philosophy, personality feedback style, etc.
• Consider using an AI speech coach instead of, or as a supplement to, a human coach. Especially if you’re just getting started on this journey, you might find that non-human observation and analysis of your speaking is the most comfortable.

Check out this article for more tips on getting a public speaking coach.

Resolution #3: Join Toastmasters

For nearly 100 years, Toastmasters has helped people just like you become confident, skilled public speakers and leaders. Participate with a club in person or online to practice writing and presenting speeches in a supportive group setting.

Membership in a Toastmasters club will undoubtedly boost your skills in public speaking and leadership (another highly-marketable job skill). You’ll also find valuable career-enhancing networking opportunities.

Here’s what a few Toastmasters members have to say about why they joined and how they’ve grown.

Learn about Yoodli’s AI speech coaching partnership with Toastmasters.

Start the New Year right

Public speaking is important if you want to inform, persuade, or motivate people. Whatever your role, informing, persuading, and motivating are likely to be part of it. You might need to deliver a quarterly report (inform), convince your boss that your department needs a bigger budget (persuade), or get your team to tackle an ambitious goal (motivate).

Make any or all of the New Year’s resolutions for work outlined above, and check out these additional resolution ideas that will help you improve your high income skills in 2024. Picture yourself at this time next year as a more confident, experienced speaker with an enviable résumé. Now’s the time to start.