CAALA - Peak Performance: How to Train Your Mind to Perform Your Best

Stress and Performance

• Stress can lead to decreased performance.
• Stress can lead to increased performance.
• Stress is a personal experience, it can be beneficial or detrimental to performance.

Social Facilitation

• The theory of social facilitation states that people perform better in the presence of others.
• People perform better when they are observed by others, this is known as the "audience effect".

Social Loafing

• Social loafing is the reduced effort of an individual who is part of a group.
• This reduced effort usually happens due to the individual believing that their efforts are not as important to reach the goal.

Self-Efficacy

• Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to successfully complete a task.
• High self-efficacy is correlated with high motivation and performance, while low self-efficacy correlates with low performance and a sense of helplessness.

Intrinsic Motivation

• Intrinsic motivation is driven by internal rewards.
• The most powerful intrinsic motivators are:
  • Challenge: tasks that are a good "fit" with skills and abilities.
  • Control: feeling in control of your own performance.
  • Feedback: receiving relevant and timely feedback.

Extrinsic Motivation

• Extrinsic motivation is driven by external rewards.
• These external rewards can include:
  • Approval from others
  • Salary
  • Awards

Goal Orientation

• Goal orientation is the way in which individuals approach a task and interpret their successes and failures.
• Goal orientation is based on motivation and performance motivation.
• There are three main types of goal orientation:
  • Performance-approach: people are motivated to prove their abilities and outperform others.
  • Performance-avoidance: people are motivated to avoid negative judgments and appearing incompetent.
  • Learning goal orientation: people are driven to learn new things, master skills, and focus on acquiring knowledge.

Goal Orientation - Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

• Intrinsic motivation is driven by internal rewards, and it is characterized by curiosity based learning, interest in the activity itself, and pursuit of improvement.
• Extrinsic motivation is driven by external factors, which are usually less effective and long-lasting.

Flow Performance

• Flow performance refers to a state of being fully immersed in the task at hand, where the individual is "in the zone".
• Strategies to maximize Flow performance include:
  • Setting clear goals
  • Focus on the task at hand.
  • Seek regular feedback
  • Adjust the level of challenge
  • Avoid distractions

Strategies for Long-Term Motivation

• Goal-setting: Setting clear, specific goals that are challenging but achievable.
• Feedback: Providing regular and constructive feedback so people can track their progress.
• Rewards and recognition: Celebrating achievements and recognizing contributions.
• Autonomy: Giving individuals choices and control over their work.
• Meaning and purpose: Connecting work to a broader purpose or mission.