Some of the most valuable skills for accomplishing your goals are the hardest to practice.

I've been helped thousands of knowledge workers adapting to new roles, and have invested in the skill of learning for my personal growth for over a decade.

We know practice is critical to improving every skill, but the soft skills that can make a break a modern career are don't provide the same feedback as a jump shot or typing.

Here's what I've found in looking for a structured way to practice intangible skills:

1️⃣ 🗺 Make a plan: Look up the subskills and defining characteristics of success in your chosen skill then decide which you will pursue.

2️⃣ ⛳ Low-stakes practice: For effective practice, find frequent but low-stakes opportunities to practice the skills. Toastmasters is a great example of low-stakes practice for speaking, and playing games often practices planning and leadership.

3️⃣ 💬 Get feedback: Get perspective from those around you in the low-stakes practice to see what you are doing well, and where you could improve in comparison to your plan.

4️⃣ 💭 Reflect: Do your own assessment of your comfort level and ease with the desired behaviors. What do you wish was different?

5️⃣ 🔁 Iterate: Try to learn something from each rep, and the feedback you gained. From there, make tweaks to your approach that work towards your plan and goals. Repeat the process.

Practice requires intentional work on a goal, gathering input on how you did, and adapting.

If you manage your approach using this framework, you can practice the most intangible skills (leadership, communication) productively.