How can you motivate peers to change their behavior using MI?
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Motivational interviewing (MI) is a skill that can help you influence others to make positive changes in their lives. It is based on the idea that people are more likely to change when they feel understood, respected, and supported, rather than pressured, judged, or lectured. MI can be useful for many situations, such as helping a colleague quit smoking, encouraging a friend to exercise more, or persuading a family member to seek professional help. In this article, you will learn how to apply MI principles and techniques to motivate your peers to change their behavior.
MI is a collaborative, goal-oriented, and person-centered style of communication that aims to elicit and strengthen the person's own motivation for change. MI is not about telling people what to do or how to do it, but rather about exploring their reasons, values, and goals for change, and helping them overcome any ambivalence or barriers they may face. MI is based on four core principles: expressing empathy, developing discrepancy, rolling with resistance, and supporting self-efficacy.
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Melanie Eley
Mental Health Equity| Training and Development
One thing that I've found helpful when engaging in a motivational interview is to remember that it is a conversation and the four core principals are guidelines to creating a space for someone to tell their story and to explore the strengths of a person before focusing on solutions.
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Jonathan Fader
Once upon a time, there was a person who was struggling in life. They were making choices that were leading to suffering & distress. A smart person came along and told them that they should change. This smart person told them all the clearly evident reasons why their behaviors were leading to their problems. They told them how to change. The person continued their path to negative outcomes and suffering. Then the struggling person encountered someone truly wise. The wise person understood their reasons not to change as well and brought out their values and true reasons for change. With this understanding and personal discussion of their own reasons for change, the person changed on their own. This is Motivational Interviewing in action.
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Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. Empathy is essential for building rapport, trust, and respect with your peers. To express empathy, you need to listen actively, reflect back what you hear, and avoid interrupting, judging, or correcting. You can use open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries (OARS) to show empathy and engage your peers in a conversation about change. For example, you can ask: "What are some of the benefits of quitting smoking for you?" or "How do you feel about your current level of exercise?"
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Dr. Aynen Vallis
Psychologist, A.T. Augusta Military Medical Center
Empathy includes understanding where the person is now and what their current challenges, needs and fears are. Being empathetic might also include understanding why the person isn’t ready to move forward. Understanding how behaviors like smoking might be in alignment with an identity, or may offer breaks from a toxic workplace can help MI be productive!
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Melanie Eley
Mental Health Equity| Training and Development
Empathy starts with all the great techniques that can deepen understanding and foster relationships. However, empathy also requires self awareness and being careful not to center ourselves and our experiences in an attempt to empathize with someone and their situation.
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Discrepancy is the gap between the person's current behavior and their desired goals or values. Developing discrepancy can help your peers recognize and resolve their ambivalence about change, and increase their sense of urgency and commitment. To develop discrepancy, you need to explore the pros and cons of the current behavior and the alternative behavior, and highlight the inconsistencies or conflicts between them. You can use questions, reflections, and feedback to develop discrepancy. For example, you can ask: "How does smoking fit with your value of health?" or "What are some of the costs of not exercising more?"
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Melanie Eley
Mental Health Equity| Training and Development
One thing that helps with developing discrepancy is to use what the person is already saying and reflecting it. Many people vocalize the discrepancy in a situation but are not aware that they have. It is important to pay close attention to the conversation for opportunities of reflection.
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Alex Zimmerman
Investor | Advisor | Consultant to Health and Fitness brands for growth and leadership
Nothing better than when you have the opportunity to say on one hand (hold one hand open) you're saying x. But on the other hand (raise the other hand and open it) you're saying Y. I'm having a hard time reconciling these as they seem to be in conflict with one another. What are your thoughts on this. This is a very powerful exercise in getting people to work through their ambivalence
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Resistance is the person's reluctance or opposition to change, which can manifest as denial, rationalization, defensiveness, or avoidance. Rolling with resistance means accepting and respecting the person's perspective, rather than arguing, confronting, or persuading. Rolling with resistance can help your peers feel less threatened and more open to change. To roll with resistance, you need to avoid direct challenges, express curiosity, reframe negative statements, and emphasize the person's autonomy and choice. For example, you can say: "I can see that you have some valid reasons for not seeking help." or "You are the best judge of what works for you."
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Dr. Muthulaakshmi Ganesh
Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach | Dental Surgeon | Whole Plant Based Nutrition Consultant | Content Writer | Yoga Therapist | Health and Wellness speaker
We should not directly advise, preach, and bombard people with a lot of information. Instead, first, observe and hear their situation entirely. Also, when they start doing the changes we should appreciate them for even a small change. This boosts their confidence and their ability to make more changes.
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Self-efficacy is the person's belief in their ability to change and achieve their goals. Supporting self-efficacy can help your peers feel more confident and optimistic about change, and increase their likelihood of taking action. To support self-efficacy, you need to acknowledge the person's strengths, skills, and achievements, provide encouragement and praise, elicit and reinforce change talk, and help them plan and implement realistic steps for change. For example, you can say: "You have shown a lot of courage and determination in the past." or "What are some of the things you can do to quit smoking?"
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Paul Eder, PhD
TOP, TOP VOICE 🔥 79x LinkedIn Top Voice 🔥 Author of FIRESTARTERS 🔥 I've Generated $20M+ in Consulting Revenue | AI, Data, and Change Champion | Artificial Intelligence | President - High Value, LLC | ENTP
I write about developing a Mastery Mindset in my book. This concept is rooted in the psychological concept of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy can be improved in 4 ways: 1) Practicing and succeeding 2) Watching others succeed at similar tasks 3) Visualization of success - developing belief in yourself 4) Receiving encouragement and support from others
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Oleh Pylyp
I build custom healthcare and medical solutions. Subscribe to my HealthRun Insider newsletter
Help people to develop vicarious experiences. Vicarious experiences are experiences that people have by observing others. When people see others succeed at tasks that are similar to the ones that they are facing, it can boost their self-efficacy. You can help people to develop vicarious experiences by providing them with role models, sharing stories of success, and encouraging them to watch others perform.
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Dr. Sayuru Dissanayaka, M.D
Bridging Medicine and Technology | Life Sciences Enthusiast | Wellness Strategist
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." One story that comes to mind involves a patient struggling with chronic stress and unhealthy lifestyle choices. Instead of prescribing immediate solutions, I used MI techniques to truly understand his perspective. By fostering a non-judgmental, supportive environment, the patient began to open up about the roots of their behaviors. Through thoughtful dialogue and empowerment, he initiated positive changes, not out of external pressure, but from a place of intrinsic motivation. This experience reaffirmed the potency of MI, showing that by nurturing understanding and trust, we can inspire meaningful transformations in those around us.
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