8. Type of Self talk (Motivational & Instructional self talk)

2nd June 20 ( Tuesday)

Instructional self talk happens when we need to guide ourselves through a specific task, such as learning a new skill. 

Motivational self-talk usually is used when we want to psych ourselves up for something challenging; it can help to boost effort or increase confidence.

Instructional self-talk

Instructional self-talk (e.g.,”split, turn”, “arms straight”) have been shown to significantly 

improve performance within several sports including tennis (Landin & Hebert, 1999), sprint 

(Mallet & Hanrahan, 1997), soccer (Johnson, Hrycaiko, Johnson, & Halas, 2004) and golf

(Harvey, Van Raalte, & Brewer, 2002). In the golf study Harvey et al. (2002) reported that 

athletes using instructional self-talk performed consistently better than athletes using negative 

self-talk and the control group. Theodorakis, Chroni, Laparidis, Bebetsos and Douma (2001) 

examined the use of a task-relevant (e.g., “relax”) instructional and a task-irrelevant (e.g.,

“fast”) instructional self-talk cue in a basketball shooting task. Results showed that 

participants using the task-relevant cue performed significantly better than participants using 

the task-irrelevant cue and the control group (Theodorakis et al., 2001). In examining 

instructional self-talk on basketball skills (dribbling, passing and shooting) Perkos, 

Theodorakis and Chroni (2002) reported that the experimental group performed significantly 

better on dribbling and passing but not shooting. A subsequent study supported the findings of 

Perkos et al. (2002) in that instructional self-talk was perceived as helpful in executing the 

right technique when passing (Chroni, Perkos, & Theodorakis, 2007). The positive effects of 

instructional self-talk on skill acquisition or learning (technique) has been acknowledge by 

Hardy (2006) and further supported in a tennis experiment where instructional self-talk 

participants performed significantly better than participants receiving performance feedback.

Motivational self-talk

Descriptive studies have shown that athletes use self-talk more in competitive settings 

compared to practice settings (Hardy, Hall, & Hardy, 2005). Furthermore, Hardy, Hall and 

Hardy reported that the use of motivational self-talk pertaining to “psyching-up” and 

“mentally prepare” are used most often in practice and competition, respectively. Within a 

qualitative study of six elite golf players Linnér and Sandström (2010) reported that 

motivational self-talk was used almost exclusively while playing. In a basketball experiment 

Chroni et al. (2007) reported that athletes preferred the use of motivational self-talk while

dribbling and shooting and that the motivational self-talk was a significant help for their 

concentration, confidence and relaxation when executing shots (Chroni et al., 2007). 

Hatzigeorgiadis (2006) examined perceived functions of self-talk and found that the use of a 

motivational cue had greater effect on effort than the use of an instructional cue, whereas the 

effects were similar between cues for attention, confidence, anxiety control and automaticity. 

Motivational self-talk has been shown to improve performance (e.g., Hatzigeorgiadis, 

Zourbanos, Mpoumpaki, & Theodorakis, 2009). In a tennis intervention study, 

Hatzigeorgiadis, Zourbanos, Goltsios and Theodorakis (2008) reported that participants using 

motivational self-talk (e.g., “I can”, “Go”) significantly improved their performance whereas 

no changes were reported in the control group. Hatzigeorgiadis et al. (2004) argued that the 

content of positive self-talk and motivational self-talk in many cases is comparable. Research 

on positive self-talk was initiated before the term of motivational self-talk was acknowledged. 

Reviewing research of positive self-talk that could be characterized as motivational self-talk 

provides further evidence that motivational self-talk can enhance performance 

(Hatzigeorgiadis et al., 2004).

Motivational self-talk usually is used when we want to psych ourselves up for something challenging; it can help to boost effort or increase confidence

Motivational self-talk boosts performance by helping you build confidence, enhance your belief in your ability to perform, reduce jitters, and improve your mood. It's also particularly useful for tasks that involve strength and endurance, reaction time when faced with making a choice, or speed.

Resources used:

Book: THE EFFECTS OF INSTRUCTIONAL AND MOTIVATIONAL SELF-TALK ON 

SELF-EFFICACY AND PERFORMANCE IN GOLF PLAYERS

Google.com