Do You Use Motivational Interviewing All of the Time?

“Can I use Motivational Interviewing all of the time?” I hear this question a lot as a Motivational Interviewing trainer. 

My short answer is no, we don’t want to use Motivational Interviewing all of the time. 

But I’m going to have to break it down a bit more to explain what elements of MI we CAN use all of the time! Motivational Interviewing is both relational and technical. We can use the relational components all the time, but the technical components don’t always apply!

Motivational Interviewing is a way of being with someone, but it is also a specific set of technical skills that guide conversation in a particular direction to help someone get unstuck. Motivational Interviewing is a guiding style of communication that pays particular attention to the language of change, or change talk, by eliciting and reinforcing their motivations for change. 

Using Motivational Interviewing means that we reflect more than we ask, we strive to open up closed questions, we support autonomy, give affirmations, ask permission before giving information or advice, and use the OARS skills & other specific strategies to elicit and reinforce their change talk. 

It doesn’t apply to every conversation we have. 

But what CAN apply to every conversation we have, with every single person in our lives if we choose to, is the strive to embody the spirit of Motivational Interviewing. 

This means practicing being a partner in conversation, not assuming we are the expert but evoking their expertise and sharing ours (with permission) when it is applicable. It means practicing acceptance of the individual for who they are and where they are at, affirming strengths & abilities. It means practicing and expressing compassion for others, striving to have positive regard and continually reorient to what is in their best interest (not ours). Motivational Interviewing also means empowering the individual, seeing what is within them and evoking it with curiosity and empathy while supporting their autonomy and choice. 

I aspire into the spirit of Motivational Interviewing in all of my relationships. It helps me be a more compassionate, curious listener and leads to more successful relationships! 

I use the OARS skills often in everyday conversations and in my work with clients.

But I am more selective about when I add in the technical components of Motivational Interviewing to elicit change in a particular direction!

Motivational Interviewing Tip of the Week: There are elements of Motivational Interviewing that we may use all of the time, but we don’t use the complete package of Motivational Interviewing all of the time! We can aspire into the spirit of Motivational Interviewing in all of our encounters. We can use the OARS skills often! But truly using Motivational Interviewing is approaching conversation from the spirit of MI, using OARS skills in a particular way to elicit and reinforce change talk!

Want to join us for a free 1 hour webinar on what MI is (and isn’t)? Check out our next Unlocking Change: A Free Motivational Interviewing Class.