Motivational Interviewing (MI) is often recommended as an evidence-based approach to behaviour change. MI is a collaborative, goal-oriented style of communication with particular attention to the language of change. It is designed to strengthen personal motivation for and commitment to a specific goal by eliciting and exploring the person’s own reasons for change within an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion.
Stephen Rollnick is a co-founder of Motivational Interviewing (MI), first introduced 1983 by William R. Miller in the mental health field. Its use has spread into health care, criminal justice, education and most recently into sport. Interest in learning MI is probably borne of frustration in conversations about change that do not always go well: the more you try to insert information and advice into others, the more they tend to back off and resist. This was the original insight that generated our search for a more satisfying and effective approach. Put simply, this involves coming alongside the person and helping them to say why and how they might change for themselves.
Motivational Interviewing uses a number of skills, strategies and techniques to support a person to help themselves change.
- Pocket Guide - A Summarise of the fundamental skills and techniques that a facilitator of change can use to help someone reflect and move from a position of ‘ambivalence’ (not understanding or giving weight to change) to a position of dynamic change.
Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative conversation style for strengthening a person’s own motivation and commitment to change. In order to facilitate and help develop such a dynamic shift in someone’s own motivation, we can use a number of strategies and skills to help support the person’s journey towards effective shared decision making. The following documents provide some guidance on how you might evoke change:
Once ‘change talk’ is identified, a new skill can be used in order to help the person develop their own change talk into real action for change. Elaborate, Affirm, Reflect and Summarise techniques (EARS) are used to help someone develop their thinking further. The following document explores EARS.
This link provides a range of resources related to motivational interviewing. They are from Manchester Motivational Interviewing Network projects are. There are also useful links to other websites detailing Motivational Interviewing.