In my October newsletter I wrote about using MI in working with lay audiences, and the types of workshop activities I used in the workshop I conducted in September.
The main activity we did together that was extremely well received is the Values Card Sort. At the end of this article are links to the materials and instructions for doing this exercise with a group.
Briefly, each person is first asked to think about a goal they have in mind for the immediate future. This can be a change in behavior, or some other thing they would like to accomplish. Each person is then given a baggie containing a set of 90 cards, with possible values that people might have printed on them. The first three cards say “Very Important To Me”, “Important To Me” and “Less Important To Me”. The other cards have value statements such as “Achievement: to have important accomplishments”, “Caring: to care for others”, “Comfort: to have a pleasant and comfortable life”.
Participants are asked to lay the first 3 cards on the table, and then sort all of the others into one of these 3 groups, having only 10 in the “Very Important To Me” category. They are then asked to pare this down to 5 values.
Next they are asked to think about how the goal they have in mind is either consistent or not consistent with these 5 values. Next people share what they found either in pairs or in small groups.
If you found that your values right now are not consistent with the goal you are considering, perhaps it is not the right time to pursue this goal. Is there another time in the future that might be better?
If you are working with others to help make changes in behavior, try this activity. It works great!
Interested in learning more about Motivational Interviewing? Take a look at my DVD, Introduction to Motivational Interviewing available at http://bit.ly/IntroToMovationalInterviewingDVD
Links to the materials and the instruction for this exercise
http://casaa.unm.edu/inst/Personal%20Values%20Card%20Sort.pdf
http://www.motivationalinterviewing.org/sites/default/files/valuesinstructions.pdf
