{"id":5308,"date":"2023-06-18T19:35:38","date_gmt":"2023-06-18T19:35:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brainapps.io\/blog\/?p=5308"},"modified":"2026-03-29T05:56:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T05:56:36","slug":"mastering-motivational-interviewing-a-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brainapps.io\/blog\/2023\/06\/mastering-motivational-interviewing-a-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Motivational Interviewing Questions: A Leader&#8217;s Quick How-To with Scripts, OARS &#038; Checklist"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>The problem: why telling people to change rarely works &#8211; and how motivational interviewing solves it<\/h2>\n<p>You&#8217;ve probably told someone exactly what to do-and watched them agree, then keep doing the same thing. That pattern is common in teams: resistance and ambivalence show up when people face new skills, shifting roles, or critical feedback. Pushing change from the outside often produces surface compliance, defensiveness, or quiet avoidance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Motivational interviewing questions<\/strong> and techniques flip that script. Instead of arguing for change, MI intentionally draws out an employee&#8217;s own reasons to act-what practitioners call &#8220;change talk.&#8221; For leaders, that means more authentic buy-in, clearer follow-through, and fewer escalations to formal discipline.<\/p>\n<p>Five practical guiding principles for managers using MI-style coaching:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Express empathy<\/strong> &#8211; listen first; show you understand the person&#8217;s perspective.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Develop discrepancy<\/strong> &#8211; help people see the gap between their goals and current behaviour, so motivation arises internally.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Roll with resistance<\/strong> &#8211; treat objections as useful data, not problems to fix immediately.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Support self-efficacy<\/strong> &#8211; point to past wins and practical strengths to build confidence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Foster autonomy<\/strong> &#8211; let people choose the how and when so commitments stick.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Used as a <a href=\"\/course\/leadership\">Leadership<\/a> coaching approach, MI techniques produce more voluntary change, fewer repeated performance problems, and clearer next steps that employees own.<\/p>\n<h2>How motivational interviewing changes minds: recognise change talk and read readiness<\/h2>\n<p>MI works by turning ambivalence into self-motivation through a short sequence: ambivalence \u2192 evoked change talk \u2192 commitment \u2192 action. Your role is not to lecture but to listen for clues, reflect them, and help shape a small, testable next step.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>People are more likely to act on what they hear themselves say.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Four markers of change talk-listen for these in one-on-ones:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Willingness<\/strong> (I want to&#8230;): &#8220;I&#8217;d like to spend less time firefighting so I can focus on strategy.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ability<\/strong> (I can&#8230;): &#8220;I can run the new workflow if I get two weeks of pairing time.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reasons<\/strong> (Because&#8230;): &#8220;If I improve reporting, stakeholders will trust my forecasts.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Need<\/strong> (I need to&#8230;): &#8220;I have to sort this out-my stress is unsustainable.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Readiness signals and behavioural cues to track: volunteered ideas, specific future language, tentative trials, and follow-up messages that recap actions. If you hear mixed statements or hesitation, slow down and explore both sides; when you hear future-focused, specific change talk, shift toward planning and a small experiment.<\/p>\n<h2>The core MI skills (OARS): practical phrasing for open questions, reflective listening, and affirmations<\/h2>\n<p>OARS-Open questions, Affirmations, Reflective listening, Summaries-is a compact package of motivational interviewing techniques you can use in any coaching conversation. Below are short scripts and why they work.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Open questions<\/strong>: invite thinking and the employee&#8217;s perspective. Start with &#8220;What&#8230;&#8221; or &#8220;How&#8230;&#8221; and avoid &#8220;Why?&#8221; which can sound accusatory.\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;What would success look like for you in this role?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;How has this task been getting in the way of your priorities?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What would need to happen for you to feel ready to try this?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Affirmations<\/strong>: build confidence with specific, genuine statements-avoid empty praise.\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;You took the initiative on X last week-that persistence matters.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;You handled that tough client calmly; that steadiness helps the team.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reflective listening<\/strong>: key to eliciting change talk. Try three useful reflection types:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Simple reflection<\/strong>: mirror content. Example: &#8220;You&#8217;re feeling overwhelmed.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amplified reflection<\/strong>: slightly overstate to invite correction. Example: &#8220;So it&#8217;s impossible for you to take this on right now?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Double-sided reflection<\/strong>: name both sides of ambivalence. Example: &#8220;On one hand you value quality, and on the other the volume makes it hard to pause and improve.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Summarizing<\/strong>: use to collect threads, highlight change talk, and set up planning. A short template: <strong>&#8220;So you care about X, you see Y as a barrier, and you&#8217;re considering Z-does that capture it, and what would you like to try first?&#8221;<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Tone and body-language quick dos &#038; don&#8217;ts (in-person and remote): do keep an open posture, maintain eye contact or camera focus, allow silence; don&#8217;t interrupt, cross your arms, or rush to offer solutions.<\/p>  <section class=\"mtry limiter\">\r\n                <div class=\"mtry__title\">\r\n                    Try BrainApps <br> for free                <\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"mtry-btns\">\r\n\r\n                    <a href=\"\/signup?from=blog\" class=\"customBtn customBtn--large customBtn--green customBtn--has-shadow customBtn--upper-case\">\r\n                        Get started                   <\/a>\r\n              <\/a>\r\n                    \r\n                \r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/section>   <\/p>\n<h2>High-impact motivational interviewing questions &#8211; categorized, prioritised, and ready to copy<\/h2>\n<p>Use these question sets as ready-made scripts in one-on-ones. The sequence matters: explore rapport, deepen importance, test confidence, resolve ambivalence, then plan commitment.