This lesson will explore the varying levels of competency in the four processes of Motivational Interviewing, and focus on the process with the lowest level of competency; the Evoking Process. The importance of the evoking process is explained as we review its four components. We provide multiple opportunities for you to test your knowledge and understanding throughout this lesson.

Preparing MI Proficiency  

In most organizations the supervisor will take the role as the coach and evaluator for their staff’s Motivational Interviewing skills. Before evaluating staff competency, we recommend that supervisors have reached a certain level of experience and knowledge before evaluating others. We provide a list of recommended prerequisites necessary to code or evaluate their staff’s MI proficiency.

Four Processes and MI Competence

In the data collected we find that staff can have varying levels of competency in  the four processes of MI. We provide the statistics on staff for the average skill level for the engaging, focusing, evoking, and planning process. This data can be essential to understanding what areas staff will typically need the most practice in.

Evoking

We review the four parts of the Evoking process we use with staff in great detail, and revisit the acronyms associated with each. The Evoking process has the lowest percentage of competency and it will take most of your time and effort. MI’s goal is to reach a behavior change, and change talk is the best way to facilitate that. It is important that we are competent in our evoking skills. We provide an example of evoking change talk in a client-staff conversation.

Recognizing and Responding to Change Talk

Change talk is any form of client speech in the direction of change. Sustain talk is the clients speech for reasons not to change. It is important for supervisors to help staff recognize when sustain talk is mixed up in change talk. In evaluating staff, listen for: initial use of evoking strategies to elicit change talk, ability to recognize change talk when it occurs, their ability to evoke stronger change talk before moving on to the planning process. We provide an exercise for you to practice recognizing change talk.

Deepening Reflections

A Complex Reflection is a reflection where the interviewer “guesses” at a deeper meaning behind a client statement. Complex reflection are essential to Evoking in MI for three reasons. We explore these reasons and provide examples that list the evocation strategy, change talk, simple reflection, and complex reflection in a client-staff interview. 

Please Note : As part of our content licensing agreement, these Motivational Interviewing courses are intended only for those practicing or providing services in Michigan, and only provide CEUs valid to Michigan providers. By enrolling in these courses you certify that you meet this criteria.

1. Clarify the overlapping roles of supervisor and coach.
2. List skill requirements for supervisors for evaluating MI with their staff.
3. Review the importance of the Four Processes and their relevance for MI competence.
4. Demonstrate, then practice the skills necessary for basic competence in the Evoking Process in Motivational Interviewing.