Research on Positive Self-Talk: 10 Evidence-Based Coaching Practices
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Research on Positive Self-Talk, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Practices that may help
- Self-Talk Strategies, Made Practical
Self-talk — the internal or external commentary we generate before and during performance — reliably affects performance outcomes, according to meta-analyses by Hatzigeorgiadis and colleagues. Instructional self-talk improves fine motor skill; motivational self-talk improves power and endurance tasks. The specific content and function of the self-talk matter more than whether it is positive or negative. - Monitor your self-talk patterns to identify what to change
Track what you actually say to yourself during and after performance before trying to change it.
Self-Talk Strategies, Made Practical - Prepare "if-then" self-talk scripts for predictable pressure moments
Pre-script your self-talk response to the specific situations most likely to derail you.
Self-Talk Strategies, Made Practical - Develop personal cue words that have real meaning for you
Build self-talk cues from your own best performance experiences — not from a generic list.
Self-Talk Strategies, Made Practical - Use affirmation of values, not affirmation of ability
Affirm that you are a good person with important values — not that you are good at the specific thing you are anxious about.
Self-Affirmation Theory, Made Practical - Complimenting Strengths Throughout the Session
Deliberately name real strengths, efforts, and resources the person displays — not as praise but as information.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: Building On What Works - Positive Psychology, Made Practical
Martin Seligman’s positive psychology studies what makes life worth living, organized around the PERMA model — Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. Several of its signature interventions, including three good things, the gratitude visit, and using signature strengths, have genuine randomized-trial support for raising well-being and lowering depressive symptoms. - Use motivational self-talk for endurance and power tasks
Pump yourself up verbally for tasks requiring effort, strength, or push through discomfort.
Self-Talk Strategies, Made Practical - Build expectancy through mastery experiences, not just affirmations
Expectancy — the belief that you can succeed — grows from actual small wins, not self-talk.
Expectancy-Value Theory: Why You Try (or Don’t) - Build self-efficacy through mastery experiences
Engineer small, genuine successes to raise belief in your ability — not through encouragement, but through actual performance.
Social Cognitive Theory
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- I want to fix what I say to myself when I compete, but if I’m honest I can’t even reliably remember what that was
- I already know the exact situations that throw me
- The motivational words from the books and the other athletes fall flat for me
- I keep telling myself "I’m great at this, I’ve got this" right before the thing I’m scared of, and it somehow makes me feel worse
- I don’t believe I can actually pull this off, and the things I do that take real grit I just wave away as nothing
Related concerns
- Studies On Positive Self Talk
Self-talk — the internal or external commentary we generate before and during performance — reliably affects performance outcomes, according to meta-analyses by Hatzigeorgiadis and colleagues. Instructional self-talk improves fine motor skill; motivational self-talk improves power and endurance tasks. The specific content and function of the self-talk matter more than whether it is positive or negative.
- Power Of Self Talk
Self-talk — the internal or external commentary we generate before and during performance — reliably affects performance outcomes, according to meta-analyses by Hatzigeorgiadis and colleagues. Instructional self-talk improves fine motor skill; motivational self-talk improves power and endurance tasks. The specific content and function of the self-talk matter more than whether it is positive or negative.
- Motivational Self Talk Endurance
Pump yourself up verbally for tasks requiring effort, strength, or push through discomfort.
Use motivational self-talk for endurance and power tasks
- Positive Psychology Self Talk
Self-talk — the internal or external commentary we generate before and during performance — reliably affects performance outcomes, according to meta-analyses by Hatzigeorgiadis and colleagues. Instructional self-talk improves fine motor skill; motivational self-talk improves power and endurance tasks. The specific content and function of the self-talk matter more than whether it is positive or negative.
- Positive Self Talk For Students
Affirm that you are a good person with important values — not that you are good at the specific thing you are anxious about.
Use affirmation of values, not affirmation of ability
- Positive Self Talk Strategies
Self-talk — the internal or external commentary we generate before and during performance — reliably affects performance outcomes, according to meta-analyses by Hatzigeorgiadis and colleagues. Instructional self-talk improves fine motor skill; motivational self-talk improves power and endurance tasks. The specific content and function of the self-talk matter more than whether it is positive or negative.
Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.