The Role of Gratitude in Performance

It’s not simply about thanking others!

There is a growing body of research that shows how the regular practice of gratitude positively impacts a performer’s resilience, self-esteem, and actual performance (Chen & Wu, 2014; Gabana et al., 2019). It also helps prevent both physical and emotional burnout (Chen et al., 2021).

How do we define Gratitude?

A sense of thankfulness that emerges in response to any kind of benefit that one receives or as an act of expressing appreciation directed towards another or expressed privately (Gabana, 2019).

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Positive vs Effective Self-Talk

“It is silly for me to say things that I do not believe, try to ignore all the bad stuff, and pretend that I can do it even when I am not confident.”

The above is a common argument against using self-talk, even though self-talk is one of the most common psychological skills performers utilize. For many, it is perceived as just “lying to yourself.”

So, is self-talk simply about saying positive things, and exactly how effective is self-talk in enhancing performance?

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What these two men can teach us about Coaching

Ivan Pavlov and Frederic Skinner are the leading forefathers to classical and operant conditioning respectively. Although both classical and operant conditioning result in learning, the processes are quite different.

So, in what ways do these theories related to conditioning help us to coach better?

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