Come Alongside in Motivational Interviewing: 10 Evidence-Based Coaching Practices

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Come Alongside in Motivational Interviewing, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Practices that may help

  1. Motivational Interviewing, Made Practical
    Motivational interviewing (MI) is a collaborative conversation style that strengthens a person’s own motivation for change by drawing out their reasons rather than supplying them. Meta-analyses find small-to-moderate effects across health behaviors — modest on average, but reliably better than confrontational or advice-giving styles, which can backfire.
  2. Develop discrepancy between values and behavior
    Gently hold up the gap between what the person wants and what they’re doing.
    Motivational Interviewing, Made Practical
  3. Prime identity before the ask — "what kind of person are you?"
    Invite the person to describe who they are in terms that align with the behavior you’re requesting.
    Pre-Suasion, Made Practical
  4. Use OARS to make the person feel understood
    Open questions, Affirmations, Reflections, Summaries — the four core micro-skills.
    Motivational Interviewing, Made Practical
  5. Share advice with permission (ask–offer–ask)
    Ask what they know, offer information with consent, then ask what they make of it.
    Motivational Interviewing, Made Practical
  6. Scale importance and confidence with the readiness ruler
    Ask “On a 0–10 scale, how ready are you?” — then ask why not lower.
    Motivational Interviewing, Made Practical
  7. Evoke change talk instead of supplying it
    Ask questions that lead the person to voice their own reasons for changing.
    Motivational Interviewing, Made Practical
  8. Activate unity — shared identity before the message
    Establish genuine shared identity with your audience before presenting your position.
    Pre-Suasion, Made Practical
  9. Affirm genuine strengths and effort
    Notice and name real strengths the person brings — not empty praise.
    Motivational Interviewing, Made Practical
  10. Use autonomy-supportive self-talk
    Coach yourself with choice and rationale, not "shoulds" and self-pressure.
    Self-Determination Theory, Made Usable

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