Rowing for Confidence

'''Abstract''': The counselor practices how to use [[OARS]] directively, to enhance confidence for change.

'''Overview''': This is a variation on the prior [[Rowing with OARS]] exercise, with particular attention on building confidence for change. It addresses the client for whom confidence may be lower than importance.

'''Guidelines''': Work in groups of four (if two observers are to be used): One speaker, one counselor, and two observers at a time. The speaker’s topic is “One thing in my life (or about myself) that I would like to change, (or have good reasons to change, or is important for me to change) but am not sure if I can (or have the ability to do it, or have the time/energy to do it.)” This instruction solicits a change topic for which importance may be higher than confidence.

The counselor’s task is to use OARS to evoke confidence talk. The counselor should refrain from advice-giving, and stick to the OARS, being careful to offer more reflections than questions. Possible strategies include (1) asking open questions the answer to which is confidence talk, (2) using the confidence ruler, and (3) reviewing past successes (4) discussing personal strengths and resources. For a more highly structured task, you can assign these specific questions, in the style of the [[Taste of MI]] exercise:
– On a scale from 0 to 10, how confident are you that you could make this change if you decided to?
– Follow-up: And why are you at ___ and not zero?
– What is there about you (strengths, abilities, talents) that would help you do this?
– How might you go about it, in order to succeed?
– What have you done successfully in the past that was like this in some way?

One observer uses an OARS sheet and records occurrences of each of these responses. The usual procedure is to make hash marks next to O, A, R, and S as these occur, and also to write down what the observer regarded to be particularly good examples of each.

The second observer listens for change talk from the speaker, with particular attention to Ability statements. You can assign this coder to work in various ways, such as (1) simple counting of Ability statements, (2) placing hash marks in D A R N and C categories, (3) writing down particularly good examples of confidence talk, (4) rating the strength of confidence talk, or (5) also noting what the counselor did right before each confidence talk statement, to elicit it..

The counselor may pause at any point in the conversation to consult with the observers.

Allow the conversation to proceed for about 10 minutes, and then give a 5-minute warning. At this point the counselor should (1) offer a bouquet summary of the speaker’s importance and confidence talk, (2) ask for the speaker’s reactions to the conversation, and then (3) ask the observers to tell what they observed. The observers should use their coding sheets to summarize their observations, and mention particularly good examples that they noted.

'''Notes''': This is quite a complex exercise, and benefits from the trainer(s) circulating, observing, and coaching. The exercise can be repeated if desired, so that each participant gets to play each role.

Contributed by: David Rosengren and Bill Miller