Stress and motivation
Featured in the Motivation in Practice training manual
By Eddie Davies
Category: People Management and Motivation
Credit price: 4 download credits (Single user)
Research has shown that, up to a certain point, increasing levels of stress result in increased performance. Too much stress, however, is demotivating and leads to decreased performance and possibly ill-health. This training activity reviews the links between stress and motivation and introduces strategies for stress management.
You begin this training activity by asking the participants to recall times when they have been very motivated or demotivated. How they were feeling, thinking and behaving during these periods is compared with the ‘stress reaction’. The positive aspects of stress are identified before you go onto introduce the downside of too much stress and its effects on both work and health. Next, you introduce the concept that, when stressed, we can take a negative view of our abilities and ourselves. This can then become a negative spiral, which reinforces how badly we consider ourselves. You consider methods to counter this negative thinking and ask the participants to take part in a short exercise which places the accent on positive spoken and body language as a method for improving their ability to respond positively in stressful situations. In the next part of the training activity, you introduce the participants to the idea that there is a need for balance between their work and other aspects of their lives. They take part in a short exercise, which ends with them completing an action plan in which they aim to take part in a pursuit they find relaxing. You conclude this training activity by introducing the participants to a short relaxation exercise that they can do in less than 5 minutes while seated at their desks.
Who is it for: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to introduce participants to the links between stress and motivation, and to identify a need for balance between their work and other aspects of their lives.
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 12 |
| Typical Duration: | 02:00:00 |
| No of Pages: | 27 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Purpose: This training resource is intended for use by trainers either as a stand alone or in combination with other training resources in ‘Motivation in Practice’. It could also fit into other management development programmes and training events, such as an introduction to effective management, assertiveness, life and career development, self and time management, and stress management.
Download the training activity, Stress and motivation as featured in the Fenman training manual; Motivation in Practice