Introduction to Motivational Interviewing
Motivational interviewing is a style of communication that focuses on tapping into people’s intrinsic (rather than extrinsic) motivation for making changes in their lives. It is a research-backed method that has been applied successfully in many different environments, from athletics to substance use recovery. This blog will focus on how coaches and parents can use motivational interviewing with athletes, but people from all sorts of leadership positions (e.g., teachers, business managers) can also employ it in their own worlds.
Typically, people are more likely to be driven by their own rational rather than attempts by others at persuasion. Like many people trying to get others to change, coaches often try to insert themselves and provide advice to fix whatever their athletes are doing wrong. They might provide direct instruction or rely on fear or reward for motivation. However, fear and reward are often short-term solutions for motivation. Motivational interviewing views self-motivation, on the other hand, as long-term. Through attempts to understand athletes and what motivates them, athletes will likely be more interested in what you have to say as coaches and parents in turn.
Three Coaching Styles
Motivational interviewing in sports delineates three different coaching styles. The first is fixing, which is the style coaches typically use. This style focuses on “instructing” and “correcting.” The second style is guiding, which is most closely aligned with motivational interviewing. Guiding involves “encouraging” and “motivating.” The third one is following and includes “listening” and “observing.” All these styles are helpful, but it is important to recognize when each might be the most helpful. Generally, motivational interviewing recommends following first to gain a better understanding of the athlete as well as their trust, then guiding, and finally fixing.
Asking Questions
You might be wondering how to actually “use” motivational interviewing. Starting at its most basic level, you can start by asking more questions. Ask the athlete what they would like to be different or what they need from you to change. These questions should be focused on actions and on the future. A more specific tactic would be to use scaling questions. If they are wanting to change something, ask them on a scale of 1-10 how much they want to change that thing. Whatever number they choose, ask them why they chose that number and not a couple numbers below it. Then, ask them what it would take to increase it by a couple of numbers. This allows you to better understand the specific motivation for your individual players, as well as helps your players better understand their emotion as well. Many athletes are used to just being told what to do. I have also used this technique when assessing players’ confidence or other mental states like focus and helping them explore how we can improve it (e.g., ask them how they would rate their confidence on a scale of 1-10 and then why they chose their number and not one a couple numbers below as well as what it would take for them to increase their confidence by a couple numbers).
Focus on Affirmation Rather Than Praise
Praise can have positive effects. However, praise is really an extrinsic form of motivation and using it too often means athletes can become reliant upon it. Affirmation, on the other hand, offers acknowledgment of the athlete’s effort or attitude and begins with “You” (i.e., the athlete) rather than “I” (i.e., the coach). They are more about bringing to light something that is already there within the athlete (e.g., “You worked really hard in today’s game") rather than making a judgment (“I think you were the best player out there today”). This process is more connected to intrinsic learning rather than learning motivated from external opinions.
How to Offer Feedback
Feedback is still absolutely necessary as a coach, even if they are utilizing motivational interviewing. However, coaches might benefit from tweaking how they offer feedback and make it more collaborative instead. This means that coaches can still provide feedback but do it in a way that athletes might be more open to. The order goes “ask, offer, ask.” Begin with asking the athlete the information they already have and what they are trying to improve upon. Then, offer an idea as a suggestion, without saying words like “need” or “must.” After presenting your suggestion, ask the athletes their thoughts on it and how they think it may or may not work. Through this process, athletes are given the option to buy into their coach’s suggestion rather than having it forced upon them. They can also add to it and make it more helpful for their own situation.
Reference
Rollnick, S., Fader, J., Breckon, J., & Moyers, T. B. (2019). Coaching athletes to be their best: Motivational interviewing in sports. Guilford Publications.
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