UNDERSTANDING

SELF TALK

WHAT IS SELF TALK?

The steady stream of on-going
thoughts or internal dialogue that
goes on in our minds constantly
Your self talk influences your moods,
emotions, and ultimately your
behavior

THREE CHARACTERISTICS
OF SELF TALK
rationality

Trained minds learn to think more positively, logically,

and systematically.

specificity

Self talk becomes conditioned to success and failure

events, changing dramatically based on the mindset
created in particular situations.

automaticity

Extensive repetition creates highly automatic thoughts,

called beliefs.
Automaticity of self talk is a two-edged sword when
examining its impact on performance.

SELF TALK ABCS

A = Activating Event

No Inherently stressful situations or events

We are not disturbed by things, but by the views of

which we take of them Epictetus

B = Belief about the Event

Athletes attach positive or negative meanings to neutral

events based on their highly automatic belief system

C = Consequences

Our beliefs about the event lead to positive or negative

consequences, both emotionally and behaviorally

Thus, the meaning that we attach to events can

positively or negatively impact our emotions,
behaviors, and ultimately our performance

DOES SELF TALK WORK?

Self talk patterns have been shown to be
important predictors of sport success
Positive self talk predominates in more
effective performances, while negative
thoughts more frequently accompany poorer
performances

Hardy et al. (2005) Self Talk review

Mental training packages that include self talk

training as part of the intervention promote
enhanced performance over 80% of the time

REPROGRAMMING
SELF TALK
Reactive versus proactive approaches to
enhancing athletes self talk

Most athletes prefer proactive approaches to

self talk reprogramming, rather than old
school reactive approaches

The key to the proactive approach is to

identify and create positive, facilitating
thoughts (e.g., reprogramming) that can
enhance athletes emotions and performance

Self talk scripts are effective thought

reprogramming tools

TYPES OF SELF TALK

Positive Affirmations

thoughts that focus on your desirable characteristics

and qualities
Goals

thoughts that keep your mind positively focused on the

task-at-hand, promote high effort, and enhance
persistence
Appraisals

thoughts that determine the degree to which a

situation is perceived as threatening or challenging

Self talk reprogramming promotes appraising

problems as challenges or opportunities to learn and
grow rather than threats and opportunities to fail

TYPES OF SELF TALK

Attributions

Reasons or explanations of success and failure

Self talk reprogramming encourages performers to
attribute success and failure to factors they can
control and change, such as effort, ability, and degree
of preparedness

Cue Words

Quick reminders used during practice and

competition
Keep the mind positively focused on processoriented, present-focused reminders that should
facilitate performance

USES OF SELF TALK

Elevate Motivation

Intrinsic motivation occurs when athletes feel

competent and in control. Self talk reprogramming
should emphasize these factors

Enhance Focus/Concentration

Self talk helps athletes focus on their priorities and

goals, rather than on distractions

Manage Stress

Controlling self talk, particularly limiting negative or

self-defeating thoughts, helps to minimize the amount
of stress athletes experience

USES OF SELF TALK

Boost Self-Confidence

Persuasive self talk can convince athletes that

they possess the competence and preparation
to be successful

Maximize Skill Development and

Performance

Cues and goals can help athletes remain

focused on performance-relevant cues while
disregarding and avoiding irrelevant distracter
cues during skill development and performance

SMART TALK
COMMANDMENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.

Be an optimist, not a pessimist

Self talk is a choice. Choose the half full option.

See situations as challenges rather than threats.
Remain realistic and objective

Think constructively, not just positively

Focus on the present -- Here-n-now self talk

Avoid woulda, coulda, shouldas, and what ifs

Appraise problems as challenges rather than threats
See problems as opportunities to learn

SMART TALK
COMMANDMENTS
5. View successes as replicable and failures as
surmountable

See success as due to ability and effort not luck

6. Concentrate on process not product

Process is controllable and product is not

7. Concentrate self talk on controllables

Possibly the single most important factor

Make a list of what you can control in sport.

Make a list of what you cant control

8. Separate performance from self-worth

We are not our performance

HOW TO REPROGRAM
SELF TALK
Focus on appropriate positive thoughts and
repeat those thoughts frequently
Athletes are urged to develop self talk
scripts that can target one or more specific
needs using a variety of self talk types as
well as the more general guidelines outlined
by the Smart Talk Commandments
Scripts offer athletes a tool that can be used
to reprogram positive self talk

CORRECTING
UNPRODUCTIVE THINKING
Extremely difficult to change
negative thoughts due to their
highly automatic nature.
However, irrational beliefs and
cognitive distortions are learned
behaviors, so they can be
unlearned.

THE CRITIC

THE CRITIC
The Critic has your life planned out in detail and
castigates you whenever you break one of the
unwritten rules youre suppose to live by.
The critic calls you names (e.g., stupid, untalented,
slacker, weak, slow, selfish).
It reads others minds and tells you they consider you
wanting because theyre bored, frustrated, threatened
or unhappy.
The critic exaggerates the size and impact of your
weaknesses, and uses your values against you (e.g.,
good players always play hurt.)
The critic is the most negative part of each of us, and
it hits you where it hurts, where your self-esteem is low.

DEALING WITH
NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
D1 = Detect
Self-awareness of unconscious thought
patterns

D2 = Disrupt
Thought stopping

D3 = Dispute
Reframing using counterarguments

E = New & more beneficial effects

DETECTING NEGATIVE
THOUGHTS
cognitive distortions are general
types of faulty thinking
irrational beliefs are more specific,
but highly automated, negative
thoughts that create behavioral and
emotional problems for athletes

COMMON COMPETITIVE
COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS
Catastrophizing
expecting the worst
exaggerating the consequences
Overgeneralization
forming conclusions based on insufficient information
Blaming
not accepting responsibility for mistakes
Musturbation
musts, shoulds, and ought tos
a form of concrete, inflexible, and unforgiving thinking
Polarized thinking
good or bad, right or wrong, succeed or fail, etc.
leaves little room for mistakes or being human

COMMON COMPETITIVE
IRRATIONAL BELIEFS
Fear of Failure
It

is terrible and unbearable when my game

is not the way I want it to be

Social Approval
I

must win the approval of others and

impress everyone who sees me perform

control-based irrational belief

COMMON COMPETITIVE
IRRATIONAL BELIEFS
Perfectionism
I

should be completely competent in every

aspect of my game at all times, never have
ups and downs, and never make mistakes
The team that makes the most mistakes usually
wins Coach John Woodens philosophy on
playing hard and mistakes
Mistakes are a normal and necessary part of
learning

COMMON COMPETITIVE
IRRATIONAL BELIEFS
Equity
Life should be fair and if I diligently work at my
game, I should improve, play well, and get the
rewards I deserve
Life is not fair!
Hard work increases your chances of success, but there
are no guarantees.

Social comparison
The behavior and performance of other competitors
is extremely important to me and can destroy my
game

Cannot control others performances nor can they control

your own performance

DISRUPTING NEGATIVE
THOUGHTS
Thought stopping uses intense internal
cues such as a word, image,
kinesthetic movement (e.g., snapping a
rubber band), or some combination of
cues.
Stop

the stream of negative thoughts as

quickly as possible so you can begin
focusing on reframing the situation.

COUNTERARGUMENTS TO
DISPUTE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
productive way to view the situation
put your negative thoughts on trial
argue why the negative belief is
irrational and unproductive and
provide a more logical and helpful
view of the situation
Counterarguments are solutions, not
cover-ups!!