goal-setting

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The process of deciding what you want to achieve and planning the steps to reach it.

   Grammar: Uncountable, with no article: goal-setting improves motivation.

   Patterns

   • goal-setting for something
   • effective goal-setting

   Good goal-setting begins with a clear, realistic target.

   The coach teaches goal-setting to young athletes.

   Our team holds a goal-setting meeting every January.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Relating to the activity of deciding on targets, as in a goal-setting session.

   Grammar: Appears directly before a noun: a goal-setting exercise.

   Patterns

   • a goal-setting workshop
   • a goal-setting exercise

   The students completed a goal-setting worksheet.

   A goal-setting session helped the staff prioritize.

   She attended a goal-setting workshop at work.

Common combinations

effective goal-setting

Effective goal-setting requires specific targets.

a goal-setting session

We held a goal-setting session on Monday.

goal-setting theory

Goal-setting theory explains why clear targets boost performance.

personal goal-setting

Personal goal-setting can change your habits.

goal-setting skills

Teachers developed their goal-setting skills.

Synonyms and how they differ

target-setting

This is more common in British workplaces and often concerns numbers imposed by management.

planning

Planning is broader and concerns how to do things, while goal-setting concerns deciding what to aim for.

objective-setting

This is a formal management phrase, often in performance reviews.

Opposites

Word family

goal noun

something you aim to achieve

set verb

to decide or fix something

goal-oriented adjective

focused on achieving goals

goalpost noun

a post at the end of a sports field

Commonly confused: goal-setting or goal setter?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “goal-setting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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