Question:
In your article on Auditory Digital Processing, you mention it’s not ideal for performance situations. What exactly do you mean by “performance situations”? Can you provide some examples?
Answer:
Performance situations are those moments where smooth, natural flow and presence are essential—times when being overly self-aware or mentally overanalyzing can get in the way of actually performing.
These include situations like:
- Playing sports
- Delivering a speech or presentation
- Writing a first draft (especially creative writing—save the analysis for editing)
- Intimate or romantic moments
- Singing, dancing, or playing a musical instrument
- Attending a job interview
- Engaging in a genuine conversation
In these moments, overthinking through internal dialogue—what NLP calls auditory digital processing—can interrupt your flow. You may find yourself internally saying things like:
“Don’t mess this up,”
“Remember to keep your knees bent,”
“She seems bored,”
“Did I already say this?”
That internal chatter creates self-consciousness, pulling you out of the moment and disrupting natural performance. It’s like using a basic calculator to manage the processes of a supercomputer. Your unconscious mind can handle thousands of cues and signals in real-time, but your conscious mind can only juggle a few pieces of information at once.
This analytical voice is more helpful before or after the performance—like during planning, reflection, or feedback. For example, reflecting later: “Maybe if I hadn’t focused so much on avoiding that rock, I wouldn’t have crashed into the tree.”
Unfortunately, many people only use their internal dialogue to judge themselves harshly: “I’m such an idiot, I should’ve known better.” But this often leads to less confidence and poorer performance, rather than useful learning.
Key Takeaway:
During live performance moments, quieting the inner critic and trusting your unconscious processes usually leads to better outcomes. Auditory digital thinking has its place—but not when you’re in the middle of the action.
