Motivational interviewing can help people reflect on how they feel about themselves and the connection with their work, and in this article, we will be looking at questions examples.
Motivational Interview usually involves asking open-ended questions. During an interview like this, one can discover more about their relation to their work by answering several open-ended questions.
In this article, we will look at the definition of motivational interview and motivational interviewing questions examples you may encounter. How you respond to these questions says a lot about you as a person and how you relate to your work.
In addition, we will also be looking at questions about your emotions and about improvement.
Definition of a Motivational Interview?
A motivational interview is a therapeutic approach from counselling and psychology that can help individuals find the intrinsic motivation to change.
The motivational interview approach can help team members in a workplace who are determined to change a specific aspect of their professional life. The workers may be seeking inspiration to help them complete their tasks more efficiently.
The aim is to help the interviewees discover new solutions by themselves instead of suggesting possible changes. It’s the goal of the motivational interviewer to help those responding to questions during an interview.
Motivational interviewers usually do this by using questions that help the interviewee review their work life. It also helps the interviewees think about what could help them find a solution to their present situation.
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Types of Motivational Interviewing Questions
Generally, motivational interviewers ask open-ended questions. Asking these types of questions will help the interviewee think critically about their job. It also helps the interviewee consider their current situation to discover new methods to improve the situation.
Most of these questions are there to help you evaluate your professional life by asking certain questions. Some of the questions you will encounter may ask you to evaluate how you are emotionally connected to your work and how it may affect your performance at work.
Motivational interviewers ask certain questions and get feedback by using the OARS method.
OARS is an acronym for Open-ended questions, Affirming, Reflective listening, and Summarizing.
The OARS method allows the interviewer to help you discover solutions to an issue you may be struggling with. It’s a technique that encourages you to critically think about your emotions relating to your work.
- Open-ended questions: This makes clients open up as it involves responding to questions with more explanations rather than responding with a yes or no.
- Affirming: Affirmations are statements to the client which verify their experiences.
- Reflective listening: This involves ensuring that there is clear communication.
- Summarizing: A summary will occur at a point in the conversation such as the conclusion to a part of the conversation.
Motivational Interviewing Questions Examples
Motivational interviewing questions examples are in different categories.
Evaluating Confidence and Self-Efficacy
This category involves asking questions that tend to help clients reflect if they possess an internal locus of control.
Questions examples in this category include.
- How confident you are in your ability to make this change on a scale of 1-10? What are the primary factors that contribute to you having that level of confidence?
- What will it require to improve and move a point higher on that scale?
- Can you ever think of any time when you encountered a similar challenge?
- During that time you encountered that challenge, what resources were available to you and who did you turn to for help?
- Can you describe a previous experience where you successfully accomplished a long-term change by overcoming a challenge? What did you learn from such a challenging experience?
- What are the personal abilities and resources that you possess that could help make this change happen?
- Compared to the last time you made an effort for a new change, are there any abilities or resources you could suggest?
- What are the special strategies that you rely upon and have worked for you in the past to accomplish intrinsic motivation? What do you think it will take to get to possess that mindset again?
- What type of challenges and obstacles have you encountered in previous attempts to make a change? How would you approach these challenges and obstacles differently this time?
- What knowledge or specific skills do you think you need to acquire or better to feel confident in making this new changes?
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Exploring Ambivalence and Important
The questions in this category are designed to help clients self-reflect on their ambivalent feelings (i.e. feelings of conflict).
Questions examples include;
- What can you tell me regarding the pros and cons of making this new change?
- What are your current concerns regarding the situation? Tell me what is more concerning to you to make you want to make this change?
- What are the things you might see as positive results of the change? Tell me about something you might see.
- How would your life be if you don’t make the change that is required? Can you describe life if you decide not to make an effective change?
- Let’s look at what you value most in your life. Can you help me list the things you consider the most important in your life and how would this change affect what you value most?
- You told me you feel uncertain regarding if you should make this change or not. May I ask what those feelings are like?
- Do you think you can verbalize your professional conflicts that you might be feeling about this change?
- Let’s look at some of the disadvantages of making this change, what do you think or consider to be the potential negative outcomes?
- Let’s explore a few things that would make you feel more confident about making this change. Tell me that one thing that would happen to cause you to be more excited about this change.
- Tell me the aspect of your life that you feel more proud of and how would this change connects to those accomplishments.
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10 Questions about Your Emotions
We have listed motivational interviewing questions examples. However, we want to look at 10 questions that evaluate your emotional connections and responses, which may include:
- How can I help you feel more relaxed and comfortable at work?
- Why are you here today?
- I believe your work is very important to you, can you tell me why?
- Why did you choose your occupation and what motivated you?
- How was the previous feeling like before you started feeling this way about your job?
- What specific method of relaxing has previously worked for you?
- What do you think would happen if you don’t make that change?
- What works for you to make you feel supported at work?
- Tell me that one thing you have done at work that makes you proud.
- Tell me about the best part of your day at work.
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8 Questions about Improvement
Below are a few motivational interview example questions on making improvements at work;
- What attempts have you made so far to improve your situation?
- Tell me how your goals have changed
- How has your work helped you improve personally or professionally?
- How would you improve your work?
- What were your goals initially while applying for this job?
- Tell me about that one time you discovered a new method for doing your work.
- How do you feel about the progress you have made so far at work?
- What changes will help you to accomplish your goals?
Conclusion
Motivational Interview usually involves asking open-ended questions. During an interview like this, one can discover more about their relation to their work by answering several open-ended questions.
The motivational interview approach can help team members in a workplace who are determined to change a specific aspect of their professional life. The workers may be seeking inspiration to help them complete their tasks more efficiently.
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References
- Indeed.com: 34 Motivational Interviewing Questions (With Sample Answers)
- HelpfulProfessor: 38 Motivational Interviewing Questions Examples
- WR Miller, S Rollnick – 2012: Motivational interviewing: Helping people change
- C Atkinson, K Woods – Educational Psychology in Practice, 2003: Motivational interviewing strategies for disaffected secondary school students: A case example
- WR Miller, TB Moyers, D Ernst, 2003: Manual for the motivational interviewing skill code (MISC)
