Motivational Interviewing techniques – Typical day

This article is the third in the techniques series which are drawn from the motivational interviewing approach. In the previous papers, I summarise briefly the principles of Motivational interviewing (Passmore, 2011a) and in the techniques section offered a perspective on the application of reflective listening (Passmore 2011b) and the balance sheet technique (Passmore, 2011c).In this paper, I will briefly review a technique called ‘a Typical Day’. Typical Day is a useful technique or more rightly an exercise, which is used at the start of a coaching conversation to encourage the coachee to talk about the key issue. It offers the coach the opportunity to demonstrate listening and empathy while also gaining a detailed understanding of the issue.  

‍