When I think about “Baby Steps,” I can’t help but recall Bill Murray in the movie What About Bob, when he has the goldfish around his neck in a jar and is shuffling down the street muttering to himself, “Baby steps to the market, baby steps…” 

At the end of a training in Motivational Interviewing, it can be hard to operationalize what MI skills to practice. There are so many components to MI!

Is it listening for Change Talk? Using OARS skills? Embodying the spirit of Motivational Interviewing? Consistently identifying and responding to change talk? 

Yes, it’s all of those. And more. 

So many folks think OARS Motivational Interviewing is one and the same, and all there is to it! OARS are a part of MI and they stand for Open-ended questions, Affirmations, Reflections, and Summaries. 

So on behalf of Bill Murray and all of us that need baby steps to be successful, here are some specific steps to integrate Motivational Interviewing into your practice!

• Talk less than your client does (can be sooooo hard to do!)
• Your most common response to a client’s statement should be a reflection (OARS!)
• Use mostly complex reflections (adding meaning, depth, or emphasis to what you are hearing from your client)
• When you ask a question, ask mostly open-ended questions (OARS)
• Look for opportunities to affirm your client’s strengths and abilities (OARS)
• Avoid getting ahead of your clients’ readiness level! If they are pre-contemplative about change, it’s not time to create a change plan!
• Consistently elicit client motivation for change, rather than persuading them
• Utilize open-ended questions that evoke change talk, such as: Why would you want to change? How could you go about doing it? What will some of the benefits be to making this change? 

I made you a Motivational Interviewing cheat sheet for fun! I was talking with a member of the Foundations course the other day (he lives in Dubai! I love the people I meet through this open enrollment course!), and he shared how he creates a focus for the day or week of a MI skill to practice to increase his competency!

Motivational Interviewing Tip of the Week: I invite you to choose one MI skill to practice in a session, or focus on for the day. Will it be talking less, listening more? Complexifying your reflections? Opening closed questions? Notice what happens when you practice these baby steps!

Watch my full video here!