Mastering Behavior Change: Motivational Interviewing Techniques for Wellness Coaches
Motivational interviewing (MI) tackles one of the biggest challenges in wellness coaching – behavior change. It is a client-centered approach that every wellness coach must be well-versed in, as it helps improve the results and outcomes of their clients.
If you are a wellness coach, chances are that you have been usually approached with the same question, "I know what I am supposed to do, and I just don't want to do it." There we go, another dead-end.
However, motivational interviewing is the best way to break the ice in this regard. It is a delicate balance of communicating, directing, and guiding clients to unleash their motivation to change their behavior.
But the first step to get there is making a plan.
National Wellness and Fitness Association (NWFA) has supported thousands of wellness coaches over the last 25 years to apply motivational interviewing skills to change the health behavior of their clients.
Here are some proven strategies that ensure that motivational interviewing works, the reason behind why it works, and how to start using it to ensure lasting changes in your client's lives.
What Is Motivational Interviewing?
Motivational interviewing is based on two significant aspects;
Communicating – Not giving information, good listening, and letting clients figure out things on their own
Directing – Giving instructions, informing, and advising.
Motivational interviewing doesn't follow a cookie-cutter strategy. Rather, it is an empathetic way of having conversations with clients about what they want to do and how they can improve their behavior and health.
Motivational interviewing (MI) is rooted in collaboration and connection between a wellness coach and their client.
So, instead of telling your clients what to do, you guide them gently to explore their own reasons for wanting to improve their health.
The end goal remains constant.
This is done to boost the internal motivation of a client and to reduce their resistance to change.
MI has been proven effective by years of research. However, it was originally developed in addiction counseling. It is now used across health coaching, medication adherence, wellness, fitness, and promoting oral health habits among adolescents.
The Pillars of Motivational Interviewing (MI)
At the very heart of motivational interviewing is following your client's lead. It is never about how much education and training the wellness coach has. No matter how dedicated the coach is, the client will never cooperate unless they feel like they have a degree of ownership over the process. When the following four principles are balanced, Motivational Interviewing can make a long-lasting change in the client. Here are they;
- Partnership: Work with the client and not bossing them around
- Acceptance: Respecting their autonomy, even if you disagree
- Compassion: Keep the client's underlying motivation and thought patterns at the center
- Evocation: Draw out hesitancies and motivate the client using their own agenda.
The shift of the coach from an "expert" to a "guide" makes all the difference in the entire dynamic and builds trust among the clients.
Motivational Interviewing Techniques for Wellness Coaches: The OARS Framework
1. Open-ended Questions: (O)
Open-ended questions allow you to draw out deeper insights, emotions, and perspectives from your clients.
It is the best way to extract pertinent information and open up a window into their motivations and barriers. The questions that ask the client to "tell us more" or "Why do you think that…" are highly effective in drawing out dialogues, not just yes-or-no answers.
For example, you can try asking:
"What do you think success looks like?"
"Why is this goal important to you?"
"If you reached your goal, what would change in your life?"
"What obstacles have you faced this week?"
These are some of the prompts that help wellness coaches guide their clients to explore their goals and values. They also build trust faster than any other technique.
2. Affirmations: (A)
Affirming involves recognizing the client's effort, strengths, and resilience. It is totally not about dishing out compliments – they look flattering and are futile in gaining trust. It is about noticing the commitment of your client to show up, think about the positive, and identify their strengths.
Even when the progress is slow, affirmations show clients that they're doing well, which boosts their confidence and forward momentum.
Some simple affirmation statements can be;
"Wow! You've shown up for every session over the last six weeks."
These affirmations will help wellness coaches internalize the strengths of their clients and make them recognize their capability for change.
3. Reflections: (R)
Reflective listening refers to making informed guesses about what a wellness coach thinks their client means. It involves active listening and then paraphrasing or summarizing what the client said. This can be a powerful method to clarify meaning, show empathy, and help the client deepen the conversation, move towards change, and accept their own realizations.
Sample statements are;
"So, I heard that it's been tough for you to get to the gym this week, but you are proud that you still made it four times. For me, that means that your goal really matters to you."
This reflection sentence makes clients feel heard, and it also makes them want to change.
4. Summaries: (S)
Briefly summarizing key points of the conversations between wellness coaches and their clients helps reinforce understanding and set the tone for the next steps. It's also a great way for the client to fill in anything that was missed in the last session. Summarizing also validates what the client shared, pulls together their motivation, and clarifies any miscommunication.
You can try something like;
"This week was hectic, wasn't it? But you still managed two workouts! You even want to aim for three next week. Did I understand correctly that your energy levels were better on the days you exercised?"
Master Motivational Interviewing Techniques with NWFA
Motivational interviewing is all about being present, curious, and skillful in conversation. It is arguably the most important skill in coaching. At the National Wellness and Fitness Association (NWFA), we help coaches continually learn and improve their motivational interviewing skills into a coaching strength.
Through real-world examples, expert-taught courses, and practical case studies, you can practice your motivational interviewing skills and become a better coach with NWFA.