Verbalize — assert your learning with words#

In the Memletic State chapter, I discussed in how your internal dialogue influences your overall performance. This is because your internal dialogue influences your self-talk, self-esteem and self-image. You often act in a way that matches your self-image.

In this section I discuss three techniques you can use to adjust, improve and protect your self-talk. These have a direct effect on your self-image, and therefore your behavior. Assertions are simple statements of something you want to uphold or achieve. The Mental Firewall helps you control self-talk. Scripting involves writing down a story that reflects a learning objective. Let’s go through these in more detail.

Three key reasons for using the Verbalize techniques are:

• **Changing negative patterns into positive patterns. **A key step in achieving good learning and task performance is to ensure your internal dialogue supports your activities. Use these techniques to change your internal dialogue from negative to positive.
• **Set a positive context. **You can use these techniques to set an overall positive context to your activities. This includes setting a positive context for general and specific goals. This also includes setting positive expectations for mental abilities such as learning, concentration, proactive behavior, discipline and attitudes.
• **Learn and support specific behaviors. **You can apply these techniques while learning new skills and behaviors. For example, during flight training I built up a list of eighty assertions based on previous flight reviews. These were positive statements such as “I check map scale when looking for features” and “I ensure I engage the park brake before starting the engine.” These had a significant impact on my learning performance.

Verbalize techniques also allow you to keep full control over the process and content, which is different to techniques such as hypnotism or subliminal messages.

Assertions #

• What are assertions? How do you use them to reduce negative self-talk and increase positive self-talk? How you can also use them to change behaviors.
• Includes examples of assertions.
• How often you should use assertions, and how long do they take to start working?
• Covers tips for creating assertions, such as whether to use first person, whether you should be positive and present, how long they should be, can rhythm help, and whether to record them.
• Covers tips for reciting assertions, such as use of relaxation, using general assertions at the start and end, whether you should say them aloud, where to receipt them, and whether to visualize them at the same time.
• General tips included are using them to encourage positive dialog, how to avoid seeing assertions as being self-delusional, and whether they can be used to change someone else’s behavior.

Mental Firewall #

• What is a mental firewall, how it provides monitoring and filtering services, and how you can use this to clean up your own internal dialog? Covers how it can monitor and filter both your own thoughts and the comments of others.
• How to install a mental firewall in your mind, and how to configure it. No, it doesn’t require surgery either.

Scripting #

• The core concept of scripting is to write a story-like script of an outcome you desire in the future.
• How to use this powerful tool to strengthen both assertions and visualization.
• General principles of scripting, such as whether to write in first or third person, should you read them out loud, whether to use visualization, and whether to use other senses in your writing.
• How to use scripting for goal setting. Includes an example goal script.
• How to use scripting to reinforce learning and performance via review scripts. What is a review script, how to apply it to your learning activity, and other general tips.