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Exploration \/ rapport-builders<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;What&#8217;s been going well this month and what&#8217;s been hardest?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What part of your work energises you most right now?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What obstacles keep getting in your way?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What support would make the biggest difference?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What&#8217;s one thing you wish I understood about your priorities?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Importance questions (why change matters)<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;On a scale of 0-10, how important is making this change?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What would improve if this changed?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Why does that matter to you?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What would happen if nothing changed?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Which of those outcomes feels most urgent?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Confidence and ability<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;On a scale of 0-10, how confident are you that you could do this?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What makes you say a 6 and not a 3?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What small step would make you feel more confident?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Who or what could support you in this?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What resources or time would change that number?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ambivalence-resolving<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;What are the pros and cons as you see them?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;On one hand you value X; on the other you worry about Y-tell me more about both.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What&#8217;s the smallest, lowest-risk step you could take?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What stopped you last time, and what could be different now?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;If you imagine trying this for two weeks, what would make it acceptable?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Commitment and planning prompts<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;What are you willing to try in the next week?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;When will you start, and what will be the first step?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;How will we know this is working?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Who needs to be involved or informed?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;If you rate your commitment 0-10, what would move it one point higher?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Two short annotated mini-dialogues<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Dialogue A &#8211; skill development<\/strong>\n<ol>\n<li>Manager: &#8220;What part of the new process feels most unclear to you?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Employee: &#8220;The reporting steps-I&#8217;m not sure which metrics to prioritise.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Manager: &#8220;So the metrics selection is the confusing piece.&#8221; (simple reflection)<\/li>\n<li>Employee: &#8220;I worry I&#8217;ll pick the wrong ones and waste time.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Manager: &#8220;You want to be efficient; what would help you choose the right metrics?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Employee: &#8220;If I paired with Alex for an hour and had a checklist, I could try it next Tuesday.&#8221; (commitment)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dialogue B &#8211; performance concern<\/strong>\n<ol>\n<li>Manager: &#8220;How have you experienced the recent feedback from stakeholders?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Employee: &#8220;Timelines slipped; I feel stretched thin.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Manager: &#8220;You value delivering on time, and the stretch is stopping you from doing that.&#8221; (double-sided reflection)<\/li>\n<li>Employee: &#8220;Exactly-I want to meet deadlines but I&#8217;m juggling too many pieces.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Manager: &#8220;What one task could you offload to free time this week?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Employee: &#8220;I can delegate the weekly summary to Jamie and focus on the Friday deliverable.&#8221; (planning)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Common mistakes managers make using MI &#8211; exact fixes and better scripts<\/h2>\n<p>Leaders new to motivational interviewing often default to familiar habits. Below are common errors, short scripts to try instead, and one-line rationales that make the change practical.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mistake: Leading with solutions.<\/strong>\n<p>Instead say: &#8220;What options have you considered?&#8221; Rationale: invites ownership and reduces pushback.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mistake: Asking closed or judgmental questions.<\/strong>\n<p>Poor: &#8220;Why didn&#8217;t you meet the deadline?&#8221; Better: &#8220;What got in the way of the deadline?&#8221; Rationale: opens explanation without blame.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mistake: Over-affirming or minimizing problems.<\/strong>\n<p>Instead: &#8220;You handled the client call calmly when things went sideways-that steadiness is an asset.&#8221; Rationale: affirms specific behaviour without dismissing the issue.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mistake: Missing change talk cues.<\/strong>\n<p>Fix: listen for tentative future language (&#8220;I might&#8230;&#8221;), scaling answers, and hypotheticals; reflect immediately: &#8220;You said you might start X-tell me more.&#8221; Rationale: catching early cues lets you strengthen motivation.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mistake: Pushing for commitment too soon.<\/strong>\n<p>Try: &#8220;On one hand you see benefits, and on the other you have concerns-what would make you feel ready to decide?&#8221; Rationale: prevents false agreement and builds genuine commitment.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mistake: Treating MI as a one-off conversation.<\/strong>\n<p>Fix: &#8220;Let&#8217;s agree on one small experiment and a two-week check-in to see how it goes.&#8221; Rationale: change needs support and short feedback loops.