As public servants and employees, one important aspect of our day-to-day is interacting and relating with other people. Some of the people need our help and guidance, but sometimes, the usual straightforward approach does not work. When we find them in the same conundrum time and again, it frustrates us that they seem not be listening to our advice to fix whatever it is they’re struggling with. We might even end up blaming them for not taking our advice. What we should be thinking instead, is that maybe the approach we applied when we provided our advice is not congruent with their learning and motivation style.
Denise Beagley is an educator at the Arizona State University’s Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy and a Crisis Intervention Specialist. In the span of her career, she’s worked predominantly in the sphere of Criminal Justice and Psychology. One of the areas she focuses on is the core topic of this webinar, Motivational Interviewing.
Denise will talk about the impact of one’s communicating style in influencing another person’s motivation and behavior. And how Motivational Interviewing is a critical skill which can be applied to various industries, and likewise essential for public servants.
Some of the specifics Denise discussed are:
- The problems with standard interview and review practice that provides unsolicited advice, doesn’t activate change in behavior and doesn’t gauge an individual’s willingness to change.
- The three commonly used communication styles.
- Following as the best style when support is needed which utilizes listening and supporting skills.
- Directing as the natural and instinctive response, a.k.a. righting reflex, to fix problems and make things right but also can lead to roadblocks when it comes to producing the behavioral change we want to see.
- Guiding as the best tool for behavior change and inducing motivation.
- Motivational Interviewing as a style that uses the guiding communication style.
- Examples of questions to ask in motivational interviewing contrasted to how a directing style would do it.
- The various industries/niches where Motivational Interviewing can be a valuable skill in your toolbox.
- The formula for Motivational Interviewing that increases reflection, decreases questions, seeks permission to provide information, extends empathy and avoids advice giving.
- The PACE model of partnership, acceptance, compassion and evocation as steps to elicit change in behavior.
- Defining and distinguishing open-ended from close-ended questions.
- The OARS ratio of open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections and summaries utilized during interviews and conversations.
- Samples of how simple reflections can be done during supervision.
- The four processes of Motivational Interviewing that:
- Engages a person and establishes a working relationship
- Focuses and clarifies agenda and change as the goal
- Evokes by listening to their story
- And plans a course of action towards that change in behavior
- Ambivalence as the state that must be overcome as it gives feelings of indecisiveness and could lead to procrastination.
- Reducing sustain talk and driving change talk by asking instead of telling to get to the target behavior
- The 4 Steps of Coaching where you:
- Identify strengths and weakness through direct observation
- Provide support and practice honesty through discussions
- Offer ideas and advice with permission through active coaching
- And monitor progress through periodic follow-ups
- The importance of practicing empathy during supervision.
- How to provide information in an MI-consistent fashion through the elicit-provide-elicit model where you ask the person for permission to provide information, and if they’re willing to accept that information.
- Samples of target behaviors to provide peer/staff/client and how to define the destination and target behavior without having to apply the directing approach.
- Motivational Interviewing as a supervision style and how it can lead to better supervisor-staff relationship, reduced burnout and effective conflict resolution or mediation.
- What to do and provide in a coaching session.
- Next steps and resources if you want to improve your Motivational Interviewing skills.
- The poll question was asked to measure the audience’s familiarity with Motivational Interviewing.
- Denise clarified on the Q & A segment topics like:
- The communication style to apply in emergency situations.
- Applying pressure to get the desired outcome out of someone.
- Information on advanced training in Motivational Interviewing.
- Managing perceptions by reflecting if Gordon roadblocks are happening.
- Using Motivational Interviewing in rapport building and de-escalating.
Resources Mentioned During the Webinar
- Video: It’s Not About the Nail
- Links:
- ASU Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy Events Calendar
- Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT)
- Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) instrument manual
- Motivational Interviewing Assessment: Supervisory Tools for Enhancing Proficiency (MIA-STEP)
- TIP 35: Enhancing Motivation For Change in Substance Abuse Treatment
- National Institute of Corrections: Motivational Interviewing
- Books:
