E54: Believe It or Not: How Expectation Shapes Performance

What do you believe you’re capable of doing? And what happens when the people around you believe, or don’t believe, you can do it? In this episode of The Sports Mastermind, Laura Ratto wraps up the three-part Confidence Series by exploring the difference between confidence and self-efficacy and how our belief in our ability to perform a specific task can influence what happens when it matters. But belief doesn’t develop in isolation. Coaches can influence athlete self-efficacy through the opportunities, feedback, instruction, and expectations they provide. Laura examines how coaching expectations can create a cycle in which what a coach believes about an athlete subtly changes how they coach them—and may ultimately influence how that athlete develops and performs. In this episode, you’ll learn: The difference between confidence and self-efficacy Bandura’s four sources of self-efficacy How coaching expectations can influence athlete development and performance Why two athletes making the same mistake may receive very different coaching experiences How to recognize when an evaluation has turned into a label Four practical ways athletes and coaches can intentionally build belief The Focus Four: Build belief through evidence Make belief specific Question your expectations Turn belief into action And after a three-year break, The Sports Mastermind is officially back! New episodes will once again explore how sport and performance psychology can be applied in practical ways by athletes, coaches, and performers. Learn more about Laura Ratto, mental performance consultation, team workshops, and Ratto Consulting at RattoConsulting.com