Motivational Interviewing Miller & Rollnick! Here’s what’s new!

The name “Motivational Interviewing” seems like a less-than-fitting name for what it actually is. 

For years, even as a trainer, I struggled with the name Motivational Interviewing.

“Motivational” makes me think of motivational speakers, cheerleading, and motivating others. And that sounds exhausting!

“Interviewing” makes me think of being on the spot in an interview, or being questioned or interrogated about my qualifications and fit. Ugh! Who looks forward to an interview? I break out in a sweat just thinking about it!

But it all clicked for me when I heard an interview with the co-creator of MI Bill Miller, where he explained where the name Motivational Interviewing comes from. 

Bill, from Miller & Rollnick Motivational Interviewing, said that the word “interviewing” is a neutral power term in the English language. It means to learn about someone, to ask, and be curious. So, if our intention in going into a conversation with someone is to interview them, then we are approaching with a neutral curiosity, to learn about them from them. 

OK, it’s making sense to me now…

Then you add “Motivational” to “Interviewing.” We are literally interviewing someone about their motivation for change. It’s not about imparting motivation, it’s not about persuading or cheerleading or championing change. It’s about drawing forth the individual’s motivation for change. 

It’s about drawing forth the individual’s motivation for change.

Here’s the current definition of Motivational Interviewing from the 3rd edition of Miller & Rollnick’s Motivational Interviewing book (2013):

Now I’m going to give you a sneak peak of the new 2023 edition of Miller & Rollnick Motivational Interviewing book. 

You see, I was recently at the international MI trainer forum in October in Chicago, and Bill Miller shared their new working definition. Bill shared that they are working to simplify the new MI book to make it more accessible. ANYONE can learn Motivational Interviewing. “Even psychologists,” he jokes (and he’s one). 

“Motivational Interviewing is a particular way of talking with people about change and growth to strengthen their own motivation and commitment.” 

Miller & Rollnick were the co-creators of Motivational Interviewing back in the 1980’s. It keeps growing and developing over the decades, but what remains the same is that we are literally interviewing our clients to elicit their motivation! 

Motivational Interviewing Tip of the Week: What might it be like to enter a conversation with the intention to interview someone about their motivation for change? In Motivational Interviewing, we approach clients with an attitude of curiosity, empathy, partnership, and empowerment. Add on the OARS skills- Open-Ended questions, Affirmations, Reflections, and Summaries, and with those, we artfully explore their motivation for change! We know the more people talk about change, the more likely they are to change. That’s our goal in Motivational Interviewing: invite clients to talk about their motivation for change! 

If you are new to MI, check out our Stuckness 1-hour course or 12-hour Foundations of MI course. We also have lots of videos on the various components of MI on our YouTube channel for free! Plus, our free Motivational Interviewing Cheat Sheet! 

One more free resource! This podcast, all based on Miller & Rollnick Motivational Interviewing, is a great one if you want to learn more!

Watch my full video here!