Performance Psychology Provides Applications for Life

With Professor Moyle's wealth of experience, we were keen to glean from her about how we can apply the principles of performance psychology to help optimise performance in everyday life...

Setbacks in life are inevitable. What techniques would you recommended to help people bounce back from setbacks, learn from their experiences, and continue to excel in their pursuits?

When debriefing elite performers, a key focus after every training session, competition and/or performance includes: ‘What did you do well, and what would you choose to do differently next time?’ This focus on identifying the learning that you have is critical to enhancing performance. It is just as important to identify the things that went well (which helps to lay down stronger neural pathways in your brain so you repeat these things again) as it is to identify what you would improve upon. Note that the language is focused not about what went ‘wrong’ or ‘mistakes’, which are words usually associated with negative emotions (which can get in the way of learning). The focus is on reinforcing that you have the ability to influence making a change to what you do/how you approach things next time. The responsibility, and therefore the ability to make different choices, is with you.  

How can individuals identify and address psychological barriers that may be hindering their performance in work or in personal relationships?

A helpful first step is identifying what goals you have at work or in your personal relationships, and then invest some time reflecting on whether the attitudes/beliefs you have towards those situations/ people/ experiences are either helpful or hindering to your goals. The great thing about our brains is that we CAN rewire them. That means you can change your attitudes, your thinking – it’s possible (and scientifically proven)! So reflect upon whether your attitudes/thinking is supportive of your goals – if they aren’t, you have the ability to reframe these attitudes to be more aligned which consequently influences the emotions and behaviour/actions you do as a result. Please note that changing your thinking does take practice! It is a skill, and like with any skill, the more you practice it, the better you become at it.

In your experience, what role does self-confidence play in enhancing performance, and what strategies can people use to build and maintain self-confidence in diverse life situations?

Being confident in your abilities is critical to improving your performance in any setting. Without it, we are less likely to push ourselves out of our comfort zone, less likely to try something new or new ways of doing things. Unfortunately, we can end up limiting our ability to learn which is central to incremental improvement. Self-confidence is also linked self-esteem – they are two related albeit slightly differing concepts. Self-esteem is more about how we feel about ourselves as people vs. self-confidence which is related to the skills and capabilities we have in ‘doing’ whatever we do. When we are experiencing challenges to self-confidence in one area of performance, it will often impact upon how we feel about ourselves (i.e., “I’m no good at that”, becomes “I’m no good”). It becomes a vicious self-fulfilling prophecy cycle where we don’t feel as good, therefore don’t feel as confident doing things so our performance might often suffer, which provides more evidence for your brain to tell you that your ‘no good/can’t do it’ etc… and so the downward spiral goes. In these type of situations, it is helpful to do an activity that you KNOW you are good at doing. It doesn’t have to be related to what ‘performance area’ you are experiencing challenges with. It could be organising cupboards at home, walking your dog, fixing the lawn mower, a basic workout at the gym… Doing something that you know you have done well provides a sense of achievement, results in helpful more positive emotions and assists in challenging any negative thinking you might have about yourself and your abilities. It is then helpful to reflect upon all the examples and instances where you HAVE performed well – bring those to mind. Remind your brain that you have and can perform well – What were you thinking, how were you feeling, what were the resulting actions that came from being in a more helpful mindset? Is there a word, image, piece of music that reminds you of that mindset? If so, use that word as a Performance Cue to remind yourself in those moments where you need some positive reinforcement.

How important is goal setting as a strategy for optimising performance?

Setting goals is critical to enhancing performance! Goals provide your brain with direction, help support your progress and sense of achievement, and play a big role in motivation. Whilst outcome goals are important for a longer term view of what we want to achieve, if we get fixated on those alone, their black and white or win/loss focus can negatively impact upon our levels of performance anxiety. That is why progress or process goals are more helpful to develop. We can still achieve progress goals in what we do even if we don’t get the outcome we are working towards. For example, a football player or team can have a range of progress goals for a game that reinforce key aspects of what they were working on in training (i.e., passing the ball, defending well, etc…) and still achieve all of these goals which will help improve their performance, even if they ‘lost’ the actual game. This approach assists with incremental improvement by not letting an outcome focus of ‘we lost’ take over the ability to focus on the learning re: ‘what did we do well, and what would we choose to do differently next time?’.

What are some key mental health and wellbeing techniques that individuals can adopt to enhance their overall performance in their professional careers and personal lives?

Health and wellbeing (both mental and physical) is essential for increased performance. So ensuring you are doing everything you can to look after your brain and your body (i.e., physical exercise, healthy diet, rest and recovery time, doing things you enjoy, spending time with others, practicing mindfulness, etc…) will all assist with ensuring your brain and body are in the best physical and mental state/ mindset to performance at your best.

Do you have a story or case study you can share or an individual or team, who successfully applied your performance psychology principles to achieve outstanding results?

I have worked with a number of Principal Dancers in professional dance companies that have significant training, performance, and touring schedules, in addition to very high levels of performance expectations from artistic staff, other dancers and the paying audience. Often there is repertoire or dance works they have to perform which are very technically and artistically difficult, and sometimes they can struggle with anxiety related to making mistakes in a performance or struggling with particular dance steps that they feel they ‘aren’t as good at’. Often working with these artists involves discussing and shifting mindsets and thoughts they are having which aren’t aligned to the goal of performing well, and putting a more helpful mindset into practice so that those thoughts become more second nature in the moment. In once case, the artist had worked really hard in shifting their mindset, felt more confident which resulted in improved performances and ended up being promoted to Principal after a few months.

What role do you see that further education plays in helping individuals boost their performance capabilities?

Learning is great for our brains! Learning new things connects new neural pathways and keeps our minds active and engaged. Being challenged to think differently, understand new concepts and apply new learnings are skills that we can use and apply to enhancing our performance in any domain.

In your extensive experience, what guidance would you give individuals for maintaining a healthy work-life balance and good mental health, while striving for peak performance in all areas of life?

I usually suggest that there is no such thing as ‘balance’. Usually demands in one area of our life increase, which means we decrease what we do in other areas to compensate. What is important is ensuring that we are conscious of this happening and recognise the importance of making space for looking after our mental and physical health and wellbeing when life gets ‘too busy’. Just like elite athletes and performers need rest and recovery, so do we – and that includes mental rest away from the ‘performance’ area. Ensuring that you actively manage your time during your day and week, and are conscious that you are making choices about how and where you are choosing to invest your time, means that you can make different choices.