How can MI applications help clients overcome anxiety about change?

Motivational interviewing uses active listening principles to help an individual achieve clarity about what they want to accomplish. Engaging with a thought partner assists you in identifying your why. Your ability to set a plan in place is strengthened in this process.

Motivational Interviewing uses the Socratic Method of asking open ended questions to get to the root of truth. The interviewer hopes the other person can learn why they believe what they believe and why. Socrates believed that in order to learn about the truth you had to ask yourself direct questions about why you believe the way you do. This is still true today. MI asks another person questions about what they believe to be true and why they believe it to be true. This is done in order to help the person establish what is true to them so they can examine their assumptions closer. Once a person is clear about their beliefs, they go on to ask whether their beliefs are hurting or helping them. This can lead to lasting change.

Motivational Interviewing has been used in the Therapy world for decades to help effect positive change with those dealing with problematic behaviors from smoking and drinking to antisocial behaviors. The criminal justice system has found some useful applications when assisting those in probation situations to work through challenges. It helps to identify the roots of the situation, what hurdles are in the path mentally with implementing and continuing positive change and then following up with questions and exercises to help the person wanting/needing to change to effectively implement change. This holds a powerful opportunity for managers in working with their staff in producing positive change on a group and individual level.

A source of anxiety is often our lack of ability to control our environment. Change is all about disrupting the environment as we know it. So it makes sense that change causes stress and anxiety. Motivational interviewing is great tool to help us recognize where and why we are feeling out of control. The open questioning technique can help us ponder change and plan for unknowns we may not have thought about before.

People that want to change but have been unable to do so are often fighting with their own mistaken beliefs. Answering open ended questions makes you use your own reasoning. Instead of defending your beliefs you are able to question whether they are true at all. After asking why you believe the way you do and then seeing that it is hurting your health you may be more open minded to changing than if someone just told you why you were wrong.

The use of active listening skills combined with open ended questions that are tailored in a way to get the person in the middle of a change to think about things from an objective stand point helps to get that person and people in general "out of their heads" and they can begin to reflect in a more objective and rational way that is not driven by deep emotions, fears or biases. When done correctly and effectively it frees the participant to find solutions for themselves rather than having the "interviewer" tell them what to do they find out solutions themselves which helps with buy in and has a higher success rate for completion of the change cycle with a positive outcome.

MI emphasizes active listening, which is important for building relationships. It also encourages empathy as it pushes you to be in the other's shoes. When one genuinely understand the other's point of view and feelings, it fosters connection and trust in the relationship.

Using Motivational principals when communicating in general requires empathy, active listening and a willingness to explore all sides to a situation and discussion. This allows both participants to be more open and free to discuss difficult subjects without fear of judgement or feeling ignored, unheard or forced into a situation or decision that they cannot support. The process allows trust and vulnerability between two people in a relationship, so long as boundaries are established and followed it often times strengthens the connections and communications in those relationships regardless of the roles. It is not easy and takes work but it is well worth every ounce of effort!

This tool can be used as if you just completed an actual job interview and afterwards asked the interviewer why you weren't offered the job. Specifically, what can be improved upon to increase your chances of landing the job. I believe this will allow you to better present yourself before the actual interview.

With soft skills being the crown jewels in career advancements these days, those who have EQ and understand how to interact with other especially in influencing positive behaviors will find doors and pathways open to them. Those who can motivate team members and comprehend why their reports are resistant to change can have an edge on those leaders who cannot. Most challenges in the work place revolve around behaviors and poor habits rather than undefined or unexplained processes. The challenge for the majority of front line managers is how to improve behavior related to productivity and teamwork rather than rewriting the play book for how the team needs to accomplish any given task or project. MI is a valuable tool in that mission.

Socrates was famous for having conversations with people about what they believed to be true. Asking and answering questions to get to the real truth is called using the Socratic Method. Motivational Interviewing does the same thing by helping you establish what you believe to be personally true. This grounds your thoughts and actions in truth rather than wishful thinking. Critically thinking about the reasons why you believe what you believe allows you to question whether what you believe really is true or just something you were told growing up. MI drills down to expose you to a better understanding about why, how and what is underneath your beliefs, norms, traditions, thoughts and motivations.

I've found that blending MI with technology significantly enhances its effectiveness. Beyond traditional methods, incorporating AI tools can offer personalized training, guidance and ongoing support. These tools can be used to create dummy case studies, test our knowledge and then cross-check with the AI our approach. But we could also analyze client data to tailor MI techniques to their unique needs, fostering a deeper, more impactful client-coach relationship. Leveraging technology in MI not only aids in skill development and in gaining confidence with methodologies and strategies, but also in delivering transformative health coaching experiences.