MI conversations move through what Miller and Rollnick initially saw as four overlapping processes, but now refer to as Tasks of MI. Rosengren’s Building Motivational Interviewing Skills (3rd Ed) refines this idea further and suggests that MI conversations move through four zones. Unlike a checklist, these zones are fluid and overlapping. Practitioners move back and forth between them, both within and across sessions, guided by where the client is in their process; this is not a fixed sequence.
Engaging — establishing a trusting, collaborative working relationship.
Focusing — developing and maintaining a shared direction for the conversation.
Evoking — drawing out the person’s own reasons for change (change talk) rather than supplying reasons for them.
Planning — building commitment and shaping a concrete plan once the person is ready.