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Quick checklist, conversation templates, follow-up plan, and three next steps<\/h2>\n<p>Use this one-page playbook to run MI-style meetings that deliver practical results.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>One-page MI-ready checklist<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Prepare: review recent examples and decide what you want to learn (not fix).<\/li>\n<li>Open: start with a rapport-builder question from the exploration list.<\/li>\n<li>Listen: use reflections and note any change talk.<\/li>\n<li>Evoke: ask importance and confidence questions to deepen motivation.<\/li>\n<li>Summarize: reflect main themes and highlight any change talk.<\/li>\n<li>Plan: agree on a small, specific next step and a check-in date.<\/li>\n<li>Follow-up: document the plan and send a brief recap within 24 hours.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Two copy-paste templates<\/strong>\n<p>Template A &#8211; 5-turn starter (exploration):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Manager: &#8220;What&#8217;s been your biggest win and biggest challenge this month?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Employee: [answers]<\/li>\n<li>Manager: &#8220;It sounds like X helped and Y is getting in the way.&#8221; (reflect)<\/li>\n<li>Manager: &#8220;What would make the biggest difference to reduce Y?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Manager: &#8220;If you tried Z next week, how confident are you to do that on a scale of 0-10?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Template B &#8211; 5-turn planning-to-commit:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Manager: &#8220;What small step could you try this week that would show progress?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Employee: [offers step]<\/li>\n<li>Manager: &#8220;When will you do that and what support do you need?&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Employee: [commits day\/time]<\/li>\n<li>Manager: &#8220;Great-let&#8217;s check in on [date]. How will we measure success?&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Follow-up plan and simple metrics<\/strong>\n<p>Check-ins: quick check-in within one week, fuller review at two weeks, and a reflection at one month. Track 1-2 indicators: behavioural signs (task handed off, calendar time blocked) and outcome signals (on-time delivery, stakeholder feedback). Keep brief meeting notes and review progress every 2-4 weeks.<\/p>\n<p>Escalate to HR or external coaching for legally sensitive issues, safety risks, or when repeated MI conversations show no behavioural change.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Three first steps to try in your next one-on-one<\/strong>\n<ol>\n<li>Open with one exploration question from this guide.<\/li>\n<li>Use a double-sided reflection once if you sense resistance.<\/li>\n<li>Agree on one small experiment and schedule a two-week check-in; document it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Short summary: Motivational interviewing gives leaders specific questions and reflective listening techniques to move people from resistance to real commitment. Start small, listen more than you speak, and use the templates above-after a few meetings you should see clearer action and more authentic buy-in.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FAQ<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>How long does it take to see results from MI in the workplace?<\/strong> You may notice small increases in candour and tentative change talk in the first MI-style meeting. Observable behaviour change often follows a short experiment (1-2 weeks) and becomes more reliable with regular check-ins over 4-8 weeks; timing varies with readiness and complexity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Can managers use MI in performance reviews?<\/strong> Yes-use MI questions and OARS during the developmental parts of reviews to evoke ownership and plans. Avoid using MI during disciplinary or legally sensitive moments; separate clear expectations and consequences from coaching conversations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do I measure whether MI is working?<\/strong> Track process signals (more change talk, specific commitments, follow-through) and outcomes (on-time delivery, delegated tasks, stakeholder feedback). Keep brief notes and review progress every 2-4 weeks.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Can motivational interviewing be done over email or chat?<\/strong> Asynchronous channels can work for brief open questions, reflections, and summaries, but they reduce immediacy. Prefer video or phone for full MI conversations; if using chat, keep messages short, invite reflection, and schedule a live follow-up.<\/p>\n  <section class=\"landfirst landfirst--yellow\">\r\n<div class=\"landfirst-wrapper limiter\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/brainapps.io\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/reboot_child\/bu2.svg\" alt=\"Business\" class=\"landfirst__illstr\">\r\n<div class=\"landfirst__title\">Try BrainApps <br> for free<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"landfirst__subtitle\">\r\n\r\n\r\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M20.285 2l-11.285 11.567-5.286-5.011-3.714 3.716 9 8.728 15-15.285z\"\/><\/svg> 59 courses\r\n<br>\r\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M20.285 2l-11.285 11.567-5.286-5.011-3.714 3.716 9 8.728 15-15.285z\"\/><\/svg> 100+ brain training games\r\n <br>\r\n<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M20.285 2l-11.285 11.567-5.286-5.011-3.714 3.716 9 8.728 15-15.285z\"\/><\/svg> No ads\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n<a href=\"\/signup?from=blog\" class=\"customBtn customBtn--large customBtn--green customBtn--drop-shadow landfirst__btn\">Get started<\/a>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section>  ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The problem: why telling people to change rarely works &#8211; and how motivational interviewing solves it You&#8217;ve probably told someone exactly what to do-and watched them agree, then keep doing the same thing. That pattern is common in teams: resistance and ambivalence show up when people face new skills, shifting roles, or critical feedback. Pushing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-5308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-other"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brainapps.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brainapps.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brainapps.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brainapps.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brainapps.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/brainapps.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5308\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brainapps.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brainapps.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brainapps.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5308"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brainapps.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=5308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}